This Asian Glazed Salmon with Pineapple Salsa is fresh, fruity, spicy and tastes of summer. On the table in under 20 minutes this is a dish big on flavour with just a few simple ingredients like my crispy Salmon with Mango Salsa.
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The salmon is pan fried to develop a crispy crust on the outside so that it becomes almost blackened, then the 3 ingredient glazed is heated until it reduces and thickens to a syrup.
The salmon is then coated with the sticky, sweet and spicy glaze before being placed on top of pearl cous cous and a colourful zesty pineapple salsa.
Recipe Highlights
- On the table in under 20 minutes and under 500 calories
- Its equal parts sweet, sticky, savoury and spicy
- Uses a quick and simple 3 ingredient glaze
- Pan Fry, Bake or Grill the salmon
- Very low in sugar and easy to make low carb
- This is a recipe for two, but super easy to scale up to 4 or 6 people
- Makes great leftovers for lunch the next day
Making dinners under 500 calories is my specialty, with many of my most popular being low calorie chicken recipes, low calorie meal prepping recipes and low calorie slow cooker recipes.
Ingredients
I love pineapple salsa and was surprised at how well it goes with salmon. The combination of sweet, salty, spicy, savoury along with the zest and juiciness of the pineapple made this easy weeknight dinner very memorable, especially if you like your dinners healthy, quick, with little mess and fresh ingredients.
Check out my crispy fish tacos with pineapple salsa that are perfect for Friday night dinners after a long week.
Ingredient Notes
- Salmon: Fresh or frozen salmon will work. If using frozen, make sure it is properly defrosted and pat any excess moisture off before cooking. My preference is for skinless salmon, but this recipe works equally as well with skin on, just make sure to remove all excess moisture and cook skin side down first.
- Cous Cous: I used pearl cous cous, also sometimes known as isralei cous cous. Alternatively you could substitute with white or brown rice, cooked, noodles, or Orzo pasta
- Pineapple: this recipe really needs fresh pineapple for the salsa as its one of the main ingredients. Make sure to remove all rough bits when cutting the pineapple.
- Chilli: This is optional but does make a difference, especially with the sweetness of the pineapple. Make sure to remove seeds before dicing the chili, and if unsure about it, just add a quarter or half of the chili into the salsa. Or leave out altogether if you're not a fan of heat as there will also be a little kick from the sweet chilli sauce.
- Red Onion: this adds savouriness and earthiness to the sweetness of the salsa
- Celery: adds a nice crunch and if you don't have it, cucumber will work, or even zucchini diced finely
- Red/Yellow Capsicum: also known as Red and Yellow Bell Peppers. Make sure they are dived finely. Using both helps with colour and vibrancy, but any combination of bell peppers/capcisums can be used.
- Soy Sauce: I use Light soy sauce, but Tamari can be substituted. I wouldn't recommend using dark soy sauce as this will be too strong in flavour.
- Sweet Chilli Sauce: I use "Ayam" Light Sweet Chilli Sauce which has just a fraction of the sugars that the regular sweet chilli sauce has. I usually find it in the Asian food aisle at the local Coles supermarket.
- Lime Juice: If you have fresh limes use those, otherwise, bottled lime juice works fine.
How To Make
- Make salsa: Mix ingredients for the pineapple salsa in a bowl, cover and set aside
- Cook Cous cous: Cook pearl cous cous as per packet instructions and set aside
- Cook Salmon: Heat a skillet on medium to high heat and place salmon portions flat side down and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Flip over and cook for 2 minutes other side. *optional to cook salmon on remaining two sides for 1 minute each for that all over crispiness. Once salmon is cooked to your liking, remove from skillet and set aside
- Heat/Thicken Glaze: Add the ingredients for the glaze to a small bowl and stir until combined. Heat the same skillet that the salmon was in on high, and add the glaze. Stir continuously with a spoon, whisk for around two minutes until it thickens a little, and then remove from heat
- Glaze Salmon: Place salmon into the skillet along with the glaze, and turn over to coat on all sides
Serving: Add cooked cous cous to base of bowl, add salmon on top. Drizzle remaining glaze over the salmon and cous cous. Spoon a generous helping of the pineapple salsa on top the salmon and cous cous.
Recipe Tips
- Pineapple: Make sure to cut all the rough bits off the pineapple before dicing as these are not nice
- Cooking the Salmon: Instead of cooking pan fried salmon, you can easily bake the salmon or cook it on the grill. Cook the 3 ingredient glaze on the stove to reduce it to a syrup consistency and then brush onto baked or grilled salmon
- Canned Pineapple: I haven't tried this recipe using canned pineapple because I really think its best to use fresh pineapple nothings beats that sweet juicy zestiness that you can only get from cutting into a fresh pineapple. Fresh pineapple also has a much better texture which is what you need in a salsa I think. Many canned pineapples tend to be on the softer side and lack texture.
As an alternative to the 3 ingredient glaze on the salmon, you could also use a teriyaki glaze and making your own healthy sugar free teriyaki sauce is very easy.
Why Pan Fry the Salmon?
Because it creates the best crispy crust blackened outside with tender pink flaky inside. Its packed with flavour and has so much great texture that compliments the silky velvet of the glaze, and the juiciness of the salsa.
Alternatives to Pearl Cous Cous
- Brown rice or white rice
- Quinoa
- Orzo Pasta, or Risoni pasta is the perfect size
- Precooked noodles soaked in hot water for a minute or two
- Low carb idea 1: fresh or frozen cauliflower rice, fried cauliflower rice, or zucchini noodles
- Low carb idea 2: swap the cous cous for canned chickpeas or lentils
- Low carb idea 3: swap the cous cous for a butter bean mash
Pineapple salsa salmon is super easy to make and on of the ways to ensure you end up with a fabulous salsa is to make sure that your pineapple is fresh and ripe so that when you cut into it its sweet and juicy.
The sweetness works especially well with the heat of a long red chilli incorporated into the salsa too!
Asian Glazed Salmon with Pineapple Salsa
Ingredients
- 2 portions Skinless Salmon fillets
- 1 ½ cups Pearl Cous Cous
Pineapple Salsa
- 1 cup Fresh pineapple, diced 2cm cubes
- ½ medium Red Onion, diced
- ½ cup Celery, diced
- 1 long Red Chilli, finely diced with seeds removed
- ¼ cup Red Capsicum/bell pepper
- ¼ cup Yellow Capsicum/bell pepper
Glaze
- ¼ cup Soy Sauce
- ¼ cup Light Sweet Chilli Sauce
- ¼ cup Lime Juice - fresh or bottled
Instructions
- Make salsa: Add 1 cup Fresh pineapple, diced 2cm cubes, ½ medium Red Onion, diced, ½ cup Celery, diced, 1 long Red Chilli, finely diced with seeds removed, ¼ cup Red Capsicum/bell pepper, and ¼ cup Yellow Capsicum/bell pepper to a large bowl, Mix together, cover and set aside
- Cook Cous cous: Cook 1 ½ cups Pearl Cous Cous as per packet instructions and set aside
- Cook Salmon: Heat a skillet on medium to high heat and place 2 portions Skinless Salmon fillets flat side down and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Flip over and cook for 2 minutes other side. *optional to cook salmon on remaining two sides for 1 minute each for that all over crispiness. Once salmon is cooked to your liking, remove from skillet and set aside
- Heat/Thicken Glaze: Add ¼ cup Light Sweet Chilli Sauce, ¼ cup Soy Sauce and ¼ cup Lime Juice to a small bowl and stir until combined. Heat the same skillet that the salmon was in on high, and pour in the glaze mixture. Stir continuously with a whisk until it thickens a little, and then remove from heat
- Glaze Salmon: Place salmon into the skillet along with the glaze, and turn over to coat on all sides
- Serving: Add cooked cous cous to base of bowl, add salmon on top. Drizzle remaining glaze over the salmon and cous cous. Spoon a generous helping of the pineapple salsa on top the salmon and cous cous.
Notes
- Salmon: Fresh or frozen salmon will work. If using frozen, make sure it is properly defrosted and pat any excess moisture off before cooking. My preference is for skinless salmon, but this recipe works equally as well with skin on, just make sure to remove all excess moisture and cook skin side down first.
- Cous Cous: I used pearl cous cous, also sometimes known as isralei cous cous. Alternatively you could substitute with white or brown rice, cooked, noodles, or Orzo pasta
- Pineapple: this recipe really needs fresh pineapple for the salsa as its one of the main ingredients. Make sure to remove all rough bits when cutting the pineapple.
- Chilli: This is optional but does make a difference, especially with the sweetness of the pineapple. Make sure to remove seeds before dicing the chili, and if unsure about it, just add a quarter or half of the chili into the salsa. Or leave out altogether if you're not a fan of heat as there will also be a little kick from the sweet chilli sauce.
- Red Onion: this adds savouriness and earthiness to the sweetness of the salsa
- Celery: adds a nice crunch and if you don't have it, cucumber will work, or even zucchini diced finely
- Red/Yellow Capsicum: also known as Red and Yellow Bell Peppers. Make sure they are dived finely. Using both helps with colour and vibrancy, but any combination of bell peppers/capcisums can be used.
- Soy Sauce: I use Light soy sauce, but Tamari can be substituted. I wouldn't recommend using dark soy sauce as this will be too strong in flavour.
- Sweet Chilli Sauce: I use "Ayam" Light Sweet Chilli Sauce which has just a fraction of the sugars that the regular sweet chilli sauce has. I usually find it in the Asian food aisle at the local Coles supermarket.
- Lime Juice: If you have fresh limes use those, otherwise, bottled lime juice works fine.
Nutrition
Note: Sugars contained in this recipe are from naturally occurring sugars in fruits, vegetables or other natural sweeteners. Calories have been calculated for your convenience using My Fitness Pal and are based on the ingredients listed in the recipe card.
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