Coconut-Lime Wild Salmon with Coconut Cauliflower Rice, Roasted Zucchini, and Avocado

Wild salmon roasted with lime zest, garlic, and ginger, then spooned with a silky coconut-lime sauce, served over fragrant coconut cauliflower rice with caramelized zucchini, creamy avocado, and plenty of fresh cilantro. A bright, tropical plate that comes together in about 35 minutes.

Yield: Serves 4 · Active: 25 min · Total: 35 min · Best in North America in summer, when fresh wild salmon is in season (roughly May through September) and zucchini peaks · Best eaten: midday or early evening

Ingredients

Salmon

• 4 wild salmon fillets (about 6 oz each, skin on)

• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

• Zest of 1 lime

• 1 garlic clove, finely grated

• 1 tsp fresh ginger, finely grated

• ¾ tsp Baja Gold sea salt

Coconut-lime sauce

• ½ cup full-fat coconut milk

• Zest of ½ lime, plus 1–2 tbsp juice

• 1 small garlic clove, finely grated

• Pinch of Baja Gold sea salt

Coconut cauliflower rice

• 1 large head cauliflower, riced (about 4 cups)

• 1 tbsp coconut oil

• ⅓ cup full-fat coconut milk

• ½ tsp Baja Gold sea salt

• ¼ cup fresh cilantro, chopped, plus a squeeze of lime

Roasted zucchini

• 2 medium zucchini, cut into thick half-moons

• 1½ tbsp extra virgin olive oil

• Pinch of Baja Gold sea salt

To serve: 1–2 ripe avocados, sliced; fresh cilantro; lime wedges

Method

1. Roast the zucchini. Heat the oven to 425°F. Toss the zucchini with the olive oil and salt and roast 18–22 minutes, until browned at the edges. Turn the oven down to 400°F.

2. Roast the salmon. Rub the fillets with the olive oil, lime zest, garlic, ginger, and salt, set them skin-side down on a parchment-lined sheet pan, and roast at 400°F for 10–14 minutes, until they just flake and read about 125°F.

3. Make the coconut rice. Heat the coconut oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, add the cauliflower, and cook 4–5 minutes. Stir in the coconut milk and salt and cook 2–3 minutes more, until tender but still textured. Finish with the cilantro and lime.

4. Make the sauce. Warm the coconut milk, lime zest, garlic, and salt in a small pan for 1–2 minutes, just until hot. Off the heat, stir in the lime juice.

5. Plate. Spoon coconut rice onto each plate, add the salmon and zucchini, tuck in sliced avocado, spoon the coconut-lime sauce over the salmon, and finish with cilantro and lime wedges.

Storage: Salmon, up to 2 days refrigerated; cauliflower rice and zucchini, up to 3 days; sauce, up to 4 days. Slice the avocado fresh.

Nourishment Notes

Wild salmon — omega-3s (EPA and DHA), vitamin D, selenium, B12, and astaxanthin.

Coconut milk — lauric acid and a rich, creamy body.

Cauliflower — glucosinolates, choline, and vitamin C.

Zucchini — potassium and vitamin C.

Avocado — monounsaturated fats, potassium, and folate.

Ginger, garlic, lime, and cilantro — gingerols, allicin, vitamin C, and chlorophyll.

For your cycle: Wild salmon's omega-3s help calm menstrual inflammation and cramps, and avocado's healthy fats and potassium make this plate supportive in every phase.

Sourcing

• Wild salmon — wild Alaskan sockeye, coho, or king, from Vital Choice or a trusted fishmonger; frozen-at-sea year-round

• Coconut milk — organic and full-fat, with just coconut and water; Native Forest Simple comes in BPA-free cans

• Coconut oil — organic, virgin, and unrefined

• Cauliflower, zucchini, avocados, ginger, garlic, limes, and cilantro — organic, from a farmers' market

• Extra virgin olive oil — organic, single-estate, harvest-dated, in dark glass

• Baja Gold sea salt

— Anna aka Food Marshall