Salmon Quinoa Bowls with Roasted Peppers, Avocado, and Herb Crème Fraîche

This salmon quinoa bowl can instantly become a dinner-time favorite. It features rich, melt-in-mouth pan-fried salmon on a bed of quinoa, with roasted peppers, sliced avocado, and arugula. Drizzled with a herby crème fraîche, this is a hearty and delicious way to eat salmon fillets. Plus, it’s easy to make.

Ingredients to Assemble

To get started with this recipe, you will first need the following ingredients:

• Salmon – 4 salmon fillets
• Quinoa – 1 cup dry quinoa
• Avocado – 1 large avocado
• Arugula – 2 cups (packed) arugula
• Roasted Peppers – 2 large or 3 medium roasted peppers
• Crème Fraîche – 1/2 cup crème fraîche (or see the notes for substitutes)
• Dill – 1 tbsp fresh dill
• Spring Onions -2 spring onions
• Lemon – 1 lemon (about 2 tbsp of lemon juice and zest)
• Butter – 2 tbsp unsalted butter
• Garlic – 2-3 cloves, minced
• Olive Oil – 1 tbsp olive oil
• Salt and Pepper, to taste

Ingredient Notes:

Crème Fraîche – for this particular recipe, the best substitute would be full-fat Greek yogurt or sour cream if you don’t have crème fraîche.

Dill – fresh dill works best, but in a pinch, you can substitute with dried dill (using only 1 tsp of dried dill).

Spring Onions – A good substitute here would be fresh chives.

Steps to Make it

Step 1 – Make the crème fraîche dressing by combining 1/2 cup of creme fraiche, 1 tbsp freshly minced dill, 2 spring onions (finely chopped), 1 tbsp lemon juice, the zest from one lemon, 2 tbsp cold water, 1 garlic clove minced, and a pinch of salt and black pepper to taste. Set it aside until the bowl is ready to assemble.

Step 2 – Cook the quinoa.

First, rinse the quinoa. Add it to a pot with 2 cups of boiling water (over medium heat) and a pinch of salt. Bring the quinoa and water to a boil. Then, lower the heat to medium-low so that the quinoa is simmering, and put a lid on. Simmer until all the water has been absorbed (about 15 minutes). Then, add 1 tablespoon of unsalted butter and mix it until it’s melted. Put the lid back on and let it rest for about 10 minutes. Fluff it up with a fork afterward.

Step 3 – Pan-fry the salmon.

You can cook the salmon while waiting for the quinoa to rest. First, pat dry the salmon fillets and season them with a pinch of salt and black pepper. Then, heat up a skillet over medium-high heat. When the skillet is hot, turn the heat down to medium and add 1 tbsp of oil. Once the oil is hot, add the salmon fillets (skin-side down if using skin-on salmon) and cook to your preference.

If using skin-on salmon fillets (of about 4.5oz/130g each), I cook them for about 4-5 minutes skin side down and then flip and cook for another 2 minutes. If using skinless salmon fillets (of about 4.5oz/130g each), I cook them for 3-4 minutes on each side. One minute before the salmon is cooked, add butter, garlic, and lemon juice and bathe the salmon in the melted butter mixture.

Side note: If you’d rather air-fry the salmon fillets, here’s my go-to air-fryer salmon recipe.

Step 4 – Assemble the salmon quinoa bowl. First, add the quinoa to four bowls (about 3/4 cup of cooked quinoa per bowl). Then, add the pan-fried salmon (drizzling the lemon-garlic butter sauce over the top of the salmon), sliced avocado, a handful of arugula, and sliced roasted pepper.

Step 5 – Drizzle the herby crème fraîche on top of the bowl and serve.

Just the sight of those earthy colors and delicate textures is enough to make the mouth water. Then, you bite in, and you’ve got that rich, buttery soft salmon balanced with earthy, slightly nutty quinoa, with sweet peppers, peppery arugula, and creamy avocado. Then, that lovely herby crème fraîche adds some freshness. There is so much going on in this bowl!

Love to Cook with Salmon? Try These

I understand salmon can be a little intimidating to cook with. But once you get it right, my, it tastes so good!

For more pan-fried options, give these honey soy salmon and blackened salmon recipes a try. You could also go for a ground salmon burger with rosemary wedges and a side salad.

Did you make this dish and really enjoy it? Please leave a review, and let me know in the comments if you added anything else to your bowl.

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