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    Category Home » Fish and Seafood » Five Spice Blackened Salmon with Apple Slaw

    Five Spice Blackened Salmon with Apple Slaw

    Published: Dec 29, 2019 · Modified: Nov 14, 2021 by Leigh Anderson · This post may contain affiliate links

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    Smokey and sweet Chinese Five Spice blackened salmon with hearty apple slaw is a healthy and delicious meal. Enjoy this for dinner and save the leftovers for lunch the next day!

    a white oval platter with 4 filets of blackened salmon on top of cabbage slaw on a grey background and gold serving utensils

    This simple, healthy blackened salmon with apple slaw combines some of my all-time favorite flavors; sweet, salty, and smokey! The salmon is coated in a flavorful spice rub made up of five spice powder, paprika and a touch of sugar. Together these ingredients form a sweet and smokey crust around the salmon that goes perfectly with the creamy, crunchy apple slaw served underneath!

    Five-spice is a Chinese spice blend made up of cinnamon, cloves, fennel, star anise, and Szechuan peppercorns. You can typically find it in most grocery stores nowadays or you can order it online here.

    Ingredients You’ll Need:

    Here’s what you’ll need to make this recipe: For the salmon: boneless, skinless salmon filets, Chinese Five-Spice powder, smoked paprika and sugar. For the slaw: shredded cabbage, I like Napa best, red onion, apple, cilantro or parsley, mayo, apple cider vinegar and dijon mustard.

    recipe ingredients on a blue background: raw salmon filets, mayo, spices, cabbage, vinegar, apple, etc.

    Recipe Steps:

    Coat the salmon thoroughly on all sides with the five spice mixture!

    three step by step photos of salmon cooking in a pan and a bowl of apple slaw

    Toss the cabbage, apple, onion with the slaw dressing!

    FAQs and Expert Tips:

    What is Chinese Five Spice?

    Five spice is a very popular spice blend in Chinese cooking. It combines: Chinese cinnamon, fennel seeds, star anise, clove and Sichuan peppercorns. Luckily it’s becoming more commonly available in American grocery stores. To make your own Chinese Five Spice from scratch check out this recipe from Woks of Life.

    Tips for Perfect Blackened Salmon:

    • Once you place your fish in the pan–don’t move it! Let your fish form a nice, dark crust before attempting to flip, at least three minutes on the first side.
    • If you feel like your fish is getting too blackened but it’s not yet cooked through: take your filets out of the pan and place it on a baking tray and finish cooking in the oven at 350F.
    • Let it rest! Rather than cooking your salmon to well done. Cook your it until its rare/medium rare in the center and then let it carry over cooking for a few minutes while resting.
    a white oval platter with apple slaw and flaked, blackened salmon, with a pink cloth napkin and a blue water pitcher

    Check out more great recipes:

    • Blackened Shrimp with Garlic-Lime Aioli
    • Gluten-Free Apple Crisp
    • Superfood Salmon Salad
    • Coconut Curry Braised Salmon
    • Oven Roasted BBQ Salmon

    I love to hear from readers and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. If you make this recipe be sure to leave a comment and/or give it a rating! Don’t forget to follow along on Pinterest, Facebook, and Instagram for all the latest updates!

    a white oval platter with 4 filets of blackened salmon on top of cabbage slaw on a grey background and gold serving utensils

    Five Spice Blackened Salmon with Apple Slaw

    Smokey and sweet Chinese Five Spice blackened salmon with hearty apple slaw is a healthy and delicious meal. Enjoy this for dinner and save the leftovers for lunch the next day!
    5 from 3 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Prep Time: 20 minutes
    Cook Time: 10 minutes
    Servings: 4
    Calories: 474kcal
    Author: Leigh Anderson

    Ingredients

    Blackened Five Spice Salmon

    • 4 6 oz salmon filets skin off
    • 2 tbsp Chinese five-spice powder
    • 1 tbsp smoked paprika
    • 1 tbsp sugar
    • 1 tbsp kosher salt
    • 1 tbsp neutral oil

    Apple Slaw

    • 4 c shredded napa cabbage
    • ½ red onion thinly sliced
    • 2 apples thinly sliced
    • ½ bunch fresh cilantro or parsley roughly chopped
    • ½ c mayo
    • ¼ c apple cider vinegar
    • 2 tbsp dijon mustard
    • 2 tsp sugar
    • salt

    Instructions

    • In a bowl whisk together the five spice, paprika, salt and sugar. Sprinkle mixture evenly over the salmon fillets, coating them thoroughly on all sides.
    • Heat a cast iron pan over medium heat. Add the oil to the pan followed by the seasoned filets, let sear until blackened, about 3 minutes. Flip salmon to the opposite side and let cook until browned and just barely cooked through, about 3 minutes longer. Transfer to a plate to rest.
    • In the meantime make the slaw dressing in a bowl; whisk together the mayo, dijon, vinegar, and sugar. Toss the cabbage, apple, cilantro and onion with the dressing. Season with salt and pepper.
    • Divide the slaw between two plates and top each with the cooked salmon. Serve immediately!

    Notes


    Ti
    ps for Perfectly Blackened Salmon:
    • Once you place your fish in the pan–don’t move it! Let your fish form a nice, dark crust before attempting to flip, at least three minutes on the first side.
    • If you feel like your fish is getting too blackened but it’s not yet cooked through: take your filets out of the pan and place on a baking tray to finish cooking in the oven at 350F.
    • Let it rest! Rather than cooking your salmon to well done. Cook it until its rare/medium rare in the center and then let it carry over cooking for a few minutes while resting.

    Storing Leftovers:
    • Leftover will stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to three days. 

    Nutrition

    Calories: 474kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 36g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 12g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 99mg | Sodium: 1961mg | Potassium: 1239mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 17g | Vitamin A: 1244IU | Vitamin C: 27mg | Calcium: 119mg | Iron: 4mg
    Did you make this recipe?Share a picture on Instagram and tag me: @Craving_California and use the hashtag: #CravingCalifornia!

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Jake Andrews

      March 21, 2020 at 10:59 am

      5 stars
      Great simple recipe. Thanks. Love a lot of these recipes and appreciate the site.

      Reply

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