Pineapple Salsa Salmon with Brown Sugar Glaze is the perfect meal! Tender, flakey salmon glazed with a combination of lime, soy sauce, and brown sugar pairs beautifully with a flavorful pineapple salsa. Serve the salmon fillets with fluffy coconut rice and you’ll feel like you’ve been transported to a tropical destination!

pineapple salsa salmon on a bed of white rice with limes and avocados

Pineapple Salsa Salmon might sound a bit odd. 

I get that. But it’s basically salmon glistening with a brown sugar glaze that we pair with homemade pineapple salsa.

You’ll find all your usual pineapple salsa ingredients here. A little lime juice, fresh punchy cilantro, a kick of jalapeno, and finely minced red onion with sweet red bell peppers. And though I like to cook the salmon in a skillet, you can also undoubted grill the salmon on a grill pan or an outdoor grill and dine alfresco.

It’s the perfect transition into spring or summer meal. I love serving it with sliced avocados. Each bite is a combination of fluffy coconut rice, sweet pineapple salsa with a kick, and tender flakey salmon.

salmon with pineapple salsa and avocado slices over rice

Ingredients for pineapple salsa salmon 

  • Salmon Filets: I like to portion the salmon filets and then cook them so that they cook evenly. Remove the salmon skin if you aren‘t a fan or leave it on, your call!
  • Seasonings: You’ll need kosher or sea salt, black pepper, and garlic powder. We’ll use all three of these to season the salmon.
  • Brown Sugar: Goes into the glaze for the salmon along with soy sauce and lime juice. It’s a simple glaze that gives the salmon so much flavor!
  • Soy Sauce: The soy sauce goes into the brown sugar glaze. Sometimes I also like to add a small teaspoon of freshly grated ginger. The ginger salmon tastes amazing with the pineapple salsa.
  • Fresh Pineapple: A ripe pineapple that’s freshly diced up works best here. You can use canned pineapple if you’re in a pinch but I would definitely recommend using fresh if it’s possible. The canned pineapple is typically packed in syrup which would make the salsa much, much sweeter.
  • Red Bell Pepper: Adds much needed crunch and color to the pineapple salsa. The sweetness of red bell peppers pairs well with the other salsa ingredients and makes it so colorful!
  • Red Onions: Add a punchy flavor to the salsa. 
  • Jalapenos: minced jalapeño brings a little bit of heat. It curbs the sweetness from the pineapple and works beautifully with the brown sugar glaze.
  • Lime Juice: Freshly squeezed lime is all you need to toss together the salsa! It’s one of my favorite ingredients to add to fruit salsas (like mango salsa) because it cuts through the sweetness a bit and balances things out!
  • Cilantro: Adds an earthy freshness to the salsa. Feel free to omit this if you aren’t a fan of cilantro!
fresh pineapple and diced up pineapple pieces
ingredients for pineapple salsa in bowl and tossed pineapple salsa in bowl

Pineapple Salsa Salmon Recipe

  1. Make the salsa. In a bowl, toss together the diced up pineapple, red bell peppers, red onions, and jalapenos. Toss with the juice of half of a lime and add the cilantro. Toss to combine and adjust with more lime as needed. Cover the salsa and refrigerate it until you’re ready to serve this with the dish.
  2. Season the salmon. Remove the salmon from the refrigerator at least 30 minutes prior to grilling salmon, cooking or baking it. Cut the salmon into 4 equal pieces. Then season with kosher salt, black pepper, and garlic powder. Heat a skillet over medium high heat with olive oil. In a small bowl add the brown sugar, soy sauce, and lime juice.
  3. Cook the salmon. When the oil is hot, add the salmon skin side up and cook for a few minutes until golden. You can also broil the salmon in the oven, but I find crisping or pan-frying gives the salmon a better taste in this recipe. Flip the salmon over when it’s half done and continue cooking it skin side down. Pour the sauce in the skillet and let it thicken. Then with a spoon, pour the sauce over the protein. If you plan on serving this a little later, loosely tent the salmon with aluminum foil. 
  4. Serve this up. Spoon the rice into bowls. I like to use coconut rice as it works beautifully with the other flavors in the dish. Add the salmon filets to each bowl and top with sliced avocados and pineapple salad.
salmon filets on cutting board and cooked salmon in skillet

FAQs about this recipe

Is this recipe gluten free?

 As written this recipe can be made gluten free with just one swap – just swap the soy sauce for gluten free Tamari.

Can you make the pineapple salsa in advance?

Yes, you can make the pineapple up to 8 hours in advance. It’ll still be fresh. Leftovers can be kept in an air tight container and used within 3 days. I find the salsa starts to loose it’s vibrance and texture because of the lime juice so it’s best served within 8 hours for guests!

If you like this recipe you might also like:

pineapple salsa salmon in bowl with lime wedges and avocado slices
Yield: serves 4-5

Pineapple Salsa Salmon with Brown Sugar Glaze

Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes

Pineapple Salsa Salmon with Brown Sugar Glaze is the perfect meal! Tender, flakey salmon glazed with a combination of lime, soy sauce, and brown sugar pairs beautifully with a flavorful pineapple salsa. Serve the salmon fillets with fluffy coconut rice and you'll feel like you've been transported to a tropical destination!

Pineapple Salsa Salmon with Brown Sugar Glaze

Ingredients

Salmon:

  • 1¼ - 1½ pound salmon filets, (4-5 pieces)
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt (+ more)
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 tablespoon avocado oil (or olive)
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon EACH: soy sauce AND lime juice
  • Sliced avocados, for serving
  • Prepared coconut rice, for serving

Pineapple Salsa:

  • 1 ½ cups fresh pineapple, diced
  • ½ red bell pepper, minced
  • 2 tablespoons red onions
  • ½ jalapeño, minced
  • Juice of ½ lime (+ more to taste)
  • 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

Instructions

    1. SALSA: In a bowl, toss together the diced pineapple, red bell peppers, red onions, jalapeños. Top with the juice of half of a lime, add the cilantro and a 1/4 teaspoon of kosher salt and stir to combine. Taste and adjust with more lime juice or salt as desired. Cover and refrigerate while you prepare the salmon.
    2. SEASON: Remove the salmon from the fridge 30 minute before pan-frying. Season the salmon fillets with kosher salt, black pepper, and garlic powder. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. In a bowl, combine the brown sugar, soy sauce and lime juice.
    3. SALMON: Add the oil and let it heat through. Cook the salmon skin side up until golden; about 3 minutes. Flip and continue to cook for another 1-3 minutes or until the salmon is cooked to your liking. Then pour in the prepared sauce – just pour it between the salmon filets. Let thicken 20-30 seconds. Take the pan off the heat and flip the salmon over. Spoon the sauce over the salmon pieces.
    4. SERVE: Spoon the rice into bowls, top with the salmon filets and serve with lots of pineapple salsa, sliced avocados and lime wedges!

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

5

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 449Total Fat: 26gCarbohydrates: 24gFiber: 4gProtein: 32g

The nutrition information is provided as a courtesy and is just an estimate. To get the most accurate information, please input the ingredients you've used into a nutrition calculator.

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