These Mediterranean Salmon Bowls boast crispy marinated salmon and ALLLL the fixings including homemade tzatziki sauce. These bowls are fresh, vibrant and pack tons of flavor!
Happy March, friends! We are just a few weeks away from Spring and I for one am SO excited and ready to make the switch from cozy soups to FRESH and BRIGHT dishes!
These Mediterranean Salmon Bowls are the ultimate place to start. They are absolutely delicious, perfect for an easy weeknight dinner or if you want to meal prep them for the week. So let’s get into it!
Why You’ll Love These Bowls:
Like I mentioned above, these bowls have such a fresh flavor! You marinate the salmon bites in a delightfully seasoned lemony marinade and the brightness of the fresh lemon goes such a long way.
You all know that I am ALLLL about loaded bowls. I have enough bowl recipes on my site, after all! Ha! But these are seriously something special.
From the buttery couscous, the tangy tzatziki sauce and all of the crunchy veggies on top – each bite has a delicious flavor and texture to it. No boring bowl over here!
I also love that these bowls are so customizable! I have a list of ingredient variations down below – but if you don’t happen to have cucumber, feel free to sub in another crunchy green veggie!
To me, the MVP of these bowls has to be the salmon bites! Each bite size piece of salmon is seriously pan seared to crispy perfection and simultaneously has a crunch but melts in your mouth. It’s seriously magically delicious.
Aaaaaand one of the best parts is that it can come together quickly! Perfect for an easy and healthy weeknight dinner for your family!
So what ingredients do you need?
Ingredients You Need:
Fresh Salmon – I prefer to get fresh, wild-caught salmon. You can use frozen, just be sure to let it thaw beforehand and pat it dry.
Couscous – I used couscous for the grain because I love the flavor and texture and it’s QUICK to make.
Tzatziki Sauce – this is my homemade recipe and it’s SO good!
Olive Oil – this is needed for the salmon marinade and for pan searing the salmon!
Fresh lemon, Dried Oregano, Salt, Pepper, Fresh Minced Garlic – the marinade for the salmon!
Toppings for the bowl – fresh cucumber, cherry tomatoes, feta cheese, fresh dill, pita bread etc.
How to Make Salmon Bowls in 5 Simple Steps:
- Begin this recipe by slicing the salmon into cubes – bite size chunks! Add these to a bowl and then add the marinade ingredients and mix to combine. Pop this in the fridge for at least 15 minutes but an hour works best!
- Once the marinating time is almost up, go ahead and chop all of your veggies up – cucumbers, tomatoes, whatever you plan to use and set these aside. If you’re making homemade tzatziki sauce, whip that up now and place in the fridge.
- Cook your couscous according to package directions and once that has cooked, keep it warm on the stove.
- Add olive oil (or avocado oil) to a large skillet on medium high heat. Once the oil is hot, add in the salmon bites skin side DOWN. Cook on one side for 2 and a half minutes and then flip and cook the other side for 2 and a half minutes.
- Once the salmon is done, assemble the bowls. Add couscous followed by a generous portion of the salmon bites. Top with the chopped veggies, tzatziki, feta and fresh dill! Enjoy!
Best Tips for Success:
Make sure that when you are cooking the salmon, you have 1) enough oil in your pan and 2) that it’s hot enough.
You want enough oil to make sure that the salmon doesn’t STICK to the pan. You want to make sure it’s hot enough to ensure that you get a nice crispy sear.
To check if it’s hot enough, run your fingers under the sink and flick the water into the pan. If it sizzles and pops, it’s ready to go!
Set a timer when you cook the salmon! This will help make sure that your salmon is neither under or over cooked. You want it to be easily pierced and FLAKY and light pink when touched with a fork. Like this:
I tested this recipe twice and the longer I let my salmon marinate, the better the flavor! Of course, I’m all for quick and simple recipes….however, it might help if you prepped the salmon at the beginning of the day before work – that way it will have been marinating all day by the time you cook it.
It’s still going to taste delicious if you just let it go for 20 minutes….but you can imagine that the depth of flavor is more intense when you let it go for a few hours.
Lastly, for extra flavor, drizzle the olive oil you cooked the salmon in on TOP of the salmon. SO GOOD!
Storing Leftovers:
Store leftovers (each part of the bowl) in tightly sealed containers in the fridge. This way you will be able to warm up the couscous if desired.
I enjoyed eating this bowl both warm and cold so, try it out if you don’t feel like heating back up your salmon!
Ingredient Substitutions:
I used fresh salmon – like I mentioned above, you can use frozen, just be sure to give it time to thaw completely before cooking – and then be sure to PAT it dry before you slice it (if it’s thawed from frozen).
You can remove the skin of the salmon if desired. I personally enjoy the texture but if not, no worries, just carefully remove it with a knife before you cut it!
To save time, you can use store bought tzatziki sauce….however I personally am very fond of my recipe so I encourage you to try it if you have time!
You can add pickled onions, sliced green peppers, olives, chickpeas, roasted red peppers, whatever you heart desires when it comes to veggies!
I loved the couscous in this recipe but feel free to add any grain of choice – quinoa, rice, etc. You could also completely skip the grains and add in mixed greens instead.
I hope you enjoy this recipe!! XO- Haylie
Did you enjoy this recipe? Here are a few others you might like:
Marinated Greek Chickpea Bowls
Chicken Souvlaki Pitas with Tzatziki Sauce
Thank you so much for following along here, friends! Want to see more? Be sure to follow ourbalancedbowl on Instagram and tag me with your photo if you end up making a recipe! You can also post a photo of your recipe to the Our Balanced Bowl Facebook page! Like a recipe that you saw? Follow me on Pinterest here! I always love to see your re-creations! If you do make a recipe, it would make my whole day if you were to rate and comment so I can get your feedback! Lots of love! – Haylie
Mediterranean Salmon Bowls
These Mediterranean Salmon Bowls boast crispy marinated salmon and ALLLL the fixings including homemade tzatziki sauce. These bowls are fresh, vibrant and pack tons of flavor!
Ingredients
Salmon Marinade
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- Juice of 1 medium lemon
- 4 cloves finely minced garlic
- 1 tbsp dried oregano
Salmon Bowl Ingredients
- 1 pound fresh salmon, diced into bite size chunks (see photo above for reference)
- 2 tbsp olive oil (or avocado oil) for pan searing salmon
- 6 oz box of couscous (or any grain of choice), cooked according to package directions
- tzatziki sauce (see above in Ingredients section for my homemade recipe or use store-bought to save time)
- bowl garnishes: sliced cucumber, cherry tomatoes, pita bread, FETA cheese, extra lemon slices, fresh dill etc.
Instructions
Marinating the Salmon
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Finely mince the 4 cloves of garlic and set those aside. Using a sharp knife, slice the fresh salmon into bite size chunks (see photo above for reference in size). Add those to a medium size mixing bowl.
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To the bowl, add in the olive oil, kosher salt, pepper, oregano, juice of one lemon and the finely minced garlic. Stir to combine, making sure every piece of salmon is coated. Place in fridge for 1 hour (or more!) to marinate. If you are short on time, 15-20 minutes will work.
Prepping for the Bowls
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While the salmon is marinating, go ahead and wash your cutting board and knife and chop up the toppings for the bowl. For me, I sliced cucumber, cherry tomatoes, additional lemon as well as feta cheese and fresh dill. Make sure that's ready to go to save time when assembling the bowls!
Cooking the Salmon + Couscous
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Cook the couscous according to box instructions and set aside once done.
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To a large skillet, add 2 tbsp olive oil (or avocado oil) on medium high heat. Let the oil get hot (see the water test tip above in best tips for success).
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Once it's hot, add the salmon skin side down, not overcrowding the pan, for 2 minutes and 30 seconds. I highly encourage you to set a timer! Use tongs to flip once the timer is up and cook on the other side for an additional 2 minutes and 30 seconds.
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Timing could vary based on the size of the salmon bites - but you want to make sure they are easily pierced with a fork and light pink and FLAKEY!
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In order to not overcrowd the pan, I recommend cooking the salmon in batches if possible.
Assembling Bowls
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Add the cooked couscous to the bottom of the bowl followed by a generous portion of the cooked salmon. Top with feta, tzatziki sauce, extra lemon, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers and of course, fresh dill.
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Enjoy every bite!
Recipe Notes
*In regards to serving size, I would say that this *could* serve 4 people if you did about 1 and 1/3 to 1 and 1/2 pounds of fresh salmon. It served my husband, me and my 1 year old son with leftovers with just the 1 pound of salmon.