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This baked Thai sweet chili salmon recipe is quick, ridiculously easy, healthy, and packed with flavor! Perfect for busy weeknights.
Need another quick salmon recipe? This Honey Mustard Salmon hits the spot!
I bought some Thai sweet chili sauce intending to make a chicken recipe (it still may happen), but I’ve been on a bit of a salmon kick lately, and while I was falling asleep the other day, the idea for this recipe popped into my head. Yes, food is always on my brain.
This recipe couldn’t be much easier. Step 1: put sweet chili sauce on salmon. Step 2: bake it. I then squeeze some fresh lime juice over top, and that’s basically it. You can serve it with whatever floats your boat, but it was really good with jasmine rice, some chopped cucumber, scallions, and some sesame seeds sprinkled over top.
I used wild sockeye salmon for this sweet chili lime salmon recipe.
If you like sweet chili sauce, try my 15 Minute Sweet Chili Chicken Lettuce Wraps or these 15 Minute Sweet Chili Shrimp Zoodles.
What is sweet chili sauce?
According to Wikipedia, it’s commonly made with red chili peppers (Fresno Chili, Thai or red jalapeno peppers), rice wine vinegar, sometimes garlic, sometimes fish sauce and a sweetening ingredient such as fruit or a refined sugar or honey.
I think it’s a safe bet that you would have encountered it at some point in your life. It’s often served with spring rolls and deep fried/popcorn shrimp. I got mine at Safeway in the Asian foods aisle. I am not particularly loyal to any brand, but the one currently in my fridge is Blue Dragon brand.
Sweet chili sauce isn’t ridiculously spicy or anything. It’s not like sriracha. Those red bits in the sauce are spicy, but overall I find it fine for my I-can’t-handle-spice palate. 😛
How long to roast salmon?
At 400F mine took around 14 minutes. Cooking time will vary depending on the thickness of your salmon, so err on the side of cooking it less and checking it. You can always return it to the oven for another minute or two.
Other salmon recipes you’ll enjoy:
- Honey Garlic Salmon Recipe
- Spinach Artichoke Salmon
- Creamy Tuscan Salmon Recipe
- Baked Teriyaki Salmon Recipe
- Creamy Lemon Salmon
What’s your favorite way to enjoy salmon?
Questions about this salmon with sweet chili sauce? Ask me in the comments below.
Sweet Chili Salmon
Ingredients
- 1.5 pounds fresh salmon
- Salt & pepper to taste
- 1/4 cup Thai sweet chili sauce or to taste
- Serve with (optional): lime juice, rice, cucumber, scallions, sesame seeds
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F and move the rack to the middle position. Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper for easy clean-up.
- My salmon was already cut into 4 pieces. You can leave it whole or cut it up - that's up to you. Place the salmon, skin-side down, on the baking sheet. Season it with salt & pepper. Spread about a tablespoon of sweet chili sauce on each quarter, totalling about 1/4 cup (I just use the back of a spoon). You can always add a bit more sauce if you wish.
- Roast salmon for 13-15 minutes or until it flakes easily with a fork. Keep in mind that the salmon will continue to cook for a bit after you take it out of the oven. If your salmon is particularly thick (like more than an inch thick in the thickest part), it may need a little more time.
- I like to squeeze some lime juice over top and serve it with jasmine rice, chopped scallions, cucumber, and sesame seeds sprinkled over top.
Notes
- Anything around 1.5 pounds of fresh salmon will work. I had 1.7 pounds of wild sockeye salmon.
- You can find sweet chili sauce in the Asian foods section of most major grocery stores.
- Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy only and should be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. Ingredients can vary and Salt & Lavender makes no guarantees to the accuracy of this information.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Absolutely delicious! I wonder if I can substitute another fish, such as a white fish (chilean sea bass, etc.)? I love salmon but just was curious.
Hi Brian!! Yes – I think that would work great.