This Blackened Salmon Bowl with Creamy Jalapeño Salsa is a healthy Tex-Mex style dish that you will feel good about eating again and again. Air fryer blackened salmon adds the right amount of spice to this Tex-Mex bowl.

Blackened Salmon Bowl with Creamy Jalapeño Salsa in a bowl with rice, beans, and fresh veggies.

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If you enjoy cooking seafood, try sherry cream sauce for lobster ravioli or tilapia in the air fryer next time. Try our shrimp and sausage jambalaya and Cajun shrimp scampi for more Cajun-style recipes. And wash it all down with an easy frozen margarita.

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Why You'll Love this Recipe
What is Tex-Mex Cuisine?
What Does it Mean to Blacken Food?
Ingredients
Three Ways to Cook Salmon
How to Make Blackened Salmon Bowls
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Blackened Salmon Bowl with Creamy Jalapeño Salsa

Why You'll Love this Recipe

Quick and easy to make in under 30 minutes.
Salmon has a plethora of nutritional benefits.
The creamy jalapeño salsa made with Greek yogurt is healthy, low in fat, and high in protein.

What is Tex-Mex Cuisine?

Tex-Mex food is a combination of American and Texan cuisine. It originates from the culinary creations of the Tejano people of Texas. The food is known for a combination of Mexican, Spanish, and Southwestern flavors. Some ingredients commonly used in Tex-Mex cuisine are yellow cheese, flour tortillas, black beans, and cumin.

You will find lots of fibrous black beans in this meal. Although cumin is not typically used in blackening seasoning, I add it to my seasoning mix to give this dish a little more Tex-Mex flare.

What Does it Mean to Blacken Food?

Blackening is a cooking technique used in the preparation of meat. It is often associated with Cajun cuisine. Typically, you will find fish and poultry blackened. Food is blackened when it's dipped in melted butter, then coated with a combination of herbs and spices, and cooked in a hot pan. For this recipe, I blackened salmon in air fryer.

You can buy premade blackened seasoning at the grocery store or you can make your own from the spices you have at home. The most common seasonings used to blacken food are: smoked paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, cayenne, oregano, thyme, salt, and black pepper. To make this Blackened Salmon Bowl with Jalapeño Yogurt Sauce recipe more of a Tex-Mex style meal, I added cumin to my blackened seasoning mix.

Ingredients

Salmon - I cooked the salmon in an air fryer, but you can cook it on the stove or in the oven. For more easy salmon recipes, try my Italian-inspired salmon puttanesca, Greek-inspired salmon quinoa bowl, or baked Cajun salmon.
Spanish Rice - To get this meal on the table quickly, I use Uncle Ben's microwavable Spanish Rice.
Black Beans
Pico De Gallo - a combination of chopped tomato, onion, and serrano peppers, with salt, lime juice, and cilantro
Spices - smoked paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, thyme, cumin, oregano
Creamy Jalapeño Salsa - a mixture of plain yogurt, olive oil, lime juice, jalapeno, garlic, and cilantro.

Three Ways to Cook Salmon

First, you want to decide how you are going to cook the salmon. I prefer to to cook blackened salmon in air fryer or in a cast iron skillet on the stove. For this recipe, I cooked the salmon in air fryer.

After patting the salmon dry, brush it with butter and coat it with the blackening seasoning. Then choose which way you would like to cook it. The internal temperature of salmon should be 120 ºF for medium rare or 125-130 ºF for medium.

How to Cook Salmon in Air Fryer: First, preheat the air-fryer. Once the air-fryer is preheated, press the "fish" setting button. The display should say it will cook at 350ºF for 8 minutes. Spray the air fryer tray with nonstick cooking spray. If you are making air fryer salmon with skin on, place the salmon skin side down on the tray.

How long to cook frozen salmon in air fryer? Air fryer salmon from frozen takes a little longer to cook. If you are making air fryer frozen salmon, follow directions above and flip and cook for an additional 7 minutes. For a total air fryer cook time of 15 minutes.
Cook Salmon on the Stove: Preheat a skillet to medium-high heat. Add the salmon fillets to the skillet skin side up and cook for 2-3 minutes to blacken the seasonings. Flip the salmon over and cook skin side down for about 5 minutes until cooked through.
Cook Salmon in the Oven: Preheat oven to 425ºF. Place salmon fillets on a baking sheet skin side down (I usually cover my baking sheet with foil to reduce clean-up). Cook for 12 minutes until cooked through.

How to Make Blackened Salmon Bowls

For this recipe, I made air fryer blackened salmon, but you can chose any of the multiple ways mentioned above to cook salmon. While the salmon is cooking, you can prepare the other ingredients for this bowl.

I start by preparing the cilantro yogurt sauce so the flavors have time to meld together. You can also make this creamy jalapeno sauce ahead of time and chill in the refrigerator until ready to eat. In a small food processor add yogurt, cilantro, jalapeno, olive oil, lime juice, garlic, and a pinch of salt to taste. Pulse until mixed well. Set aside.

Next, heat up the rice and beans in the microwave. I use Uncle Ben's quick cook Spanish rice and canned black beans.

I buy premade pico de gallo on those nights I want to save time in the kitchen. But you can make fresh pico de gallo by chopping tomato, onion, jalapeño, cilantro and mixing those with lime juice and salt. I also chop cherry tomatoes, avocado, and a lime wedge to add to the completed bowl.

Once the salmon has finished cooking, it is time to assemble the Blackened Salmon Bowl. I start by putting rice and beans at the bottom of a bowl. Top the rice and beans with salmon, pico de gallo, avocado, and a lime wedge.

You can sprinkle the jalapeño yogurt sauce on top or use it as a dip. If you are looking to make this bowl more low carb friendly, use this Cauliflower Spanish Rice. Enjoy!