Simple baked salmon dinner recipe that is ready in 20 minutes? Sign me up! Our roasted salmon with pineapple salsa recipe is refreshing and perfect for busy weeknights. It is healthy and perfectly spicy. Or you can serve it with this cooling pineapple relish recipe instead to keep it sweet and mild.

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Pineapple has a lovely acidity that makes it a perfect pairing with savory flavors. Just like with our pineapple chicken kabobs, this salmon recipe can be grilled in the summer and oven roasted in the winter.
Serve with garlicky green beans, lemon orzo pasta salad, or roasted rainbow carrots for an easy weeknight meal.
📖Why This Recipe Works
Quick and easy dinners that are refreshing and healthy can be hard to find. While the salmon is baking we have more than enough time to prepare pineapple salsa and side dishes.
Pineapple has two seasons- all winter and mid to late summer. We love that we can get ripe pineapple pretty much year-round. Pineapple salsa is usually made with bell pepper but we use cucumber for more crunch and a refreshing spin.
This recipe can be made with fresh or frozen salmon making it affordable all year round.
🧾Ingredient Notes
Salmon is the star of this show. You can use salmon steak for this recipe but I typically use skin-on salmon. But if salmon isn't available we like this recipe with mahi-mahi, tilapia, or seared tuna.
I highly recommend a brief brine for salmon before cooking. A brine is a salt bath that will reduce the albumin, a protein that seeps out of the fish during cooking. It is harmless but unattractive. This step adds 10 minutes to the recipe prep.
For the pineapple salsa you will need:
- Fresh Pineapple
- Cucumber- preferably seedless, otherwise remove the seeds before chopping.
- Red Onion
- Garlic
- Jalapeno
- Cilantro
- Lime Juice- I do fresh lime juice but you can always substitute bottled.
⏲️How to Make Salmon with Pineapple Salsa
Start by preheating your oven. We cook this salmon hot, at 425 F degrees. While your oven is preheating prep the salmon and chop the vegetables for the salsa.
Step 1- Prep Salmon
This is not a crispy salmon skin recipe for feel free to line your baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment for easy clean-up.
Place the salmon fillets on your rimmed pan. Drizzle olive oil over the salmon, I typically use 1 to 2 tablespoons. Then lightly sprinkle with salt and black pepper.
Step 2- Bake Salmon
Bake the salmon on a center rack until flakey. Salmon can be served anywhere from medium-rare (my preference) to well done. Salmon cooks quickly but typically 8 minutes is medium doneness, about 125-135 F degrees for the internal temperature.
Step 3- Make Salsa and Serve
While the salmon is cooking combine the salsa ingredients in a bowl and season to taste. In addition to adding more or less jalapeno, you can also add a drizzle of olive oil.
How to Grill Salmon
If you prefer to grill your salmon, no problem. Preheat your grill to 400 F degrees, which is medium-high heat.
Place the salmon fillets skin side UP. Cook with the lid closed for 6 minutes. Flip and cook for another 6 to 8 minutes until you reach your desired doneness.
🥗What to Serve with Salmon
Salmon is best served with quick side dish recipes because the salmon itself is so quick to cook. Our parmesan roasted zucchini and squash and cherry tomato salad are great in the summer. And in the winter I recommend sauteed greens and our quick stovetop creamed corn.
You can check out all our favorite side dish recipes for more ideas!
👩🏻🍳 Expert Tips
- Let the cooked salmon rest for 5 minutes to seal in the juices.
- If the red onion has a sharp smell, soak the chopped onion in cold water for 10 minutes and drain them before adding it to the salsa recipe.
- Find the pineapple too acidic? Drizzle with olive oil, the fat will help balance the juices.
- For a spicier variation try this roast salmon recipe with our mango habanero salsa.
🌡️Storage
For leftovers, I recommend flaking the salmon off the skin and mixing it with the pineapple salsa. Store in an airtight container
More Quick and Easy Dinner Recipes
💬Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can pan-sear the salmon. This will also gives you crispy skin on the salmon.
In this recipe, I recommend you substitute a 50/50 mix of fresh mint and parsley.
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📖 Recipe
Salmon with Pineapple Salsa
Ingredients
Roasted Salmon
- 4 4 oz salmon fillets
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- kosher salt and pepper
Pineapple, Cucumber and Mint Relish
- 1 ½ cups fresh pineapple, diced diced
- 1 cup seedless cucumber diced
- ½ cup red onion diced
- ¼ tablespoon fresh cilantro finely chopped
- 1 clvoe garlic minced
- ½ jalapeno veins and seeds removed, finely diced
- ½ lime juiced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- kosher salt
Instructions
Roasted Salmon
- Preheat the oven to 425 F degrees. If brining, remove salmon from the brine. Rinse and pat dry. Place salmon on a rimmed baking sheet. Brush with oil and season with salt and pepper.4 4 oz salmon fillets, 1 tablespoon olive oil, kosher salt and pepper
- Bake until flakey. Medium-rare is 6 to 8 and for well done 10-12 minutes.
- Place salmon fillets on a platter. Spoon a ¼ cup of salsa over each fillet. Serve the remaining salsa on the side.
Pineapple Salsa
- Combine all the chopped ingredients in a bowl. Gently toss to combine. Salt to taste.1 ½ cups fresh pineapple, diced, 1 cup seedless cucumber, ½ cup red onion, ¼ tablespoon fresh cilantro, 1 clvoe garlic, ½ jalapeno, ½ lime, 1 tablespoon olive oil, kosher salt
Video
Notes
- I recommend quickly soaking your salmon in brine to prevent the white protein from oozing out during cooking.
- See post for grilling instructions.
- For a spicier salsa add additional jalapeno.
Molly Kumar says
Such a delicious and easy recipe. Love the pairing of roasted salmon with juicy pineapple. Gotta try soon.
Leslie says
This dish looks like a wonderful, fresh summer recipe! Beautiful photos as well!
Ramona says
I love how refreshing that pineapple and cucumber salsa looks and sounds, something I never ever thought of combining with salmon but will definitely want to make this now. It looks really good and I am sure I will love that combo. I love it already. Thank you for sharing 😉