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Spicy Chipotle Honey Salmon Rice Salad. Smoky, slightly spicy, chipotle roasted salmon tossed with crispy garlic rice and a big avocado salad. Drizzle over my favorite toasted sesame tahini honey dressing, and you’ll have a salad that will not disappoint. This is kind of like a rice bowl meets a big green salad. Totally delicious! I recommend serving this with salted tortilla chips for scooping. YUM!
If there was ever a salad I could get my family excited about eating, it’s surely a salad with rice. We could live off of bowls of steamed rice. It’s certainly one of our main food groups. Honestly, there’s not a week that goes by that I’m not making at least one pot of rice.
Why Rice?
Our obsession has been fueled by my one and only mother; she is the queen of rice! We enjoyed rice so much growing up. She used to make pots of instant rice, but then my dad took over, and it became steamed rice with salt and butter.
I’m not sure how he learned to cook the perfect pot of rice, but to this day, I use his method. Rice and water in a pot with a slice of butter. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce the heat to low for 5 minutes. Then turn the heat off and let the rice sit, covered, for another 20 minutes. Fluff with a fork (always a fork) and serve!
My brother, Red, has told me multiple times that he’ll eat almost anything over rice. You get the point; we adore rice. Ok, moving on!
I almost always have leftover bowls of rice in the fridge. With all that rice, you can guess that rice salads happen often. But I like my rice warm, so crispy rice salads are what I’ve been making lately. I crisp my rice up in the oven, just like I do when I make chicken fried rice. Then, I toss it with a lot of salad ingredients! This salmon salad is my dad’s favorite; spicy chipotle honey salmon rice salad never disappoints!
These are the details
Rice Ingredients
- cooked rice
- salted butter
- garlic
- tamari/soy sauce
- black pepper
Salmon Salad Ingredients
- salted butter
- salmon
- chipotle in adobo
- honey
- tamari/soy sauce
- shredded cabbage
- avocados
- Persian cucumber
- jalapeñ0
- cilantro
- roasted peanuts
Tahini Dressing Ingredients
- olive oil
- lemon juice
- tahini
- honey
- tamari/soy sauce
- garlic
- toasted sesame seeds
Special Tools
Nothing special, just a sheet pan, a blender or mixing bowl, and a salad bowl!
Steps
Step 1: make the rice
This is not a classic crispy rice. It’s made on a sheet pan to make things fast and easy.
I like to toss my rice (I usually use jasmine) with butter, toasted sesame oil, and garlic. Then I bake it to dry it out and get it crispy. Next, I add a little tamari and allow it to bake into the rice.
The rice comes out crispy, garlicky, and salty. It’s so good!
Step 2: make the salmon
I cook the salmon while the rice is cooking – all in the same oven.
It’s pretty easy. Toss the salmon cubes with butter, then chipotle, honey, and tamari; bake until crisp.
Step 3: now the salad
Shredded cabbage, chunks of avocado, cucumber, chopped jalapeño, cilantro and peanuts.
You could also use kale in place of the cabbage, but I’m loving simple cabbage lately.
Step 4: the tahini dressing
A combination of creamy tahini (sesame seed paste), lemon juice, honey, and a couple of teaspoons of tamari or soy sauce. The tahini provides a wonderful creamy dressing, while the honey and tamari add sweet, savory, and salty flavors.
Add chili flakes on top for some spice!
Step 5: putting it all together
Spoon the hot rice over the salad, add the salmon, and then the dressing. Give this a gentle toss to combine – eat right away!
As mentioned above, I like my rice warm, and honestly, many of my salads too. So warm and crispy is the way I like to do it!
This is odd, but…
For serving, I’ve started adding homemade tortilla chips. I like scooping up the salad with the chips. They add a yummy salty crunch!
Looking for other salmon recipes? Here are a few…
Sheet Pan Chipotle Salmon Tacos with Pineapple Jalapeño Salsa
Parchment Baked Roasted Red Pepper Salmon
Coconut Curry Salmon with Garlic Butter
Lastly, if you make this Spicy Chipotle Honey Salmon Rice Salad, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And, of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Spicy Chipotle Honey Salmon Rice Salad.
Servings: 4
Calories Per Serving: 481 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Watch the How-To Reel
Ingredients
Rice
- 2-3 cups cooked rice, preferably a day old
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 2 tablespoons tamari/soy sauce
- black pepper
Salmon
- 1 tablespoon salted butter
- 4 4 ounce salmon filets, cut into bite-size chunks
- 1-2 tablespoons chopped chipotle in adobo
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon tamari/soy sauce
- 2 cups shredded cabbage
- 2 avocados, chopped
- 2 Persian cucumbers, chopped
- 1 jalapeño, sliced
- 1/2 cup fresh chopped cilantro
- 1/2 cup roasted peanuts, chopped
Tahini Dressing
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 1/4 cup tahini
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 2 teaspoons tamari/soy sauce
- 2 cloves garlic, grated
- 3 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 450° F. 2. To make the rice. On a baking sheet, toss together the rice, butter, sesame oil, garlic, 1 tablespoon tamari sauce and black pepper. Bake for 15 minutes until sizzling. Remove from the oven and toss with 1 more tablespoon of tamari. Bake another for 10 minutes until the rice is crispy.3. To make the salmon. On a baking sheet, toss the salmon with butter, chipotle, honey, tamari, and a pinch of pepper. Arrange in a single layer. Roast for 10-15 minutes or until the salmon is cooked to your liking. During the last minute, switch the oven to broil. Broil the salmon until it's a little crispy. 4. To make the salad. Combine the cabbage, avocado, cucumbers, jalapeño, cilantro, and peanuts together in a slad bowl. 5. To make the dressing. Combine all ingredients and 1/4 cup water in a blender. Blend until smooth. Add water to thin the dressing as desired. Add sesame seeds. Season with salt and chili flakes.6. Spoon the hot rice over the salad. Add the salmon, then toss gently with the tahini dressing. Enjoy! This might sound weird, but I love adding tortilla chips on the side for scooping!
This post was originally published on February 5, 2025
An excellent , flavorful and healthy recipe. I left out the cabbage and served as more of a rice bowl. It’s now one of our favorite ways to serve salmon. I’ve had great success with your seafood recipes both from the books and your site- thanks for another winner!
Hey Lindsay,
Wonderful! Love to hear this recipe was a winner, I appreciate you making it! Have the best weekend:)
OMG! This is AMAZING! THANK YOU for another amazing meal. I didn’t realize I had to cube the salmon, but it still tasted yummy. I also didn’t add the spicy ingredients. It was an exciting recipe – lots of components and so fun to make!
Hey Jenn,
Love to hear this! Thank you for making this recipe and your comment! Have a wonderful week!!
Is there an easy vegetarian pasta dish you would recommend that compliments this recipe? Thank you!
Hi Jennifer,
Personally, I think this recipe is complete as is:) But here some ideas for you:
https://fett-weg.today/zucchini-pesto-orzo-casserole/%3C/a%3E%3Cbr /> https://fett-weg.today/corn-tomato-and-avocado-pasta-salad/%3C/a%3E%3Cbr /> https://fett-weg.today/better-than-takeout-thai-drunken-noodles/%3C/a%3E%3Cbr /> I hope this helps! xx
This was absolutely amazing. It’s fresh and tasty and crunchy and crispy. My whole family enjoyed it and we will be adding it to our regular dinner rotation! Thank you!!!
Hey Emily,
Happy Sunday! Thanks a bunch for making this recipe, love to hear it turned out nicely for you! xx
Not a fan of tahini – recommendations for another dressing from your site that would work?
Hi Corrianne,
You can use another nut butter like almond butter or cashew butter in place of the tahini. It’s a small amount and just helps to get the dressing creamy:) I hope this helps! xT
This is a new weekly staple for me!!! Oh my god it’s delicious. The best part — it’s still amazing leftover, I’ve been eating mine cold and its delicious!!! (TIP: keep the ingredients separate so you can make fresh salads every time and the dressing doesn’t make anything soggy) I love Teigan’s dressing, but I added rice vinegar to mine bc I love vinegar lol 🙂 10/10 must try!
Hi Sidney,
I appreciate you giving this recipe a try and your comment, love to hear it turned out well for you! XxT
A good idea, but WAY too greasy. Butter,oil, butter, sesame oil. Forget the chipotle too. Salad , fish and crispy rice are good ingredients. The tahini dressing has potential , but with 20% of the oil. Papaya enzymes are a good dessert afterwards.
Hi David,
Thanks for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback! So sorry to hear it was not enjoyed. Let me know if you make again using less oil. xx
David,
Did you even try the recipe before commenting? It doesn’t appear that you did. Maybe next time try it before you comment. This was not greasy at all.
Another salmon dish we loved! I wasn’t sure about salmon on salad, but it really works!
Hey Linda,
Happy Monday! So glad to hear this recipe was a hit, I appreciate you making it and your comment! xx
This was delicious and turned out amazing! I subbed maple syrup for the honey so I could give it to my 10-month old, used cauliflower rice, and added chicken for mom who doesn’t eat seafood, and all of it worked well!
Hey Sara,
Happy Sunday! Thanks a bunch for trying this recipe and your feedback, love to hear it was a hit! XxT
This was so good! I loved the crispy rice, it’s like a tiny little crouton in every bite!
Hey Valerienne,
Amazing!! Love to hear this salad was enjoyed, I appreciate you making it! Have the best weekend:) xx
Why do you so rarely share seafood recipes? Would like to see more seafood recipes and more recipes featuring a fish other than salmon.
Thanks for sharing your feedback, Nic. I will be more mindful about trying to incorporate more seafood that doesn’t include salmon into the recipes. Have a great Friday! xx
Hi Tieghan, is there another fish you’d recommend for the same recipe? My husband does not eat salmon… Trout perhaps could work?
Hey Conchita,
Sure, trout would work. Sea bass or halibut would also be great options here! Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
So yummy! My husband could have eaten the entire pan of crispy rice.
Thanks so much, Savana! So glad to hear this salad was enjoyed, I appreciate you giving it a try! xx
Have you changed your lighting setup recently? Everything looks so orange, it’s hard to tell what ingredients or what it’s supposed to look like. It might be time to invest in some studio lighting!
Hi Rainey,
Yes, I am working out of my house now due to studio construction. Thanks for sharing your feedback! xx
I learned to cook rice the same way your Dad does it! Those are the same instructions that were on the box of rice we bought growing up! These bowls look great, I love a crispy rice! An idea for you, there is a restaurant by me that does a Laotian red curry crispy rice salad with pork belly. The dish is called nam khao and it has the most complex delicious flavors in it. I would love you to recreate something like that!
Hey Rebecca,
Love this! Let me know if you give this recipe a try:) Thank you for sharing this suggestion on a dish that I should try, I will definitely have to look into it. Have the best week! xT
Good Morning.
Rice in Title but not in recipe.
Thanks, T
Hey Leslie,
For this recipe, you are going to use 2-3 cups of cooked rice. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT