Want a quick and easy weeknight dinner? I love making this Cajun honey and lime grilled salmon and cauliflower rice as it’s nutritious and flavorful. This meal is paleo, gluten-free, and low-carb friendly.

Salmon and cauliflower rice is such a great, healthy meal combo. You get protein and healthy fats in salmon and you get fibre, some healthy carbs and antioxidants in cauliflower rice (which you can make with extra veggies like I do). So, let me break down my salmon and cauliflower rice dinner for you. There are two parts:
- Cajun spiced lime and honey salmon – this can be grilled, air-fried or baked .
- Tomato cauliflower rice – pan-fried until just softened; this is gluten-free, low-carb, high in fibre!
These two dishes are individual recipes in themselves, and while this meal combo is delicious, you can use it for inspiration and switch things up. For example, swap the salmon for my Asian-inspired soy and sweet chili glazed salmon bites and make my coconut cauliflower rice instead of tomato version. Don’t love cauliflower rice or want to add another side? Check out a few healthy side dishes here.
This particular recipe is high-protein, glute-free, grain-free Paleo, and low-carb friendly. I hope you like it!
How To Make Salmon & Cauliflower Rice Meal
You will find the full recipe card below but here are some steps and pics to guide you along.
Cajun Grilled Salmon
First up, marinate the salmon fillets in a quick citrusy mix of lime juice and honey. This helps tenderize the fish and adds a punchy sweet-tart flavor. If you’ve got time, marinate it for a few hours or overnight in the fridge—but honestly, even 10-15 minutes works well for a weeknight dinner. No lime? Use lemon. No honey? Maple syrup will do!
While the fish is soaking up all that zingy goodness, mix up the Cajun spice rub. I usually make my own with pantry spices like paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne, dried thyme, and oregano. ant a little smokiness? Add a touch of smoked paprika to your spice blend.
If you have a ready-made Cajun blend, that’s totally fine too—just keep an eye on the salt level, since some store-bought mixes can be heavy-handed. Set the seasoned fillets aside while you prep the cauliflower rice.
Tomato Cauliflower Rice
Cauliflower rice is way easier than it sounds. You’ve got two options:
- Use a food processor to blitz cauliflower florets into “rice” (a few pulses is all it takes).
- Or chop everything finely by hand if you’re processor-less. It’s a bit more effort but still doable.
I use a small hand-powered chopper to keep cleanup easy. Whatever method you go with, try to keep the cauliflower and veggies (like tomatoes, onion, and garlic) around the same size for even cooking. By the way, you can find more healthy cauliflower recipes here.
I usually cook the tomato cauliflower rice first, then pan-fry the salmon right before serving—it cooks quickly, so you won’t risk overdoing it. The finished cauliflower rice is juicy, savory, and perfect as a low-carb base for the spiced salmon.
Ingredient swaps/tips: Want it spicy? Throw in a pinch of chilli flakes or cayenne. Use frozen cauliflower rice for convenience—just thaw and squeeze out excess water before cooking. Add capsicum (bell peppers) or chopped spinach for extra veg.
Here is how lovely the tomato cauliflower rice looks when it’s done. It’s a great side dish to go with any protein.
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Ingredients
- 2 salmon fillets as big as you need for your appetite, mine were about 150 grams or 6 oz each.
- 2.5 tbsp lime juice juice of 1 lime
- 3 teaspoons honey
For the spice rub
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon coriander seed ground
- 1 teaspoon thyme dried or fresh
- ½ teaspoon cayenne red pepper
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika or chipotle chill optional but adds a little smoky flavor
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tbsp olive oil for cooking
Tomato Cauliflower Rice
- 1 small onion white or red, finely diced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon paprika powder
- 1 teaspoon coriander seed powder
- Pinch of chili flakes or powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ head cauliflower cut into florets and finely chopped, about 3-4 cups of riced cauliflower
- 1 small carrot finely chopped
- 1 tomato or 4-5 cherry tomatoes
- 2 cloves garlic minced or diced finely
- 1 teaspoon butter ghee or extra olive oil
- 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro or parsley
- 1-2 tablespoons chopped green onion optional, for garnish
Instructions
- In a small bowl, mix the honey and lime juice. Add the salmon fillets and coat them well on both sides. Set aside to marinate while you prepare the cauliflower rice. About halfway through, flip the salmon so it marinates evenly on both sides.
- Mix the Cajun rub spices in a separate small bowl and set aside.
- Make the tomato cauliflower rice. Heat a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add a little olive oil and sauté the onions for 2-3 minutes, then stir in the spices. Add the chopped veggies and a knob of butter or ghee. Cook for 4–5 minutes over high heat, stirring often, until everything is tender and fragrant. Finish with chopped fresh herbs, then set aside.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Remove the salmon from the marinade and let the excess drip off. Place the fillets on a plate and sprinkle generously with the spice rub on both sides, pressing it in gently with your fingers.Place the fillets in the hot skillet and cook for about 3½ minutes per side, until nicely blackened and crispy on the outside and just cooked through. In the final minute of cooking, drizzle over any remaining lime-honey marinade.
- Serve the salmon over the tomato cauliflower rice. Garnish with cilantro and green onions or parsley.
Notes
- Cajun spice blend: Feel free to use store-bough Cajun blend instead of making your own rub, you will need about 4 teaspoons or more.
- Storage tips: Cooked salmon will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Tomato cauliflower rice can be stored the same way and reheated in a pan or microwave. To freeze, store salmon and cauliflower rice separately in airtight containers for up to 1 month. Thaw in the fridge overnight before reheating.
- Make-ahead tips: Marinate the salmon the night before and keep it in the fridge. Make the spice blend in a small jar and keep it on hand—it’s great for other proteins too. Prep the cauliflower rice a day ahead and store it uncooked in the fridge in a sealed container. Then just cook it fresh when needed.<
I tried this recipe and now I’m hooked. This is my favorite go to recipe for cauliflower rice as it is packed with flavor. In addition to the honey salmon, I’ve paired it with blackened shrimp and talipia. So Yum!
Thanks, Rae!
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?
Coriander seed! Sorry, I should clarify that.
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!
This was amazing! I’m adding this to my regular rotation.
Thanks, Allison. I am so glad it was a hit 🙂 Irena
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.
Sounds lovely, thank you 🙂
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.
You’re welcome! Thanks for sharing your air fryer instructions as some people might have one. Irena 🙂
I got very tasty diner and easy to make!
Thanks, Alicia
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 ?????
Thanks, Lorraine, glad you liked it. Great idea to add some yacon to the rice 🙂
Delicious and Yum. Gotta try this out this weekend. Thanks for sharing Irena.
Enjoy! Let me know how it goes 🙂
Hi,
Delicious recipe!
How many calories ?
Sheila
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!
Thank you. I hope you try it.
This looks incredible, and I just love the light and colors in your photos – so stunning! That spice rub sounds like it would be super versatile as well!
This looks so flavorful – my girls will love all the colors and definitely the salmon! Yum!
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.
Ok – you got me with the tomato cauliflower rice! Bet it goes so well with that salmon – yum!
I love salmon recipes and am always looking for new ways to add exciting flavor. Thanks for sharing this lovely recipe!
Such a light and refreshing meal! I love recipes like this one. Looks so flavorful!
It’s salmon season here so we’ve been enjoying a lot of it. I’m going to make this recipe tonight. Can’t wait.
I am making that cauli rice TONIGHT! Love the variety and spices you used!