Salmon Bites + Cucumber Spiral

There are so many ways to make salmon—roasted, grilled, pan-fried, raw, and more. When we’re going for an oven-roasted option, we love this marinade. It makes the salmon juicy, flavorful, and best of all..simple! 

Salmon, if prepared improperly, can be unevenly cooked or just plain dry. We have a few tips to share with you on how to troubleshoot these common issues so you have delicious salmon bites every time. 

Tips for getting juicy roasted salmon every time

1. Let it marinate! Marinade will penetrate your salmon most effectively if you cut it into the serving size (in this case, cubes) before submerging in your marinade. This allows for the marinade to touch as much surface area as possible. Smaller pieces are optimal with this tip. Let it marinate for at least 30 minutes (the longer you let it sit, the more flavorful it will turn out). 
2. Use a marinade with fat. We usually go for Primal Kitchen’s avocado oil-based mayo. You could alternatively use plain oil like avocado or olive. 
3. Don’t overcook your salmon! In general, 10-11 minutes per inch of thickness is a good rule to follow. So, if your salmon is 1.5 inches thick, you’ll want to cook for about 15 minutes at 425°F.

The flavor profile behind this recipe is Asian-inspired. Flavors with saltiness, acidity, fat, and spice always make for a good time. Here’s how we chose our marinade ingredients:

Ingredients:

• Primal Kitchen Avocado Oil-Based Mayonnaise: Admittedly, this is far more expensive than regular mayonnaise. We like this option because it uses avocado oil – an oil that is both healthy and has a high smoke point—which is perfect for the 425°F roasting temperature in this recipe.
• Maple Syrup: Salmon goes well with a little sweetness. We think maple is perfect here. You can use whichever liquid sweetener you prefer (honey, agave).
• Soy Sauce: The perfect balance to the sweetness in the maple, this salty condiment adds a lot of flavor. Plus, you don’t need to add salt to the rest of the marinade as the saltiness of the soy sauce will get the job done.
• Lemon Juice: Lemon and salmon are truly a perfect match. Ever notice how it’s almost always served as a garnish when you order it at a restaurant? Lime juice would also work well here if you prefer. 
• Spices: We used garlic powder and black pepper. Feel free to add chili flakes for more heat. 

Once your marinade is complete and your salmon is cubed, toss the two together and place in a ziplock bag or sealed container and let it marinate in the refrigerator until you’re ready to eat. Prepare your baking sheet with parchment or spray well with an oil spray (this marinade is a bit messy to clean otherwise) and bake at 425°F until cooked through. 

Okay, so what can you serve this with? We love this over simple rice with some veggies. If you want to really impress somebody, try our cucumber spirals. They look unbelievably cool and are so easy to make with a little patience.

Our marinade for our cucumber spirals is Asian inspired, and has a bit of a kick (modify if needed). To get the beautiful spiral shape, take two chopsticks and lay a small cucumber (preferably a persian cucumber) in between the two chopsticks to stabilize. Add diagonal slices all along the cucumber but not all the way through. Flip over and add horizontal slices (again, not all the way through) all along the cucumber. You will have a spiral once you’re done! Add to the marinade and let it soak until you’re ready to serve!

Salmon Bites with Primal Kitchen’s Mayo

A never-fail marinade for all of your salmon needs…plus a bonus cucumber spiral side to serve it with!

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Prep Time 45 minutes mins

Total Time 2 hours hrs

Course Main Course

Cuisine Asian

Servings 3

Calories 395 kcal

Ingredients

  

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Salmon Bites:

• 1-1.5 lbs Salmon
• 3 tbsp Mayo
• 1 tbsp Maple syrup
• 1.5 tbsp Soy Sauce
• 1 Lemon, juiced
• Garlic powder to taste
• Black pepper to taste

Cucumber spiral:

• 4 persian cucumbers
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 tsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp rice vinegar
• 1 tsp maple syrup
• 1 tsp sesame seed oil
• 1 tbsp sesame seeds
• 1-2 tsp chili flakes

Instructions

 

Salmon Bites:

• Mix marinade ingredients until combined
• Cube salmon
• Add salmon to marinade and place in an airtight container or ziplock bag and let sit in the refrigerator for a minimum of 30 minutes (up to overnight).
• Preheat oven to 425F
• Cook for 10-11 minutes per 1 inch of thickness.
• Serve with cucumber spiral and rice

Cucumber spiral:

• Mix marinade ingredients and set aside
• Place one cucumber between two chopsticks to stabilize and place diagonal slices all along the cucumber (be careful not to cut all the way through)
• Flip the cucumber over and slice horizontal slices all along this side of the cucumber, be careful not to slice all the way through.
• Place cucumber in marinade and repeat for the rest of the cucumbers.

Nutrition

Calories: 395kcalCarbohydrates: 14gProtein: 33gFat: 23gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 11gMonounsaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0.03gCholesterol: 89mgSodium: 1008mgPotassium: 983mgFiber: 2gSugar: 8gVitamin A: 354IUVitamin C: 21mgCalcium: 83mgIron: 3mg

Keyword cucumbers, rice, salmon

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