Mediterranean Salmon Bowl

At a glance

What stands out: Roasted salmon, crisp fresh vegetables, and hearty grains are topped with a creamy lemon yogurt sauce in this rich Mediterranean salmon bowl. It’s a lighter meal that will have you feeling energized and satisfied!

How long it takes: 35 minutes
Equipment you’ll need: sheet pan, mixing bowls, whisk
Servings: 4

Built for meal prep, tastes like a restaurant

Lemon, herbs, and feta are basically a love language. Add those flavors to just about anything, and we're happy. They make everything taste brighter, including the salmon and vegetables in these Mediterranean salmon bowls.

These bowls have everything: protein, grains, vegetables, and lighter fats, all in one place, so there’s no need for anything on the side! (Although if you do want to add a side, we've got some ideas later in the post.)

What makes ours special:

• Built for meal prep: Future you will be happy when you say good-bye to boring work lunches!
• Fresh Mediterranean flavors: Bright lemon, herbs, and feta will always get us running to the table, and it’s a combo that perks up the vegetables and salmon in these bowls.
• Straightforward to customize: The beauty of a meal bowl is that there’s lots of room to make it your own by switching out the main components or toppings.

What goes in

You’ll find the full ingredient list in the recipe card, but here’s an overview of what you’ll need.

• Salmon: Skin-on or skinless fillets both work. We recommend wild-caught salmon for a standby flavor. The salmon is seasoned with dried oregano, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper, with a bit of lemon zest to perk things up. Olive oil helps the seasoning adhere to the salmon.
• Lemon yogurt sauce: The base of the sauce is regular plain yogurt. When we tested this recipe, we found that it worked better than Greek yogurt which tends to make the sauce a little too thick and tangy. Lemon juice and zest, olive oil, and garlic add flavor and texture, along with fresh dill or parsley (or both, if you like).
• Cooked grains: Rice, quinoa, or farro all work well as the base of the meal bowl. You can cook your own or buy one of the handy microwaveable packets of already cooked grains (plain, not flavored).
• Vegetables: Cucumber, cherry tomatoes, and red onion add fresh texture and flavor. Really, you can choose any vegetable you like! If we happen to have pickled red onions on hand, we usually use those instead of fresh onions.
• Optional toppings: If you want to go one step further, consider adding Kalamata olives, crumbled feta cheese, diced avocado, or fresh herbs to your Mediterranean salmon bowl.

How it comes together

Cook the grains. If you’re serving the bowls with rice, quinoa, or farro, start cooking them first so everything is ready around the same time.

Season the salmon. Preheat your oven to 400°F and line a sheet pan with foil or parchment paper for straightforward cleanup. In a small bowl, stir together the olive oil, lemon zest, oregano, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper. Pat the salmon dry and place it on the prepared pan. Rub the seasoning mixture evenly over the top of the fish.

Roast the salmon. Bake until the salmon flakes easily with a fork and reaches about 140°F in the thickest part. (The exact cooking time will depend on the thickness of the fillet, so going by temperature will be your best bet.) Let the salmon rest for a few minutes before breaking it into large pieces for the bowls.

Make the lemon yogurt sauce. While the salmon cooks, whisk together the yogurt, lemon juice, olive oil, herbs, garlic, lemon zest, and salt until smooth. Hint: You’ll find that it’s much easier to zest the lemon before you juice it, rather than vice versa!.

Prep the vegetables. Dice the cucumber, halve the tomatoes, and finely chop the red onion.

Assemble the bowls. Divide the cooked grains among four bowls. Top with the salmon, cucumber, tomatoes, and red onion. Add any additional toppings you like, then drizzle generously with the lemon yogurt sauce. Serve immediately.

Ways to change it

• Try a different sauce. From-scratch tzatziki (or store-bought) both work well instead of the lemon yogurt sauce. Another option is to drizzle the bowls with Greek dressing or Italian dressing, instead of a creamy sauce if you prefer. Tahini sauce or hummus would also be rich.
• Make it grain-free. Use cauliflower rice instead of a grain, or serve your bowl with crisp romaine to make a main course salad.

Ways to serve it

Warm pita bread: Really, any type of bread would go well with this meal bowl. This from-scratch flatbread isn’t difficult to make, and the flavor is superior to store-bought. It’s reliable for scooping up any extra sauce!

Mediterranean dips. Serve pita chips or pita bread on the side with baba ghanoush or your favorite hummus (or hummus without tahini!). For something a little out of the ordinary, try edamame dip. The texture is similar to hummus but it’s a beautiful shade of green!

More Mediterranean favorites. Tabbouleh salad and air fryer falafel are a couple of favorites. We also love this fattoush salad.

Keeping leftovers

Refrigerate: Store the salmon, grains, vegetables, and sauce separately for up to 3 days. Assemble the bowls just before serving for the freshest texture.

Reheat: Warm the salmon and grains in the microwave before adding the fresh toppings and sauce. Don’t overheat the salmon; we usually microwave it at 50% power just until it’s warm.

• Yield: 4
• Prep: 20 minutes
• Cook: 15 minutes
• Total: 35 minutes

Ingredients

For Salmon:

• 1 ½ pounds salmon (see note)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest (from ½ lemon)
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• ¼ teaspoon coarse ground black pepper

For Lemon Yogurt Sauce:

• ¾ cup plain yogurt (see note)
• 1 ½ tablespoons fresh lemon juice (zest lemon first!)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill or parsley (or both)
• 1 small garlic clove (finely minced or pressed)
• ½ teaspoon lemon zest
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt

For Bowl:

• 2 cups cooked quinoa, rice, or farro
• 1 cup diced or thinly sliced cucumber
• 1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
• ¼ cup finely diced red onion

Optional Toppings:

• Kalamata olives, crumbled feta cheese, sliced avocado, fresh herbs (parsley, dill, oregano, or chives)

Method

1. If you plan on serving the bowls with quinoa, rice, or farro, get that cooking before you get started.
2. Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a sheet pan with foil.
3. In a small bowl, mix olive oil, lemon zest, oregano, smoked paprika, salt and pepper. Pat salmon dry with paper towels and arrange on sheet pan. Rub the seasoning mixture over the top side of the salmon.
4. Roast salmon for about 15 minutes, or until salmon flakes easily with a fork and reaches 140°F in the center (it will continue to cook slightly as it rests). Cooking time varies depending on the thickness of the salmon fillet. Let salmon rest 5 minutes, then flake into large pieces.
5. While the salmon cooks, prep the other bowl ingredients. In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon yogurt sauce ingredients until smooth. (The sauce can be prepped up to a day ahead of time and refrigerated. Stir well before using.)
6. Halve the cherry tomatoes, chop the cucumbers, and dice the red onions.
7. To assemble the bowls, divide the cooked grains among 4 shallow bowls. Top with flaked salmon, tomatoes, cucumbers, and onions. Add extra toppings, if desired. Drizzle the bowl with lemon yogurt sauce; season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
8. Serve immediately.

Notes

Salmon: Purchase one large fillet or smaller cuts that equal approximately 1 ½ pounds. The salmon can be skin on or skin off; once the salmon is roasted, the skin will easily separate from the salmon.

Yogurt: Regular plain yogurt works better than Greek yogurt for the sauce; Greek yogurt tends to be too thick and tangy. However, if you only have Greek yogurt, add a little milk or extra olive oil to thin it to the desired consistency.

Variations: Instead of lemon yogurt sauce, top the bowl with tzatziki or hummus. Greek salad dressing or Italian dressing also work well if you don’t want a creamy topping. Different vegetables can be used in place of the cucumbers, tomatoes, and onion, or in addition to them. If you’re not a garlic fan, it can be omitted from the sauce.

Storage: Store the salmon, grains, vegetables, and sauce separately for up to 3 days; assemble the bowls just before serving. If you want to reheat the salmon and grains, microwave at 50% power until just warm; try not to overheat them.