Salmon with Mango Salsa
Salmon with Mango Salsa is perfect for a weeknight meal. Scoop up the extra salsa with plantain chips or pretzels!
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Now this is a flavorful weeknight meal! The recipe starts with roasted salmon, which gets topped with a fresh salsa made with mangos, avocado, green onions, cilantro, and lime juice. You can make the salsa while the salmon cooks, making Salmon with Mango Salsa the perfect meal for a busy evening.
My husband grew up in Zaire (which is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo), and he had both a mango and an avocado tree in his grandma’s front yard. Lucky!
He also talks about scaling the mango tree to grab a piece of fruit when he was hungry. His neighbors did the same, scaling the brick wall around the house to help themselves to the fruit!
I had those trees in mind when I created this Mango Avocado Salsa, which also sports the addition of green onions, jalapeños, cilantro, and lime juice. It’s delicious with tortilla chips, or my favorite, plantain chips.
You can get plantain chips at most grocery stores (Trader Joe’s carries a good one). I skip the plantain chips labeled “sweet” and go for the others, made from unripe plantains and sea salt. The saltiness is the perfect pair for this salsa.
Choosing mangos
When you’re choosing the fruit, chose a ripe mango since it’ll be the sweetest. A ripe mango will give slightly when you press into it with your fingertips.
I prefer champagne mangos over the traditional red and green mango. Champagne mangos have a creamier flesh that’s slightly less stringy than other varieties, and they get SO sweet when they’re ripe. You’ll usually find champagne mangos right next to the others—they are completely yellow on the outside, kidney shaped, and sometimes called yellow or ataulfo mangos.
Choosing avocados
For the avocado, you’ll want one that’s almost ripe. A ripe or overly ripe avocado will make a mess out of this salsa, getting mashed when you try to stir it. So you’re looking for an avocado that gives just a tiny bit when you press it, one that’s a day or two away from being perfectly ripe.
Ingredients for salmon with mango salsa
In addition to the mango and avocado, you will need:
- jalapeños
- green onions (or substitute a small yellow onion if you’d like)
- cilantro
- the juice of one lime
- salmon (Atlantic, coho, king—use whatever you like)
- olive oil
- salt
Roasting the salmon
You can use any variety of salmon that you like for this recipe—Atlantic, coho, king, etc. If you use frozen salmon, defrost it overnight in the refrigerator first.
To roast the salmon, spray a sheet pan with cooking spray, or line the pan with a silicone mat. This will prevent the salmon from sticking to the sheet pan.
The recipe calls for 1.5 pounds of salmon. You can either use a whole piece of salmon, or several individual portions.
Making the mango salsa
While the salmon is roasting in the oven, make the salsa!
First, peel and chop the mangos, then peel and chop the avocado.
For the jalapeños, you can keep all the seeds and membranes in for some heat, or you can take them out. You can use either a knife or a spoon to scrape them out—avoid using your hands as the oils will stay on them if you don’t wash them super well!
Place the mango, avocado, jalapeños, green onions, lime juice, olive oil, and salt in a large bowl. Toss very gently with a spatula to combine.
Make it ahead & storage
Since avocados can turn brown quickly, I don’t recommend making this dish ahead of time.
You can, however, chop the mango, jalapeño, green onions, and cilantro ahead of time. Combine them and place in a covered container in the refrigerator up to 1 day ahead of time.
When you’re ready to roast the salmon, dice the avocado and add the rest of the ingredients to the salsa.
Serving suggestions
Salmon with Mango Salsa is delicious on its own, or served on top of white or brown rice.
To keep with the tropical feel, you can even cook the rice in a can of coconut milk—it gets so creamy and has a faint coconut flavor that’s really delicious.
To do that, place two cups of long-grain white rice, one (15.5 ounce) can of full-fat or low-fat coconut milk, 2¼ cups of water, and ½ teaspoon salt in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce to a simmer. Cook for 20 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed. Let sit for 5 minutes off the heat, then fluff the rice with a fork.
For a veggie, grilled asparagus or garlic roasted broccoli complement the meal nicely.
Have you tried this recipe? Please leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating and/or comment below!
📖 Recipe
Salmon with Mango Salsa
Ingredients
- 1.5 lb salmon
- 2 ripe mangos
- 1 avocado (choose one that is mostly ripe)
- 1 jalapeño
- 2 green onions
- ¼ cup cilantro, chopped
- Juice of 1 lime
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Place the salmon on a sheet pan and season with salt and pepper.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 15–18 minutes, or until cooked through.
- Meanwhile, cut the mango and avocado into ½ inch pieces. Seed and finely dice the jalapeño. Slice the green onions thinly (you will use both the white, light green, and dark parts here).
- Place mango, avocado, jalapeño, and green onions in a bowl with the chopped cilantro, lime juice, olive oil, and a pinch of salt. Stir gently to combine. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper as desired.
- Place the salmon on a serving platter or on dinner plates, and top with the salsa. Serve immediately.
We love this recipe! It’s become a favorite and a regular in our meal rotation. And we always make sure to have pretzel squares on hand whenever we make it – it’s the perfect combo to snack on the salsa (even better than tortilla chips!). We’ll include the avocado if it’s on sale, but the salsa is just as fab without it!
Salmon and mango; a match made in heaven.
Couldn’t agree more!
Another wonderful post, Kate.
I love the layout and fresh, airy feeling of your blog.
And of course your food always looks delicious!!!
Thank you so much, Ellen! You can email me at kate@kateshungu.com. Would love to see that screenshot—thank you so much for your help! 🙂