Recipe for Salmon Bites With Spicy Chili Crisp Sauce
Check out this bold flavorful recipe for salmon bites drizzled with a spicy 4-ingredient sauce featuring coconut milk and chili crisp. Simply delicious! Serve the salmon as a main dish, in tacos, in lettuce wraps or as an appetizer in just 20 minutes.
Servings (change as needed): 3 mains (or 14-16 appetizers)
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 pounds salmon fillets, Note 1 (~ 2 fillets)
Salmon seasoning mixture (Note 2 for shortcut)
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon each, kosher salt and black pepper
Chili crisp sauce
- 4 tablespoons unsweetended coconut milk, Note 3 full fat is best
- 2 tablespoons Thai sweet chili sauce
- 2 tablespoons chili crisp, Note 4 (or less if you like less spicy)
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice (or more to taste)
Garnish
- 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro or parsley
- extra chili crisps on the side
- lemon or lime wedges
Instructions
- HEAT OVEN TO 450F/232C. Prepare a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- PREPARE SALMON: If the salmon filets have skin on one side, remove it with a sharp knife. Pat the salmon dry with a paper towel, then cut it into cubes at least 1 inch/2.5 cm or a bit larger so they don't dry out while baking. Mix seasoning ingredients in a small bowl and rub all over the salmon cubes.
- BAKE SALMON: Lay seasoned salmon cubes in single layer on prepared baking sheet not touching each other. Place pan in center rack of oven. Bake for 5 minutes until salmon is warm pink inside and pierces with a knife easily. It will finish cooking out of the oven. Ideally, the internal temperature will be about 135F/57C. Adjust cook time if salmon cubes are larger (6 minutes) or smaller (4 minutes).
- MAKE SAUCE: While salmon is baking, stir together sauce ingredients in a small bowl.
- FINISH: Transfer salmon bites to a plate and drizzle with sauce. Garnish with cilantro and extra chili crisps if you like (or serve extra on the side). For appetizers, spear salmon bites with toothpicks and use extra sauce as a dipping sauce.
Notes
- Salmon options: Buy salmon filets, fresh or frozen (thawed), preferably center cut portion to allow for more even-sized cubes.
- Salmon seasoning shortcut: Use a store-bought rub or your own favorite rub. I suggest using one with less sugar as the sauce has sugar in it.
- Coconut milk: Full fat is best. Light coconut milk is thinner and less flavorful. Many stores now sell small cans of coconut milk of 160 ml. You will use half of this.
- Chili crisps: Buy them at an Asian grocery store or on Amazon. Some good brands are: Lao Gan Ma Spicy Chili Crisps (crunchy and spicy but not too spicy), Mẹ’s Way Chili Sauce (includes fish sauce), Momofuku Chili Crunch (very hot, crunchy, umami with some sweetness). Or make them yourself with this homemade chili crisp recipe by Chili Pepper Madness if you like.
- Recipe variations:
- use halibut, mahi mahi or shrimp instead of salmon
- keep the filets whole instead of cubing them (and double the cooking time)
- pan-sear the salmon bites (instead of baking them) in a large skillet on medium-high heat for about 2 minutes per side or until easily pierced with a fork.
- skip the sweet Thai chili sauce in the coconut chili crisp sauce or use a regular chili sauce instead (keep in mind that chili crisps are spicy!).
- Make ahead:
- Option 1: Prep the ingredients hours or a day ahead - remove salmon skin, cube salmon, blend seasonings and oil mixture for salmon, stir together the sauce ingredients.
- Option 2: Make the salmon bites recipe and the sauce an hour or two ahead and serve as an appetizer at room temperature or cold.
- Leftover salmon can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Calories: 389kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 38g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Cholesterol: 104mg | Sodium: 599mg | Potassium: 1021mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 620IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 31mg | Iron: 2mg