Baked Salmon with Mango Salsa

Treat yourself to a delicious meal today with my Baked Salmon with Mango Salsa!… What if I tell you it’s healthy and easy (“under 30 minutes meal” easy), yet it would make you feel like you are on a date night or celebrating in some fancy restaurant.

This moist, tender salmon has so many different layers of flavors. Tangy, lemony, buttery salmon flakes with a slight kick from my spice mix rub, combined with vibrant refreshing mango salsa. Every single bite is salmon bliss!

I am always on the lookout for light, refreshing meals. If they happen to be easy and colorful they come on my plate quite often.

I am not your typical “butter and lime” salmon person. That’s why you will see this fish going through a lot of delicious experiments at the Beiser kitchen. You may have seen that in our maple pecan salmon, which I absolutely love.

But when summer is in full swing, and I keep on spotting those juicy ripe mangoes in the market, I tend to cook my salmon complemented with tangy mango salsa. In case you haven’t noticed, I adore mangoes. You can check out my post of 30 favorites mango recipes!

Alpana’s Tips for perfect baked salmon

1. Cook whole fillets. I found that for moist, tender salmon this works better than individual salmon portions. Cooking a larger portion prevents it from drying out before it’s done.
2. You don’t need to wash salmon before baking.
3. Bring salmon to room temperature before baking. The best way is to apply the rub and let it rest on the counter for 15 minutes. By the time it goes in the oven it’s at room temperature and marinated in lovely flavors.
4. Don’t overcook the salmon. The FDA recommends salmon should be cooked to an internal temperature of 145°F. By using a good meat thermometer, you can bake till 135°F. Take it out of the oven and let it rest 10 minutes, as the heat inside will continue to cook it for some more time.
5. Bake the salmon in a foil pouch. When I bake salmon, I like to create a foil pouch by lining my baking pan with foil and folding the sides up. This helps prevent any liquids from leaking out while it’s baking. I spray the foil with cooking spray and then place the salmon skin side down on top. I don’t close the pouch, instead I let the salmon bake uncovered. The foil lining also makes cleanup a breeze, which is always a plus!

Ingredients Needed

For the salmon

• Salmon – A large fillet.
• Butter – To amp up the buttery flavor of the salmon.
• Lemon – Fresh lime or lemon juice adds freshness and tang that is so great with seafood.
• Honey – Honey compliments the tang of lemon and sublime heat of the rub.
• Spice rub – Paprika, chili powder, cayenne powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper.

For mango salsa

1. Mango – Ripe and juicy. Avoid stringy flavorless mangoes.
2. Red bell pepper – Great crunch in salsa.
3. Cilantro – Personally, I feel any salsa is incomplete without this herb.
4. Lime
5. Jalapeño
6. Salt – To taste.

How to Make Salmon with Mango Salsa

First, I preheat the oven to 350°F. Then, I line a baking sheet with foil and fold the sides to create a pouch, spraying it with cooking spray.

Next, I make the rub by combining paprika, chili powder, cayenne, garlic powder, salt, and pepper in a bowl.

I also prepare the lemon honey butter by melting butter and mixing it with lemon juice and honey.

Once that’s done, I take the salmon out of the refrigerator and place it skin side down on the prepared baking pan. I rub the salmon with the dry spice rub, making sure to coat it evenly. Then, I pour the butter mixture over the salmon and spread it well to ensure every bit is covered. Now it’s ready to go into the oven and bake up into something delicious!

I bake it for 15-20 minutes. Then, I set the oven to broil and cook it for an additional 3-5 minutes to nicely brown the top of the salmon. Since ovens can vary, I keep a close eye on it to make sure it doesn’t burn. This step gives the salmon a beautiful golden crust and adds extra flavor!

While my salmon is baking, I chop up some mangoes, red bell pepper, jalapeños, and cilantro. Then, I mix them all together in a bowl with lime juice and salt. I refrigerate the mixture until it’s ready to serve. You can add in chopped onion if you like (I am avoiding today for the love of my life, as he picks out every single one of them). For a more detailed recipe, check out my mango salsa.

Once the salmon is cooked, I let it rest for about 5-10 minutes before serving. Then, I serve the salmon on a plate and top it with heaps of the delicious mango salsa.

Serving Suggestions:

The basic recipe is a treat in itself, but you can serve this up with following sides:

Vegetables: I love roasted veggies like asparagus, green beans or broccoli. If you want to keep the sweet & savory theme going, try our crispy roast Brussels sprouts recipe. A big bowl of salad is also great. Imagine how pretty our zucchini carrot salad would look next to this salmon!

Grains & starches: I also like to serve grits, brown rice or quinoa with this salmon. It’s excellent with a side of our Isreali couscous salad or rainbow pasta salad. Or, while you have the oven fired up, some baked sweet potato fries sound great!

How to use leftovers in other meals

Salmon Salad: All you have to do is chop some kind of lettuce along with some corn kernels, some cherry tomatoes and leftover salmon with heaps of mango salsa for a quick salad lunch.

Some days I use leftover salmon in tacos, burrito bowls, salmon bowls… be creative!!

I usually store leftover salmon in the fridge in an airtight container, and it stays fresh for up to 3 days.

If I want to freeze the salmon, I make sure to tightly wrap it in cling wrap and then place it in a ziplock bag, removing all the air to prevent freezer burn. It can stay in the freezer for up to 4-6 months.

When I’m ready to enjoy it again, I thaw it overnight in the fridge and then heat it up in the oven until it’s warmed through. This helps maintain its flavor and texture.

Leftover salsa can be enjoyed with other meals like chili lime shrimp tacos. Or even with some other grilled or baked meats. It’s a great cool side to something a bit spicy, like our Cajun shrimp and grits, jollof rice or kedjenou chicken.

You can even puree leftover salsa if it’s a little watered down and have that like a sauce over some fish or meats, or as a dressing over salad.

Can I grill the salmon instead of baking?

Why not? Some people love grilled salmon. To grill the salmon, I start by preheating the grill to medium heat. Then, I prepare the salmon the same way as before, except this time I cover the top of the salmon with foil.

Carefully, I transfer the aluminum foil packet to the grill and cook it for about 12-15 minutes, or until the salmon is fully cooked. The cooking time may vary depending on the thickness of the salmon, so I keep an eye on it.

Once the salmon is almost done, I carefully open up the foil to completely expose the top of the salmon and grill it for another 3-5 minutes. This helps to give the salmon a nice charred finish and adds extra flavor. Now it’s ready to serve and enjoy!

Alternately, you can cook it directly on the grill. Place skin side down and grill 6-8 minutes. Flip and cook an additional 3-4 minutes.

Well folks, if you are looking to cook your salmon a new way, you have come to the right post. Take those mild flavors to the next level and enjoy this tropical looking, vibrant colorful salmon tonight. Cheers all the way from Florida! Healthy can be tasty! Gourmet tasty!!

While you’re here, check out my roundup of the 30 BEST Salmon Recipes!

Baked Salmon with Mango Salsa, on my Gypsy Plate… enjoy!

More Great Seafood Recipes
Gambas al Ajillo
Cajun Shrimp Scampi
Bahamian Boiled Fish
Psari Plaki (Greek Baked Fish)
Portuguese Mussels
Shrimp and Grits

Baked Salmon with Mango Salsa

Yield: 6 servings

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Are you tired of eating your salmon with just salt and lemon? This vibrant and tropical recipe will take your favorite fish to a whole new level of deliciousness!

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Ingredients

For Salmon

• 2.5 lbs salmon, 1 large fillet
• ¼ cup butter, melted
• 2 Tbsp honey
• 1 fresh lemon, juiced
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp chili powder
• ⅛ tsp cayenne powder
• ½ tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ tsp pepper

For Mango Salsa

• 2 mangoes, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 tomato, chopped
• 2 Tbsp chopped cilantro
• ½ to 1 jalapeno, finely chopped
• Salt to taste
• Pepper to taste
• Lime juice to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line the baking sheet with aluminium foil. Fold the foil at the edges to create a pouch so the liquid will not spill over during baking. Spray with cooking spray. Place salmon in middle of sheet.
2. In one bowl, mix all dry rub ingredients. In another bowl, stir melted butter together with honey and lemon juice.
3. Coat salmon with dry rub, then pour over the butter sauce. Let rest for 15 minutes so salmon can come to room temperature before baking.
4. Place salmon in oven and bake 15-20 minutes, depending upon thickness of fillet (ours took 18 minutes). Switch oven to broil and cook 3-5 minutes to brown top. Remove from oven and rest 5 minutes.
5. While salmon is baking, chop mango salsa ingredients and mix all in a bowl. Refrigerate until serving.
6. Garnish salmon with mango salsa and lemon wedges.

Notes

1. You can add chopped onion to the mango salsa.
2. You can make the same recipe with individual small salmon fillet as well. Keep a close eye on salmon while baking, as they tend to dry out compared to large fillet.

Nutrition Information

Yield 6 Serving Size 1
Amount Per Serving Calories 563Total Fat 32gSaturated Fat 10gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 19gCholesterol 139mgSodium 677mgCarbohydrates 27gFiber 3gSugar 23gProtein 43g

Nutrition information calculated by Nutritionix.

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Welcome to GypsyPlate! I'm Alpana, former wordwide tour manager and professional caterer, now full time blogger. I love exploring cuisines from around the world, and my recipes have been featured on sites such as MSN, Parade, Brit + Co, CNET and AOL. You can explore my entire collection of sortable recipes in my Recipe Index or learn more about me here.