Baked Salmon Mango Salsa (Printable)
Tender salmon fillets baked with a vibrant mango salsa topper for a light, flavorful meal.
# What You Need:
→ Salmon
01 - 4 salmon fillets (6 oz each), skin-on or skinless
02 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
03 - 1 teaspoon garlic powder
04 - 1 teaspoon paprika
05 - ½ teaspoon salt
06 - ½ teaspoon black pepper
07 - 1 lemon, sliced
→ Mango Salsa
08 - 1 large ripe mango, peeled and diced
09 - ½ red bell pepper, diced
10 - ¼ cup red onion, finely chopped
11 - ¼ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
12 - 1 small jalapeño, seeds removed and finely chopped (optional)
13 - Juice of 1 lime
14 - ¼ teaspoon salt
# Directions:
01 - Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
02 - Place salmon fillets on the baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, then rub evenly with garlic powder, paprika, salt, and black pepper. Place a lemon slice atop each fillet.
03 - Bake the salmon for 12 to 15 minutes, until the flesh turns opaque and flakes easily with a fork.
04 - While salmon bakes, combine mango, red bell pepper, red onion, cilantro, jalapeño if using, lime juice, and salt in a medium bowl. Mix gently and set aside.
05 - Remove salmon from the oven and let rest for 2 minutes.
06 - Spoon the mango salsa generously over each salmon fillet before serving.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- The salmon cooks in under 15 minutes, so weeknight dinner suddenly feels fancy instead of stressful.
- Mango salsa brings this bright, unexpected pop that makes people ask for the recipe before they finish eating.
- Everything is naturally gluten-free and dairy-free, which means it works for almost any table.
02 -
- Overcooked salmon is dry salmon—pull it out the moment the flesh looks opaque because carryover cooking keeps going for a minute after it leaves the oven.
- Make the salsa close to serving time or the mango will release too much liquid and everything gets soggy. If you're meal-prepping, keep the components separate and combine them at the last second.
03 -
- Let your salmon come to room temperature for 5 minutes before baking—it cooks more evenly this way and won't dry out at the edges while the center finishes.
- If your mango feels rock-hard, place it in a paper bag with a banana overnight to speed up ripening. A ripe mango should smell fragrant at the stem and yield slightly to gentle pressure.