Salmon with Pineapple Salsa

5 from 1 vote

You're in for a real treat with this salmon with pineapple salsa recipe. It's the perfect combination of savory and sweet with just a bit of spice. It's easy to make for a satisfying dinner and you can enjoy it any time of the year.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Southwestern

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 10

Total Time 25

Servings

Calories 321kcal

Author Caitlin Self, MS, CNS, LDN

Ingredients

For the Pineapple Salsa

¼ medium red onion about ¼ cup minced
1 cup chopped pineapple
½ large red bell pepper
½ English cucumber 1 cup chopped, 5 oz
1 jalapeño pepper with or without seeds & membrane
4 Tablespoons cilantro chopped
3 Tablespoons lime juice from about 1-2 limes
1 Pinch of salt as needed

For the Salmon

1 Tablespoon tamari or soy sauce
1 Tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon maple syrup
2 Tablespoons water
1-2 teaspoons oil or ghee
16 ounces salmon or 4 salmon filets. I prefer skin-on, but either will work.
1 Pinch salt

For Serving

2 cups cooked white rice or cauliflower rice or brown rice, for serving
Optional garnish: cilantro lime juice, avocado slices

Instructions

Make the Salsa

First, finely mince the red onion and place it in a small bowl. Cover this with water and set aside for about 10 minutes to reduce the sharp potency of the onion.
Cut up the pineapple into small chunks, about ½ an inch, and add to a bowl, saving any juice that accumulates on your cutting board. Finely chop the bell pepper and the cucumber. For the jalapeño, remove the stem and cut it in half lengthwise, then, optionally, remove the seeds and pith from one half. (Remove all the seeds and pith to make it less spicy, or leave all the seeds and pith in to make it extra spicy.) Finely chop fresh cilantro until you have about 4 Tablespoons, and juice 1-2 fresh limes until you have 3 Tablespoons. (You will also need 1 Tablespoon of lime juice for cooking the salmon).
After the red onion has soaked for about 10 minutes, drain the water out using a fine mesh strainer. Combine the salsa ingredients in a large bowl with a pinch of salt. You can also add any pineapple juice that has accumulated, and set aside. You can stir this occasionally to ensure all of the ingredients are melding together.

Make the Salmon

In a small bowl, combine the sauce ingredients - soy sauce, lime juice, maple syrup, and water. (See notes for using pineapple juice here instead.)
Bring a skillet - stainless steel, carbon steel, or cast iron is ideal here - to medium-high heat. Once very hot, add the oil or ghee, swirl around, and immediately place the salmon fillets, one-by-one, into the hot skillet, skin-side down (if using skin-on). Season each with a pinch of salt and cook for about 4-5 minutes. You’ll know the salmon is done when the bottom is a bit crispy and it is lifting from the skillet. (See notes)
Carefully flip the salmon using a metal spatula or fish spatula. Cook for another 4 minutes on the other side, or until your desired doneness. (The internal temperature for medium-rare salmon is about 130ºF.) Add the sauce to the skillet and continue to cook, rotating the skillet a bit if needed, for another 1-2 minutes or until the sauce has become thick and somewhat syrupy. You can spoon this over the top of the salmon to ensure even flavor!

Serve

To serve: add a small scoop of your rice of choice to a plate, along with a generous serving of the pineapple salsa. Top with the salmon and drizzle a spoonful of sauce over each plate. Add some additional cilantro for garnish, and a few slices of avocado if you’d like, and enjoy!

Notes

Pineapple: I have tested this with fresh, frozen (and then thawed), and canned (in juice) pineapple. All work well here.

To use pineapple juice: Replace the water and maple syrup with 3 Tablespoons of pineapple juice.

Salting: Be sure to only add a small pinch of salt at a time as the soy sauce is quite salty!

If cooking skin-on salmon, be sure to start by cooking skin-side down. If using de-skinned salmon, it is extra important that your skillet is hot before you add the salmon, otherwise it will stick. I have another post with more tips for cooking pan-seared salmon!

Pricing information is based on $12.99 for 1 pound of wild salmon. There are a variety of more affordable salmon options as low as $5.99 per pound if this is out of your budget.

Nutrition: Just a reminder that nutrient numbers and the below nutritional label is just an estimate. The below information includes ½ cup cooked white rice per serving.

Nutrition