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Home » Fish » Salmon with Pineapple Bacon Salsa

Salmon with Pineapple Bacon Salsa

08/10/2020 By Laura 22 Comments

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Pineapple. Bacon. Salsa. Not sure what could be better. Oh, I know! Let’s put it on a lovely broiled Salmon! OMG Good!

Fillet of salmon topped with pineapple bacon salsa on plate with green salad. In the background a glass of rose and bowl with more salsa-covered salmon

Growing up in a big family in the Midwest, to us, salmon came in a can. We thought of it as much like tuna (also only in a can), but pink. Our Mom never cooked it. Not once. On top of that sad state of affairs, the word from Mom was that Dad did not like fish. To be fair, he grew up in Kansas, so fresh fish was usually not on the menu.

So, on that rare occasion we could eat fish sticks or our beloved canned tuna, we rejoiced! We were completely and blissfully ignorant that real (fresh) salmon was truly one of the most beautiful, tasty (and healthy!) foods on earth. And, for proof that even Dad had, by that time, overcome his anti-fish sentiments, see this recipe he requested for a special birthday.

Now that I live in the Pacific Northwest, I love to try new ways to cook salmon. When it is in season, it’s nothing short of spectacular! We cannot get enough! We like to grill it or roast in the oven, but, most recently I’ve been broiling on the low-broil setting in my oven and it has been awesome, as it gets a bit crispy on top while maintaining its juicy tenderness! This method has been perfect for cooking it Medium to Medium-Rare, the sweet spot for this lovely fish.

Shows bowl of Pineapple Bacon relish surrounded by parsley leaves

This Salmon with Pineapple Bacon Salsa recipe was inspired by a meal I had at a fantastic restaurant in town called Salare. One of the things we ordered was an appetizer of fried okra which was accompanied by a relish of tangy-sweet, juicy pineapple and salty, smoky bacon. What a total flavor BOMB that was! It inspired me to prepare this salsa with fresh pineapple and bacon. Placed atop salmon (or anything else for that matter), it is divine! It even rated a “This is good!” from the family. I don’t know about you, but my table, that’s high praise, for sure.

Pineapple Bacon Relish for salmon or chicken
Salmon with Pineapple Bacon Salsa

This dish is super-easy to prepare, too! The salsa is just chopped pineapple, bacon, sweet and spicy peppers, onion and parsley. Squeeze a little lime juice and refrigerate to let the flavors improve as time goes by. For the salmon, just 5 minutes in the broiler (or maybe 7 to bake), then top with the salsa and broil a minute or 2 more and dinner is served!  Enjoy!

If you’re looking for other seafood recipes, don’t miss these favorites:

Quick Swordfish with Oregano Caper Sauce 

Grilled Vegetable Nicoise with Salmon

Shrimp Burgers

North Carolina Fish Stew

Za’atar Orange Salmon

Pineapple Bacon Salsa on Salmon

Salmon with Pineapple Bacon Salsa Recipe Details ->

This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Affiliate, I may earn a small commission, at no cost to you, for purchases you may make of items linked from this site.

This is a recipe I’ve been making for years. I had posted it a few years ago, when my blog was just a baby, but it didn’t get a lot of views. It’s so delicious, I decided I’d post it again. I changed the recipe only slightly, and took new pics. Here is my favorite of the old pics – what do you think?

Salmon with pineapple and bacon salsa featured

This recipe is super-easy. The most important thing is you have a nice chef’s knife, because there’s a lot of chopping necessary. I know, it’s an investment, but for me, I’d rather not have to replace it anytime soon, so I’d spring for the good one. 

Anyway, first you’ll want to cook your bacon. I like this recipe with thick-cut bacon, just for all that smoky flavor. I like to cook it in the oven because it always ends up (relatively) flat, perfectly crispy, and really low mess. I just line it up atop a baking/cooling rack, which I’ve set into a foil-lined sheet pan. (This one is my favorite!) When cooked at 400F, thick-cut bacon cooks to crispy in about 15 minutes and thin cut in about 12-13 minutes.

While it cooks, chop up the pineapple, peppers and onions, all into small pieces. You want each to be of uniform size, and the smaller, the better. I cut mine aiming for about 1/4″ cubes, with the bacon in tiny strips, about 1/4″ wide.

When you’re choosing a green pepper, if you want to add a lot of spice, you’ll likely want a Serrano or jalapeno. And, you may want to limit what you add to 1 Tbsp. However, if you don’t want so much spice, choose a larger pepper like Anaheim or Poblano. I used Poblano, and added about 4 Tbsp, or 1/4 cup.

For the herb addition, if you don’t like, or don’t have parsley, feel free to use Cilantro. 

And, for the acidic note, I used lime juice, which I really like with the pineapple and the bacon. But you could use a vinegar. I’ve used Apple Cider Vinegar, but rice vinegar or white balsamic would be good as well.

And, if you can, make the salsa early in the day. The flavor that develops as it all melds together is awesome! 

  • Shows sheet pan of bacon strips laid out over a grate to bake
    Line up bacon over grate set atop sheet pan
  • Shows bacon cooked crispy over a grate set on sheet pan
    16 minutes to crisp Thick Bacon
  • Shows strips of bacon cut into tiny slices
    Cut into tiny slices
  • Shows Bowl of ingredients for Bacon-Pineapple salsa, chopped pineapple, sweet red pepper, spicy green pepper and parsley
    Mix with fresh fruits, veg, herbs

PIN Pineapple-Bacon Relish Recipe for later ->

  • Pinterest Image Salmon with Pineapple Bacon Relish
  • Pinterest Image Pineapple bacon Salsa and salmon
  • Pinterest Image
Print

Salmon with Pineapple-Bacon Salsa

Salmon with Pineapple Bacon Salsa
Print Recipe

★★★★★

5 from 6 reviews

An enticing salsa made from fresh pineapple, red pepper, green onions and crispy bacon complements any meats. I use it here with fresh roasted salmon fillets, but it’s also wonderful with boneless, skinless chicken breasts or oven-fried chicken!

Easy to make and keeps about 5-7 days in the fridge!

  • Author: Laura
  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 8 minutes
  • Total Time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: 4 Servings 1x
  • Category: Seafood
  • Method: Oven
  • Cuisine: Global

Ingredients

Scale

For the Salmon

  • 1–1.25 lb. Salmon, about 1-inch thick at thickest point, cut into 3–4 fillets
  • 1 Tbsp Sugar
  • 1 tsp Salt
  • 1/2 Tsp Freshly Ground Pepper

For the Salsa:

  • 4 strips thick bacon, crisped (See Note 1)
  • 1 c fresh pineapple, cut into 1/4” cubes
  • 1/2 Red Bell Pepper, medium, cut into 1/4” bits
  • 2 Green (Spring) Onions, sliced thin
  • 2–4 Tbsp Spicy Green pepper (Jalapeño, Anaheim, Poblano – See Note 2), Cut into 1/4″ bits
  • 1/4 c Chopped Parsley
  • 1 Large Pinch Sea Salt
  • Juice of 1/2 lime, or more, to taste

Instructions

Prepare the Salsa:

  1. Cut the bacon into short, thin slices, about 1/4″ wide.
  2. Place the chopped pineapple, red and green peppers, onion, and parsley in a Medium Bowl. Sprinkle with salt, and add the chopped bacon. Squeeze with half a lime. Stir, cover and refrigerate. It’s preferable to make this in advance of the salmon, as the flavor improves as the ingredients meld together.

Prepare the Salmon:

  1. In a small bowl or ramekin, mix together the sugar, salt and pepper. Sprinkle over the salmon fillets.
  2. Set oven to 400F, or if you have a low broil setting (about 400F), feel free to use that. Roast or broil 6 minutes, about 6-7 inches below broiler element. Add the salsa to the top of the fillets. Return to oven and roast or broil another minute or two. Salmon should be only slightly translucent to barely opaque in middle when done.
  3. Serve with more salsa on the side.

Notes

1. You can pan-fry the bacon, but my preferred method is to bake at 400F, with the strips on a grate, set over a foil-covered sheet pan. 15-17 minutes for thick-cut, or 12-15 mins for thin-cut. 

2. I used a Poblano pepper, which is only mild-to-medium spicy. I would add 1/4 cup of this pepper, as opposed to maybe 1-2 Tbsp of Jalapeño, which tends to be medium-to-hot.

Keywords: Salmon, Pineapple Bacon Salsa, Relish

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Filed Under: Easy, Fish, Gluten free, Main Dish, Recipe, Sauce, Seafood, Sheet Pan, Summer Tagged With: relish, salmon

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Kemang88 says

    11/22/2022 at 3:46 pm

    I like your article its very good
    please support me too
    Deposit Pulsa

    Reply
  2. Kelly @ Kelly Lynn’s Sweets and Treats says

    08/16/2020 at 10:22 am

    This sounds so yummy!! I don’t think I would have ever thought of marrying those flavors together in the salsa. But now I need to try it out!

    Reply
    • Laura says

      08/17/2020 at 2:15 pm

      Thanks so much, Kelly! I hope you get the chance to try this – it goes well with so many other foods!

      Reply
  3. Mary Ann | The Beach House Kitchen says

    08/15/2020 at 7:41 am

    That pineapple bacon salsa sounds delicious Laura! I think I use it for so many dishes! Can’t wait to give your recipe a try!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Laura says

      08/17/2020 at 2:14 pm

      thanks so much, Mary Ann! I hope you get the chance!

      Reply
  4. Balvinder says

    08/15/2020 at 7:38 am

    I wanted to type, I have never tried bacon in salsa but it sure sounds delicious.

    Reply
    • Laura says

      08/17/2020 at 2:13 pm

      Thanks so much, Balvinder! Yes bacon adds some savory, sweet and smoky flavors which are always welcome, and surprisingly the crispy/chewy textures are also welcome here.!

      Reply
  5. Balvinder says

    08/15/2020 at 7:37 am

    I have tried bacon in salsa but it sure sounds delicious!.

    Reply
  6. Hasin says

    08/15/2020 at 4:23 am

    A little bit of everything sweet, savoury and tangy. All great flavours Laura. The clicks are so very fabulous. Have always loved playing around with different flavours to please the salmon and as someone who has grown up on spices and curries, I love these combo. Perfect.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Laura says

      08/17/2020 at 2:12 pm

      Thanks, Hasin! I do love something that has several different flavor notes! I imagine with curries, you are the expert – one of my favorites, for sure!

      Reply
  7. 2pots2cook says

    08/14/2020 at 1:19 am

    Fantastic one; since it is very hot over here, I am thinking of grilling the fish too 🙂

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Laura says

      08/17/2020 at 2:10 pm

      Davorka, Grilling fish is always fantastic! It’s been a bit hot here, too! So cooking outdoors has been the way to go! Thanks for visiting!

      Reply
  8. Rahul says

    08/11/2020 at 5:30 pm

    This sounds really delicious Laura Yum! I loved the sound of pineapple bacon salsa! A little sweet with the spicy….perfect combo

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Laura says

      08/17/2020 at 2:09 pm

      thanks so much, Rahul! It indeed is a good blend of flavors! I love something that has all the notes: sweet/spicy/savory/smoky/umami! Thanks for visiting!

      Reply
  9. Kelly | Foodtasia says

    08/11/2020 at 10:57 am

    Wow, talk about a flavor bomb! This looks just wonderful!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Laura says

      08/17/2020 at 1:55 pm

      Thanks so much, Kelly! I love a good, versatile salsa!

      Reply
  10. David @ Spiced says

    08/11/2020 at 5:09 am

    I’m a huge fan of sweet and savory together when it comes to salmon…so of course, I am all in on the pineapple + bacon combo here. What a fun topping! I’m thinking I need to try a grilled version of this one…ooo, and I could grill the pineapple, too!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Laura says

      08/11/2020 at 10:24 am

      Thanks so much, David! I love your idea of grilling the pineapple too! I only broiled it a minute or two but full-on grilling? Sounds amazing!

      Reply
  11. Anonymous says

    04/21/2016 at 6:42 am

    Yummy! This sounds great! I am planning on trying it for Sunday dinner this weekend. I will report back.

    Reply
    • Laura says

      04/21/2016 at 9:53 am

      Thanks! Can’t wait to hear how you like it!

      Reply
  12. Kim says

    04/19/2016 at 9:10 am

    Wow!!! Three of my favorite things- salmon, pineapple and bacon! This looks incredible. I can’t wait to try it!!!

    Reply
    • Laura says

      04/19/2016 at 9:32 am

      Thanks, Kim! Hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

      Reply

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