With veggies, herbs, fruit, and peppers at their peak in the heat of the summer, it’s also peak time to enjoy your wild-caught seafood with salsa. Whether you’re grilling outdoors, assembling a plate of tacos, or cooking a simple fillet on your stovetop, a good salsa makes it easy to add a transformative layer of flavor to your dish.
Spicy, mild, herby, or fruity, here are perfect pairings of salsa for salmon, halibut, cod, and sablefish.
Salmon
An herb-based salsa verde like this one from Bon Appetit, kicked up with freshly-squeezed citrus juices, is a glorious condiment for a fillet of wild salmon. And don’t waste the zest — you can add those to your fillet if you’re slow-roasting in olive oil like this recipe. This salsa would also be a perfect pairing with salmon that has been grilled or roasted on a bed of sliced citrus.
For another fruity take on salsa that would work well with a grilled fillet of salmon, try Ellie Krieger’s recipe for mango salsa, which has a little spice from a jalapeno and a little cooling freshness from diced cucumbers. Make sure you pick a ripe mango out so that you’re able to integrate its juicy sweetness and softer texture into the salsa; a less ripe mango will be crunchy and tart, but it won’t combine as nicely with the other ingredients.
Kazuto Matsusaka uses heirloom tomatoes to make an Italian-esque salsa, infused with the flavors of balsamic, shallots, and chives. This salsa is a fresh accompaniment to an umami-rich panko-crusted fillet of salmon in his recipe (it’s made with Chinese fermented black beans), but the salsa would be equally delicious served as a side to a crispy-skinned fillet.
Halibut
A meaty fillet of halibut is brightened up with a classic Mexican-style salsa verde like this one from Food & Wine, made with raw tomatillos, cilantro, and jalapenos for a kick. All of the ingredients for this style of salsa verde can go straight into a blender or food processor until they’re nearly pureed all the way through. It’s great over grilled halibut tacos.
For an herbaceous salsa verde that’s more in the Mediterranean tradition of this condiment, try Jamie Oliver’s recipe, made with an assortment of fresh herbs chopped by hand -- parsley, mint, and basil, with not a small amount of garlic. The salsa gets its salt from several fillets of anchovies, a refreshing brininess from capers, and a zippy acidity from red wine vinegar and sweet gherkins. Serve this with a pan-seared fillet or grilled skewers.
Sweet, herbaceous, and substantial, this mango-avocado salsa from Gwyneth Paltrow fuses its tropical flavors with the ripe classics of a temperate summer, mixing in sweet tomatoes and fresh basil. Combined altogether, this salsa is hearty enough to be used in place of a side dish or salad to serve with your halibut fillet.
Cod
Since you’re bound to make cod tacos this summer, whether fried or grilled, what better salsa is there than a classic pico de gallo, made with ripe tomatoes? This recipe from Cookie and Kate, made with a hot green chili of your choice — either serrano or jalapeno will do — is something you’ll want to make lots of. Spoon it over your fish or enjoy it as a summery, spicy tomato salad.
For a salsa verde that’s been kissed with fire but mellow in spice, make this recipe from The Kitchn, which uses tomatillos that have been broiled ‘til their skins burst, alongside roasted garlic and jalapenos. If any juices leak out onto the baking sheet, make sure to save those to pour into the blender as well.
When you’re not in a taco mood, top a pan-seared fillet of cod with a roasted tomato salsa like this one from The Neelys. Roasted in a hot oven, the tomatoes and onions will char a bit while softening. Add in a whole head of roasted garlic (or a handful of loose cloves), and you’ve got a savory and sweet salsa to spoon over your fish.
Sablefish
The richness of sablefish has always been a delicious foil to sweet flavors — many recipes for sablefish involve a bit of sugar. When it comes to salsa, this means you’ll want to opt for something fruity. A roasted pineapple salsa, like this one from The Kitchn, is a deliciously caramelized condiment for sablefish fillets. This particular salsa is mild with just a pinch of cayenne, and has a pop of fresh mint.
Kiwis are the fruit behind Martha Stewart’s tangy, spicy salsa, made with white vinegar, a bit of agave, and scallions. She pairs it with a fillet of sablefish broiled beneath a schmear of green curry paste, which adds another layer of heat.
For spice-lovers, serve a little dash of this roasted habanero and citrus salsa from Serious Eats on a fillet of sablefish that you’ve glazed in something sweet and savory. Don’t be afraid to mix culinary traditions — we envision this one on a fillet that’s been glazed in a maple-soy concoction.
