Grilled Mango Salsa Salmon

5 from 4 votes

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Make Mango Salsa Salmon on the grill with this healthy fish recipe. With mango avocado salsa on top, it’s a delicious, easy and healthy summer meal!

close up image of mango salsa on piece of cooked salmon


I love grilling fish, especially in the summer months, when it’s just too hot to cook inside. Not only is fish a healthy protein, it cooks up very quickly on a grill. Unless the filets are really thick, most types of fish take less than 10 minutes to cook!

Out of all of the fresh fish options available here on the west coast, wild-caught salmon is my absolute favorite. I use it to grill salmon in foil, and it’s delicious with tropical fruit, hence my recipes for grilled pineapple salmon and this mango salmon.

Mango Salsa Salmon

If you aren’t a fan of salmon, I have plenty of other options for you. Lemon rosemary grilled swordfish is another light and healthy fish recipe, or make grilled fish tacos instead. The mango avocado salsa is fantastic on the tacos, too!

For those who don’t eat any meat or seafood, both grilled cauliflower steaks and grilled nopales cactus salad are great meatless main dishes. By the way, both of those are also great side dishes with mango salsa salmon.

Because the salmon is marinated for this recipe, the fresh fruit salsa adds a lot of moisture and flavor to the fish.

The tangy, tropical flavor of mango is a favorite of mine. If you enjoy mango but aren’t a fan of avocado, you could serve mango pico de gallo over the fish instead,

close up photo: raw salmon filet seasoned with salt and black pepper

Choosing the Best Salmon for Grilling

The type of salmon you use will likely depend on what’s available in your area. Fresh, wild caught salmon is always the best option, but if you don’t have access to good quality fresh fish, you may want to use frozen wild salmon instead.

Between May and September, be on the lookout for Copper River salmon. Fish caught in those waters are some of the most delicious you will ever eat!

Copper River varieties include:

overhead image: 4 raw salmon filets, avocados cut in half, diced red onion and bowl of fresh mango cubes for grilled salmon recipe

Mango Avocado Salsa Ingredients + Substitutions

  • Red onion– Using red onion gives the salsa a nice bite, while not overpowering the fresh mango.
  • Fresh mango – If you aren’t able to find fresh mango, frozen will work. Be sure to thaw it first, then pat it dry with paper towels to absorb some of the excess moisture.
  • Avocado– Keep in mind that avocado ripens very quickly. To prevent it from over ripening, try to use the fruit the day that you buy it. If you’re not able to do that, store it in a cool, dry place (not your refrigerator!)
  • Chile pepper – I use serrano peppers, which are about five times spicier than jalapenos. For less spicy heat, use a jalapeno, poblano, or anaheim chili pepper.
  • Fresh lime juice – Avoid using concentrated lime juice; the flavor pales in comparison to fresh lime juice
  • Cilantro – If you are one of the 4-14 percent of the population who think cilantro tastes like soap, feel free to leave it out, or use finely chopped Italian parsley instead.
  • olive oil, kosher salt and black pepper

How to BBQ Salmon on the Grill (outdoors or indoors)

If you don’t own a grill, that’s okay, too! You can bbq salmon on the grill indoors, using a grill pan.

  1. Clean the grill and preheat it to 450°F. If you’re using a grill pan, preheat it over medium-high heat.
  2. Coat the salmon filets on both sides with olive oil or olive oil cooking spray.
  3. Season filets with kosher salt and pepper

NOTE: Even if you don’t plan to eat it, keep the skin on salmon while it’s grilling. It makes it easier to slide a fish spatula underneath the filets, and it also helps prevent the fish from falling apart and down through the grill grates.

healthy grilled salmon filets on platter next to bowl of fruit salsa

Notes and Tips for Grilling Mango Salsa Salmon

  1. Bring the fish to room temperature.

Like beef sirloin or bavette steak, salmon steak is tastier when it’s moist inside. Creating a sear on the outside of the fish is what traps the moisture inside, and it’s nearly impossible to sear salmon when it’s cold. Let it come to room temperature before you grill it.

  1. Cook salmon skin side down first.

Once it’s placed on the grill, leave the fish alone. If you flip the filet before a crust forms, the skin will tear. Wait for the fish to loosen itself from the grill and then gently flip it over. It’s much easier to do this with a large fish spatula.

flaky fish topped with pieces of avocado, mango and pickled red onion

So, there you have it. Mango Salsa Salmon is another healthy fish recipe that’s quick and easy to make on the grill.

This post was originally published on May 13, 2019. Additional content was added for republishing on July 6, 2021.

close up image of mango salsa on piece of cooked salmon

Mango Salsa Salmon on the Grill

5 from 4 votes
Make Mango Salsa Salmon on the grill with this healthy fish recipe. With mango avocado salsa on top, it’s a delicious, easy and healthy summer meal!
Servings: 4
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 6 minutes
Total: 16 minutes

Ingredients 

Mango Avocado Salsa

Instructions 

  • Preheat BBQ grill to 450°F. or preheat grill pan on stove over medium-high heat.
  • In a bowl, whisk together the oil, lime juice, salt and pepper. Add the diced avocado, mangoes, onion, serrano chili and cilantro. Toss to coat and set aside.
  • Rub olive oil or cooking spray on both sides of salmon filets and sprinkle with kosher salt and black pepper.
  • Place salmon skin side down first and grill 3 minutes, then flip fish over and cook for another 3 minutes. Salmon should look opaque and flake easily when pulled with tines of a fork. Remove from grill and let fish rest a minute or two before serving.
  • Serve grilled salmon topped with mango avocado salsa and lime slices (optional).

Nutrition

Calories: 512kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 37g | Fat: 33g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 94mg | Sodium: 85mg | Potassium: 1474mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 896IU | Vitamin C: 41mg | Calcium: 54mg | Iron: 2mg

The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

Course: Dinners
Cuisine: Melting Pot
Have You Made This Recipe? Let Me Know on InstagramTag @keviniscooking or tag me #keviniscooking!
titled image for Pinterest (and shown): mango salsa salmon on the grill

Kevin

Whether in the kitchen or on the grill, you’ll find me cooking American favorites with a love for BBQ, Mexican and Tex Mex. I’m passionate about making tasty food because life’s too short to be bland!

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14 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Recipes that look fresh like this one are my favorite. Salmon is one of my favorite proteins and mango is a great fruit, so I’m sure these pair very well together. Looking forward to having some delicious salmon.

  2. 5 stars
    What a mouthwatering way to enjoy salmon! That salsa looks SO good. Love that you can grill the salmon outside or inside on a grill pan!

    1. Those grill pans are great when the weather doesn’t match your need to grill! Thanks Marissa. 🙂

  3. 5 stars
    Loving that avocado salsa Kevin! I’d want to put it on everything.

  4. Hey Kevin! This salmon looks delicious! And topped with that fresh and summery salsa is perfect!

  5. 5 stars
    Such a beautiful and tasty dish, Kevin! Love the pairing – so summery! Time to fire up the grill!

    1. Yes, fire up that grill. I have loads of grilling recipes as you know to choose from Dawn! 🙂