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Cajun Lime & Honey Salmon With Tomato Cauliflower Rice

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Want a quick and easy weeknight dinner? I love making this Cajun grilled salmon with tomato cauliflower rice as it’s nutritious, tasty and super speedy. This recipe is paleo, gluten-free, and low-carb.

Paleo Cajun salmon with tomato cauliflower rice

This meal consists of two elements: Cajun spiced lime and honey salmon (which can also be chicken or prawns) and tomato cauliflower rice. They are pretty much individual recipes and you are welcome to switch things around if you like.

You might want to make the salmon but serve it with a different side dish, or you might like the sound of the tomato cauliflower rice but grill some chicken instead. Check out a few healthy side dishes here. Find more healthy fish & seafood recipes on my site here.

 
Paleo Cajun salmon with tomato cauliflower rice

How To Make Cajun Lime Honey Salmon

To prepare the salmon, we must first marinate the fish fillets in a lovely, zesty citrus dressing made with lime juice and honey.

For a more intense flavour, you can do this overnight, but 10-15 minutes is also fine for those making a quick dinner. I usually do this first and then move on to the spice rub and the cauliflower rice.

Marinating the salmon in citrus dressing

I make my own spice rub with commonly available spices and some herbs but you could also purchase a ready-made Cajun spice blend such as this one. Set it aside while the salmon fillets are soaking up the citrus flavours.

Cajun salmon spice rub

How To Make Tomato Cauliflower Rice

When it comes to making cauliflower rice, you have two options: finely chop everything by hand using a large, sharp knife OR use a food processor.

I use this small, hand-powered food processor, which I LOVE as it does the job quickly and with minimal cleanup. I suggest chopping all vegetables into similar size cubes such as below.

Making tomato cauliflower rice

Once all the ingredients are ready, I usually make the tomato cauliflower rice and then pan-fry the salmon as it doesn’t need much cooking time. Follow the instructions below in the recipe to complete the meal.

Here is how lovely the tomato cauliflower rice looks when it’s done. It’s a great side dish to go with any protein.

Tomato cauliflower rice
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Paleo Cajun salmon with tomato cauliflower rice

Cajun Lime & Honey Salmon With Tomato Cauliflower Rice

★★★★★ 5 from 14 reviews
  • Author: Irena Macri
  • Prep Time: 20 mins
  • Cook Time: 15 mins
  • Total Time: 35 mins
  • Yield: 2 1x
  • Category: Dinner
  • Cuisine: Cajun
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Description

Want a quick and easy weeknight dinner? I love making this Cajun grilled salmon with tomato cauliflower rice as it’s nutritious, tasty and super speedy. This recipe is paleo, gluten-free, and low-carb.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 salmon fillets (as big as you need for your appetite)
  • Juice of 1 lime
  • 1 + 1/2 teaspoons honey

For the spice rub

  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • 1 teaspoon coriander (dried)
  • 1 teaspoon thyme (dried or fresh)
  • 1/2 teaspoon cayenne red pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika or chipotle chill (if you have those)
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • Coconut oil for cooking the salmon

Tomato Cauliflower Rice

  • 1 small red onion, finely diced
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon paprika powder
  • 1 teaspoon coriander seed powder
  • Pinch of chili flakes or powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1/2 small head of cauliflower, cut into florets and finely chopped
  • 1 small carrot, finely chopped
  • 1 Roma tomato (or medium round tomato, otherwise 3–4 cherry tomatoes)
  • 2 cloves of garlic, finely diced
  • 1 teaspoon of butter, ghee or extra olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons chopped coriander or parsley
  • 1–2 tablespoons chopped green onion (optional, for garnish)

Instructions

  1. Mix honey and lime juice in a bowl and add the salmon. Coat on both sides and set aside while you prepare the cauliflower rice. Halfway through, turn the piece over so that they marinate evenly on each side.
  2. Mix the rub spices in a small bowl and set aside. Make the cauliflower tomato rice.
  3. Make the tomato cauliflower rice. Preheat a large frying pan over medium-high. Sauté the onions with olive oil for a minute and add the spices. Stir through and then add the chopped vegetables and butter (or ghee), and cook for 4-5 minutes over high heat. Stir through often. Finish off by adding the fresh herbs and serve.
  4. To cook the salmon, heat a tablespoon or two of oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Remove the salmon fillets from the marinade and shake off slightly. Place on a plate and sprinkle evenly with the spice rub (it should cover the fillets quite well). Press down with your fingers. Turn over and cover the other side. Place in a hot skillet and cook for 3+1/2 minutes on each side, until blackened and crispy. Towards the end of the cooking time, drizzle the remaining lime-honey marinade over the fillets. Serve over tomato cauliflower rice.

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Irena Macri
By Irena Macri

About the author: Hi, I’m Irena Macri. Here at Cooked & Loved you will find simple, delicious recipes worth sharing. From new dishes to old-time favourites with a twist, this is the food I cook and love. More about me here.

PS. Some posts contain affiliate links, which means I receive a small commission for purchases made through these links.

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Comments

26 Comments

  6. Wow the flavors in this are so great! I love all of those spices in the spice rub mixed with the lime-honey flavor. So yummy! The tomato cauliflower rice is a nice addition to the meal too.

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  9. This recipe looks absolutely delicious and to die for! I love grilled salmon and have been looking for something to pair it up with. The spices look just perfect!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  12. Irena, I have just cooked this for our dinner Good Friday…. it was seriously delicious and another absolute winner! Thank you for a great recipe once again, I also riced some yacon (root veggie) out of my garden with cauli rice combo, it turned out a treat! Love the spices in this recipe ?????

    Reply

  14. Hi! I just made this and it is fantastic! I air fried the salmon at 400 for 6 min and it was the perfect meal. I did not have onion powder or thyme but worked with what I have. Thank you for sharing this.

    ★★★★★

    Reply

    1. You’re welcome! Thanks for sharing your air fryer instructions as some people might have one. Irena 🙂

      Reply

  15. Made the cauliflower rice! Nice change of pace.
    We had leftovers for another meal, but added roasted corn and grilled vegetables (peppers and zucchini)! Delicious.

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  17. I made this tonight. It was amazing! I did change the recipe slightly. I omitted the tomato and added about 1 1/2 tbl sugar free, brown sugar to the rub. It gave a little bit of sweetness to the heat. We will definitely make this again!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  18. I intend to check out this recipe, but I am not sure what dried coriander is. Are you talking about dried leaves or coriander seed?

    Reply
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