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top view of showing how to bake cilantro lime salmon on a sheet pan with vegetables
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Cilantro Lime Salmon

This Cilantro Lime Salmon is a versatile, healthy, easy, recipe that will have everyone licking their plates!  The baked salmon is buttery tender, juicy, and gloriously flavorful, seeping with bright, zesty, citrus, chili, garlic notes. You can serve the cilantro salmon as a sheet pan meal complete with potatoes and veggies or use the baked salmon to transform salads, tacos, burritos, wraps, etc. into the best ever!  This Cilantro Lime Salmon may look impressive but is SO easy and comes together quickly with hardly any cleanup.  Serve your healthy baked salmon with a side of fruit salad, corn salad and tres leches cake for a complete feast!
Course Main Course
Cuisine Mexican
Servings 5 servings

Ingredients

SALMON

  • 5 salmon fillets or 1 large fillet cut into 2-inch pieces (I recommend skin off)

CILANTRO LIME MARINADE

VEGGIES (Optional)

  • 2 1/2 cups peeled sweet potatoes (3/-4-inch chopped cubes)
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • salt and pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
  • 2 cups cherry tomatoes
  • 1 large zucchini (sliced 1/2-3/-4-inch thick, quartered)

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
  • Whisk all of the marinade ingredients together in a medium bowl. Remove 2 tablespoons to use later for the vegetables.
  • Line the salmon fillets (skin side down if they have it) in a 9×13 baking dish, or a dish that fits them snuggly together. Pour the remaining marinade evenly over the top of the salmon. Marinate at room temperature while you prep the veggies, ideally 30-40 minutes. Don't marinate longer or the fish can become mushy.
  • Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with cooking spray for easy cleanup. Add the chopped sweet potatoes and toss with 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon chili powder, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Roast for 20 minutes at 400 degrees F.
  • Stir the potatoes and push them to one side of the baking sheet. Add zucchini and tomatoes and toss them with the 2 tablespoons reserved marinade and season with freshly cracked salt and pepper. Push them towards the opposite side of the baking sheet. Line the salmon down the middle.
  • Bake at 400 degrees F for approximately 12-16 minutes or until salmon is cooked to your liking and easily flakes with a fork, I recommend 130 degrees F on an instant read thermometer (cooking time may vary depending on thickness of salmon.) If your salmon is done before your veggies, remove the salmon to a plate and continue to roast the veggies to your liking.
  • Season with freshly cracked salt and pepper to taste. Serve salmon and veggies together or add to a rice bowl with sides such as black beans, avocados/guacamole, sour cream, hot sauce and additional freshly squeezed lime juice if desired etc. OR serve baked salmon in tacos, wraps, salads, burritos. See post for serving ideas.

Video

Notes

SKILLET cilantro lime salmon 

  • Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium high-heat until hot and shimmering.
  • Add the salmon and cook until golden and crisp on the bottom, about 3-4 minutes.
  • Carefully flip the fillets over and reduce the heat to medium. Continue cooking until the salmon is done to your liking, 4-5 minutes more.

grilled cilantro SALMON

To make this recipe on the grill, you will need SKIN ON salmon fillets so they don’t fall apart easily:
  • Marinate the salmon per recipe instructions. 
  • Clean, grease and preheat the grill to 450 degrees F.  Take care to GENEROUSLY grease the grates with a high smoking oil such as vegetable oil (not olive oil).
  • Remove the salmon one by one from the marinade and drizzle and rub vegetable oil or grape seed oil over the skin. Place salmon skin side DOWN, flesh side up. Grill for 4-5 minutes, uncovered, without touching, until the salmon easily releases from the grill when you check a corner with a metal fish spatula.
  • Using tongs and a fish spatula, carefully turn the fish onto the other side, so that the flesh side is down, the skin side is up. Grill for another 2-3 minutes depending on thickness, until the fish reaches 125-130 degrees F on an instant read thermometer. Remove the salmon from the grill and tent with foil and let rest 5 minutes before servings.

Prep ahead

  • Marinade:  can be made up to 48 hours in advance and stored in the fridge WITHOUT the salmon. 
  • Veggies: can be chopped and stored in airtight containers in the refrigerator up to three days in advance. 

HOW TO STORE and reheat 

  • To store:  store leftover salmon in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days. 
  • To freeze: freeze leftover salmon for up to 3 months. Place salmon fillets in a freezer size bag in a single layer, squeeze out excess air to preserve freezer burn, label and freeze. You can also freeze individual salmon fillets by wrapping in plastic wrap before storing together.  Thaw overnight before reheating.  I do not recommend freezing the zucchini and tomatoes because they will become mushy once frozen and thawed.
  • To reheat: gently reheat the salmon fillets in a skillet, covered, for about 5 minutes or in the microwave at 30-second intervals. You can also warm in the oven for 10-15 minutes at 275 degrees F, until it reaches an internal temperature of 125°F to 130°F. Take care not to overcook the salmon or it will become dry.