30 Minute Sweet Thai Chili Salmon Skewers.
Let’s talk about a flavor bomb explosion that isn’t peppermint bark cheesecake.
It has been a MINUTE since I’ve shared a salmon recipe here on the site. More like 15ish months, if we’re being all nitty and gritty. August of 2014 was the last time I shared a fresh and delicious salmon recipe – however, last February I did share a crispy crunchy tortilla crusted salmon slider. Which is fabulous and totally counts but I’m not counting it since it wasn’t necessarily classic, oh-hey-I-want-to-eat-a-plate-of-health salmon.
The first week of the new year calls for a plate-of-health salmon, if only to relish in the cliche universe we live in.
When I was busy baking a baby, I had an aversion to pretty much all food – barely had an appetite. Yes it was a travesty. Salmon was one of the last things I wanted to touch, even though everything I saw/read/watched/was told by super helpful, yes-please-give-me-all-your-advice ladies in the grocery store was that I needed to be eating salmon because it was the healthiest thing on earth for the babe. !!!!
Wasn’t feelin’ it though.
So here’s my thing. I like to buy fresh, wild caught salmon. The wild caught part comes from the internet telling me that’s what I need to do to reap all the health benefits and what not. I get it. I do it.
The fresh part comes from mother lovett convincing me that horrible, terrible, no-good, very bad things grow on meat, fish and vegetables that sit in cases. She used to ask for chipped ham that “wasn’t sitting under that light!” when we went to the grocery store. Aka, slice it, or in this case chip it, fresh, sir. That light in the deli or cheese case? Not a good thing.
No wonder it’s embedded in my brain that food sitting in the case UNDER THE LIGHT is filled with bacteria that will kill me.
Unless it comes from Whole Foods. I will buy anything under the light from Whole Foods because, you know it’s Whole Foods and when something is the most expensive version on earth it has to be the best.
Long story long, my local grocery store (which is NOT Whole Foods) often has a chili salmon that leaves a lot to be desired – just in appearance. Frankly, it looks like it has been sitting under the light, mother lovett style.
That’s where this came from. I haven’t been able to stop thinking of the combo! Plus, it also is similar to my most favorite salmon recipe – this toasted sesame salmon – and that is also your favorite salmon recipe! It’s one of my most popular recipes to date, even though it has set plenty of people’s ovens on fire.
(mother lovett would probably love that since she had a HUGE mental block against her broiler. My mom is still 150% convinced that I’m going to burn the house down when I turn mine on.)
If you love Thai flavors and enjoy salmon (I’m back on the wagon, FYI), these are calling your name, I promise. And they are simple! Especially if you have sweet chili sauce (my favorite is trader joes brand, but you can also use this one), which is a staple in my kitchen. We use it ALL the time. Coat your salmon in that delicious goodness, skewer chunks with scallions (grilled scallions give me life), grill them up and cover with toasted sesame oil, toasted sesame seeds and cilantro. (<hearts to my soapy cilantro haters, you can leave it out.)
They take even LESS than 30 minutes if you’re familiar with the kitchen, but for the sake of not being overly ambitious on this third day of the new year (whaaaat? It’s started MONDAY.), let’s go with the leisurely half hour. And you have time to make rice!
Or a salad. Whomp whomp.
Sweet Chili Salmon Skewers
Ingredients
- 4 (4-ounce) salmon filets, cut into chunks
- a pinch of salt and pepper
- 1 bunch of green onions, sliced into 1 to 2-inch pieces
- 1 cup sweet chili sauce, plus extra for topping
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- 2 tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
- 2 limes, sliced
Instructions
- Place the salmon in a bowl and season with salt and pepper, then cover with the sweet chili sauce, tossing well to coat. Take the chunks and skewer them with about 3 or 4 pieces of green onion in between (I did 4 to 5 salmon chunks per skewer), beginning and ending with the salmon. You can toss with a little more chili sauce if desired.
- Heat a large skillet or grill pan over medium-high heat and add the coconut oil. Place the skewers in the skillet and cook until opaque and golden on all sides, about 1 to 2 minutes per side. Remove the salmon and place it on a plate. Drizzle it with the toasted sesame oil and cover with the cilantro and sesame seeds. Finish with a spritz of lime. Serve with lime wedges and extra chili sauce.
Did you make this recipe?
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66 Comments on “30 Minute Sweet Thai Chili Salmon Skewers.”
I’m thrilled to the gills with this salmon recipe ~ in particular the cilantro and sesame seeds on top! Have access to lots of fish here. Big fisherman here, my dad used to charter fishing trips on Lake Ontario but now it’s just family. We love fish! We catch tons of salmon but are running out of ideas of how to cook it. I catch, you cook? Ok, never mind, but I’ll forward this post to my mom and wife for inspiration.
Salmon is probably my favourite fish. It is so flavourful and juicy, without any additions… But here, you’ve managed to capture its natural beauty and amplify it times a million with those great Thai flavours. Great work, Jessica!
Same, same! When I was cooking up baby, I didn’t want to eat anything healthy. Before I got pregnant, I always said I would eat salmon and kale every day! And then you get pregnant and you want nothing to do with that.
But I want this salmon now, so that counts, right?! :)
Gah, I just threw away a bottle of sweet chili sauce on Sunday while cleaning out the frig. I bought it for a recipe last year and never used it again, so in the trash it went. Guess I’ll be buying another bottle soon… Recipe looks great. And easy!
All bets are off when you’re pregnant. Your mind tells you what you should be eating, but your body doesn’t listen! I’m definitely not pregnant right now because this salmon has me drooling. Must make soon.
hahahaha. “definitely not pregnant right now” because i want salmon. that would be me!
Yep, I think I totally need a couple of these in my life.
gonna do this with ahi tuna stat! and Frank’s Red Hot actually has an amaaazing sweet chili sauce, if you’re interested :)
they do?! i had no idea!
I can already imagine the smell that will fill my kitchen when I make these skewers. I seriously love the smell of sesame oil. And the salmon skewers look really delicious.
I love salmon and probably make it once a week for dinner, but I’m always looking for new ways to dress it up. This looks like just the ticket!
Hungry by Nature
I laughed out loud when you said the toasted sesame salmon recipe has lit people’s ovens on fire. YES! I’ve made it 100 times (ugh SO GOOD) and every time, the entire house’s smoke detectors go off (smoke, heat, or the combo). I should maybe thank you for that though, since I get a lot of steps in, running between the kitchen and each smoke detector! :) #worthit
oh my gosh, so crazy!
Salmon is my jam, chilli sauce is my jam, sesame is my jam, which means this whole recipe is going to happen in my oven real soon! It looks delicious!
Quick question! What would you recommend if no grill is available – sauteed? oven baked? Any ideas?! Thanks!
i would probably use a nonstick pan! or you can bake, maybe 400 degrees F for around 15-20ish minutes?
Such a amazing recipe! I could easily eat this for lunch all week long!!
Thanks for sharing.!!!
Mmm give me all the salmon, limes, and thai chili sauce. If this is resolution-ing, I’m down.
These look delicious! Definitely going on next weeks menu plan!
Paige
http://thehappyflammily.com
This looks incredible!!! We have an amazing seafood market here (it was actually on Diners Drive Ins and Dives), everything is super fresh. And there’s no questionable lighting, I will have to go by there soon so I can make this. :)
To be fair, I have started a few fires with my broiler…but I still use it all the time.
This looks wonderful!
Toasted sesame salmon is a staple at our house and it hasn’t set on fire, but I watch it like a hawk and a few times hubby has walked in the door asking what’s burning, but we love it. Made ur bbq salmon two days ago, but going to make this tomorrow as soon as I get sweet chili sauce. I cannot believe this, I dropped my bottle last week spilling all over the kitchen floor, it was from trader joe’s ( my favorite too and put it on everything) :-(
GAH that’s the worst, it’s my favorite too! so glad you love the salmon recipes. i love the BBQ one too!
Lol! There is something scary about the broiler. I’m prone to leaving it unattended and coming back to charred items. Mother Lovett stories are always hysterical. I agree with you that anything Whole Foods *has* to be fine and not bacteria-infested because…. it’s Whole Foods. They can’t charge us the absurd prices without assuring that it’s completely, 100% perfect food. RIGHT????
I don’t eat seafood because I’m weird, but I’m head over heels for this sauce, and it would definitely spruce up boring ol’ chicken for me!!!
RIGHT.
I’d order this for dinner! Yum!
Kari
http://www.sweetteasweetie.com
I am in such a salmon kick right now so this recipe is spot on for me! Not quite the season for grilling since it is raining in So Cal, but no bother, it will brighten up these dark evenings!
Just made this for dinner tonight! I had a small fillet though so I brushed the sweet chili sauce over the whole thing and baked it in the oven. So simple and delish!!! Thank you!
ahh love that you made it already!
http://www.patagoniaoutletonlines.com
Many thanks for sharing this first-class post. Very inspiring!
Wow this recipe sounds absolutely fantastic, I love salmon so I’m always looking for new and exciting things to do with it. I’m definitely going to have to try this and will let you know how I get on, v excited :) Thanks!
JustRach
breathingforwords.blogspot.com
I jumped on this recipe and made it last night- we loved it! The sesame oil is a great addition at the end. We served it with stir fried broccolini with soy sauce. thanks for sharing.. would love to see more salmon recipes in the future!
so glad you guys liked it rebecca! that broccolini sounds incredible.
That looks so pretty! But I fucking hate salmon. I’ve tried and tried, and well, I don’t think I’ll be making the turn anytime soon – but it looks so good!
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You don’t need to send me a memo about salmon! We eat it all the time and yes, the weird stuff with added color just doesn’t sound cool to me so splashing some extra $$ is always worth it :)
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Definitely adding this to my list of things to make soon! Pretty much anything ‘Thai’ or ‘sweet chili’ is going to be delicious in my book.
My boyfriend and I menu plan (read: I menu plan) for the week and make dinner from various food blogs or recipe books almost every weeknight. We pretty much always try to get a recipe in there from your blog (it’s our fav!) and he was sweet enough to buy me your new cookbook for Christmas. We just made your chili garlic roasted salmon this week and last week we made your butternut squash lasagna (to die for). Thanks for all the work you do to make such fabulous recipes! They are always a hit here.
“Cliche universe we live in” ha ha ha, right?
I had major food aversions when I was pregnant and I finally am getting back to eating them again (a million years later), hello hummus. And fresh + wild is one of the reasons I don’t eat salmon as much anymore…I end up getting frozen + wild from Costco and then forgetting it in the freezer, not good. :)
This looks great. The flavor!! Need!
This looks so delicious Jessica ! and so simple to do :-)
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This looks so good, will definitely give it a try with the salmon but do you think it would be good with shrimp too?
definitely!
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MMM! This sounds so delicious! I love Thai food and can’t wait to try out your recipes using your paste!
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This salmon recipe is my type. It looks so yummy, thanks for sharing
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Finally tried these today. I used my grill pan and they were amazing! Perfect with some grilled veggies and a light salad.
This looks delicious! Thank you for sharing!
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