This Salmon with Mango Salsa recipe is a fresh and vibrant dish that’s perfect for a light, flavorful meal. Juicy, sweet mango pairs perfectly with tender, flaky salmon for a delicious tropical twist that’s ready in no time.
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Why This Recipe Works:
- Perfect Flavor Balance: The sweet mango salsa complements the rich, buttery salmon, creating a refreshing blend of sweet, savory, and tangy.
- Quick and Healthy: This dish comes together in under 30 minutes and is packed with protein and fresh ingredients.
- Versatile and Crowd-Pleasing: Great for weeknight dinners, summer cookouts, or date nights—it’s easy to make yet impressive on the plate.
For more seafood recipes, check out my grandma’s salmon patty recipe, shrimp rolls, and these tasty fried scallops!
What You Need for Salmon With Mango Salsa:
- Salmon Fillets- Since I live in NM and don't have access to fresh salmon, I go with the best frozen option I can find, allow it to thaw and then pat dry with a paper towel
- Seasoning: The combined spices for this dish create a bold and delicious mixture!
- Butter: This is optional but adds extra flavor and I highly recommend.
- Limes- Can't go wrong with an extra squeeze of fresh lime juice!
- Mango- You want the mangos to give a little when squeezed, but not be mushy.
- Pineapple- I use fresh but canned tidbits works too
- Onion- White or Yellow works great.
This salmon goes great with homemade limeade, some chips, and smoked queso or cilantro lime sauce, or served alongside some homemade french fries!
How to Make Salmon With Mango Salsa?
- Step 1: Mix up the dry ingredients to make the rub for the salmon.
- Step 2: Pat the salmon dry then coat with olive oil.
- Step 3: Sprinkle all sides of the salmon with the rub.
- Step 4: In a non-stick pan, heat oil and butter over medium heat. Then add the filets skin side down and cook for ~6 minutes. Then flip and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes or until an internal temperature of 125°F is reached.
- Step 5: Make Mango Salsa. Add all salsa ingredients to a food processor and blend until you get the consistency you like best.
- Step 6: Assemble salmon by squeezing a lime slice over each piece and top with mango salsa.
This salsa recipe is a halved recipe of my favorite pineapple mango salsa. It’s so good and works great with chicken street tacos, blackened shirmp tacos, pork carnitas street tacos, and even just dipped with chips.
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Salmon Tips
- Buy fresh if you live near the ocean, buy frozen if you don’t.
- Fresh fish bought from a meat counter at a grocery store should not be slimy, really smelly, or mushy.
- The butcher at the grocery store should be able to cut the salmon into filets for you. Just ask!
- Thaw frozen salmon overnight in the refrigerator, unwrapped, the night before you want to cook it.
- Internal Temperature of Salmon: Salmon is fully cooked according to the FDA at 145°F because that is the temperature that instantly kills listeria; however, salmon is best when cooked to and internal temperature of 125°F- a temperature that will kill listeria if it stays that temperature for a few minutes.
- Use a good thermometer like this to check the internal temperature!
Frequently Asked Questions
Albumin is the white stuff that comes out of the salmon if it’s cooked too hot, too fast, or it isn’t fresh enough. It is harmless and edible, and you can always scrape it off if you don’t want to eat it.
Unless you live next to the ocean, where fresh salmon is truly fresh, then I recommend buying frozen filets from the store or from a trustworthy supplier like Good Ranchers. Fresh from frozen salmon is firm and not super fishy-smelling, and is much more affordable!
Try to eat leftovers within 3 days of cooking.
Yes. If you want to cook these on the grill, just oil the grill before putting the salmon on it and keep the heat on medium, and cook until done.
More Related Recipes
If you like this recipe, make sure to check out my lemon butter pan fried cod, shrimp pad thai, dijon baked halibut, and baked scallop recipes!
Video
Salmon with Mango Salsa
Ingredients
Salmon
- 16 oz salmon divided into four 4 oz filets, patted dry with paper towel (thawed if frozen)
- 1 tbs paprika
- 2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ¾ teaspoon pepper
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 3 tbs olive oil divided
- 2 tbs butter
- 2 limes
Mango Salsa
- 1 cup diced mango ~1-2 mangos peeled, cored, and sliced
- 1 cup diced pineapple ~¼ of a fresh pineapple
- ½ jalapeno seeded and diced
- ¼ red bell pepper chopped
- ¼ cup yellow onion
- ¼ cup cilantro chopped
- 1 lime zested and juiced
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
How to Cook Salmon
- If using frozen salmon, thaw overnight unwrapped in the refrigerator the night before you want to cook it.16 oz salmon
- In a small bowl, mix together paprika, salt, garlic powder, pepper, cayenne powder, and Italian seasoning.1 tbs paprika, 2 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, ¾ teaspoon pepper, ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper, 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- Coat the salmon filets in 2 tablespoons of olive oil and then coat them in the seasoning mixture.3 tbs olive oil divided
- In a non-stick skillet or cast iron pan over medium heat, melt your butter and add in your remaining 1 tablespoon of oil. Adding the oil helps keep the butter from burning.2 tbs butter
- Place your filets in the heated skillets skin side down.
- Cook for 6 minutes and then flip and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes. The salmon should flake easily with the use of a fork when done.*
- Squeeze ½ a lime over each filet, top with mango salsa, and enjoy!2 limes
How to Make Mango Salsa
- Combine all salsa ingredients in a food processor and blend for a few seconds at a time until it reaches the consistency you want.1 cup diced mango, 1 cup diced pineapple, ½ jalapeno, ¼ red bell pepper, ¼ cup yellow onion, ¼ cup cilantro, 1 lime, ½ teaspoon cumin, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ¼ teaspoon salt
- Pour over the salmon and enjoy!
Notes
- *Internal Temperature of Salmon is fully cooked according to the FDA at 145°F because that is the temperature that instantly kills Listeria, however, salmon is best when cooked to an internal temperature of 125°F- a temperature that will kill Listeria if it stays at that temperature for a few minutes.
- Leftover Salmon should be eaten within 2-3 days and should be kept in the refrigerator in an airtight container.
Nutrition
This recipe was based on Hearthstone’s card Nat Pagel! He is a fisherman, so I thought what would be better than having Nat Pagel’s Fresh Catch of the Day as Salmon with Mango Salsa
If you are wondering what Hearthstone is all about, you can read about it here! I also did an entire Hearthstone Menu and so if you would like a glimpse into my early years of blogging and some humble beginnings of my food photography journey, you can check that out at the link above.
Hearthstone Card Image from Gamepedia
©2014 Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. Hearthstone is a registered trademark of Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries.
Blizzard Entertainment is a trademark or registered trademark of Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. in the U.S. and/or other countries. All rights reserved.
Lisa Killian says
Love this recipe!
Maggie says
I tried this recipe because I wanted to spruce up my "healthy recipes" collection with something new and tasty, and this caught my eye.
My husband was sceptical, because he does not like salmon (or fish in general), but he ended up LOVING IT! We both loved how the spicey-sweet mango salsa complimented the savory taste of the fish.
I used the cheap walmart frozen fish, and it was still really tasty. Definitely recommend this recipe! Its so fresh and yummy!!
Lisa says
Thank you Maggie! I am so glad you both loved it!! It'a a favorite around here too! And there is nothing wrong with the cheap stuff haha! It gets the job done for sure!
mydeliciousmeals says
wow, such a useful info about salmon. I wish we had Sprouts in our State, but we're lucky to have at least Trader Joe's. Love that recipe with salsa!
Lisa says
Yeah I love Sprouts haha! Trader Joe's is good though! Do they have a meat counter I can't remember.. .we don't have one in my town.
Stephanie says
Salmon with mango salsa sounds so amazing! I love a salmon dinner in the summer 🙂
Lisa says
Yes! Summer dinner deliciousness for sure!
Jacqueline says
This recipe sounds so tasty! I love salmon but don't cook it a lot as here in Italy we have so many other kinds of fish that are really fresh whilst salmon has to be imported and is expensive! I'd love to try this sauce with another fish though. It sounds delish!
Lisa says
Oh neat- what types of fish do you typically eat? I think the sauce would be great on lots of fish!
Catherine Brown says
I love salmon too and am so fortunate to live close to the Atlantic coast of Maine (and NH) so I have access to "the good stuff"! My oldest daughter lived in Homer, Alaska for a spell and she shipped me a box of wild Alaskan salmon that was the best I'd ever tasted... such a bright gorgeous pink/orange. I've had luck with frozen salmon too and I'm glad yours turned out. The mango salsa looks fantastic!
Lisa says
That's awesome! I've had Alaskan a few times and found it to be delicious too! And thank you so much!
Gloria says
Salmon and mango are such a great pairing. This looks like a delicious dinner to have any night of the week. I would for sure make enough for leftovers. Salmon tacos sound great to me.
Lisa says
Totally agree! Thank you!And yes - if I can make it into a taco I'll do it!
Honey @ The Girl Next Shore says
Wow, i feel like i've learned heaps about salmon - and also now have a recipe to spice things up!
Lisa says
I learned so much about salmon when I made this and I couldn't not share 🙂 I'm so glad you learned a bunch! Enjoy the recipe!