Asian Glazed Salmon with Pasta and Mango Peach Salsa is an impressive weeknight dinner that is super easy to make! The sticky sweet and savory sauce is glazed over the salmon (baked or pan-seared) and paired with zesty and flavorful fruit salsa!
Quick and easy weeknight dinner
This is a super fast recipe that is ridiculously easy to make. You would never guess that because it makes such a beautiful presentation and looks like a dish from a fine dining restaurant. Asian-glazed salmon with mango peach salsa is one of my go-to recipes when I want to make an impressive meal for my family and friends, yet don't want to spend hours in the kitchen. It's a perfect dinner for entertaining guests or having company over. The leftovers keep well in the refrigerator for a couple of days. It makes a great lunch, too. In a summary, this simple recipe is pure comfort food made with good ingredients!
Asian-glazed salmon
The sweet and spicy glaze requires only 5 ingredients: soy sauce (or tamari), fish sauce, rice vinegar, fig spread (for thickening the glaze), and red pepper flakes! It's got a perfect sticky texture that coats the salmon and does not get watery. What is my secret ingredient for making the perfect Asian glaze? The fig spread and red pepper flakes! Why? Because who has the time to make homemade sweet chili sauce? I use fig spread and red pepper flakes as my shortcut ingredients that create a perfect Asian glaze with the most amazing sticky texture and sweet and spicy flavor combo.
Well-balanced meal
This is truly one of the best recipes I've ever made! It has everything: protein (salmon), fruits and veggies (mango peach salsa with bell peppers), and carbs (pasta). You don't have to think too much about what to serve with this meal, or how to make it complete. It is already a complete meal that you can make at home on a busy weeknight or serve for special occasions when you have company over.
Mango peach salsa
This fruit salsa takes only 10 minutes to make! It's colorful, sweet, and spicy all at the same time! You only need 6 ingredients: mangos (peeled and cored), peaches, bell pepper, fresh cilantro, freshly squeezed lime juice, and chili powder. Mix the diced fruit, veggies, and herbs together, and season with lime juice, chili powder, salt, and pepper. That's it!
Asian glaze ingredients
The Asian glaze is made with only 5 ingredients: fish sauce, low-sodium soy sauce (or tamari sauce), rice vinegar, fig spread, and red pepper flakes. For fish sauce, I prefer to use anchovy-based sauce. I used fig spread by Divina brand (sold in most grocery stores these days). I recommend using Chili fig spread by Divina brand - it already has red pepper flakes, and is perfectly spicy for this recipe. Just mix all the ingredients for the Asian glaze together - which should take you only 5 minutes! So easy!
How to cook salmon
To keep things simple, cook the salmon on the stovetop or in the oven. Here is a quick overview of these 2 methods:
Option 1. How to pan-sear the salmon - cook it on the stovetop
Heat a large high-sided cast-iron skillet (10-inch diameter) over medium heat on the stovetop for 2 minutes to heat through. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add seasoned salmon fillets skin side up and cook, undisturbed, for about 5 or 7 minutes. Flip the salmon over to the other side, and cook for several minutes more until it's cooked through.
Option 2. How to bake the salmon - bake it in the oven
Bake the seasoned salmon in a baking dish in a preheated oven at 375 F for around 10 or 15 minutes until it is cooked through.
How do you know when salmon is done cooking?
The salmon is cooked through when it flakes easily with a fork.
The best way to know when the fish is done is to use the meat thermometer. The instant thermometer should register an internal temperature of 145 F when the salmon is cooked. Be sure to pull the salmon out of the oven at a bit lower temperature (between 130 F and 135 F) and let the fish rest as it will continue cooking in its residual heat until it reaches 145 F.
What to serve with it
- Pasta. As you can see from the photos, I served Asian glazed salmon with pasta. I used egg tagliatelle pasta. Any egg pasta or rice noodles would work well in this recipe. You can also use regular pasta, such as fettuccine or pappardelle.
- Rice is another great option. Prepare some jasmine rice to serve alongside the salmon and mango peach salsa.
Storage and reheating tips
- Refrigerate the leftover salmon in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
- How to reheat. Separate peach mango salsa from salmon and pasta. Reheat salmon and pasta in the microwave in 30 seconds increments until completely heated through. Or, reheat it in the preheated oven at 350 F for about 20 minutes or until heated through. Once reheated, add peach mango salsa.
Other Asian salmon recipes you might like
- Asian Salmon and Noodles with Mushrooms and Snow Peas
- Honey Sesame Salmon with Rice Noodles and Asparagus
- Asian-style Black Cod and Peanut Sauce Noodles
- Salmon Fillet with Sake Sauce and Wild Rice
Asian Glazed Salmon with Pasta and Mango Peach Salsa
Ingredients
Pasta
- 8 oz pasta such as fettuccine, pappardelle, egg pasta, or rice noodles
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- salt to taste
Salmon
- 24 oz salmon fillets (4 salmon fillets)
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- salt to taste
- 2 tablespoons butter
Asian glaze
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce (I prefer to use anchovy-based fish sauce)
- 3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce or tamari sauce
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- ⅓ cup fig spread or more, for thickening the glaze (I prefer to use Divina brand)
- red pepper flakes to taste
Mango peach salsa
- 2 mangos ripe, peeled, pitted, and diced
- 2 peaches cored and diced
- 1 sweet red bell pepper small, diced
- ½ bunch fresh cilantro chopped
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
- ¼ teaspoon chili powder or more
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Cook pasta
- Bring a pot of water to boil. Add pasta and cook according to package instructions.
- When pasta is done, drain. Add olive oil to the pasta and a pinch of salt, and toss together.
- Proceed with the rest of the recipe while the pasta is cooking.
Cook the salmon
- Preheat the oven to 375 F.
- Grease the bottom of the baking dish with butter. Add salmon fillets skin side down.
- Sprinkle the salmon with salt and minced garlic on top and around. Add thin slices of butter on top of each salmon fillet.
- Bake for about 12 or 15 minutes. Remove from the oven.
- Note: if you would like to pan-sear the salmon on the stovetop instead, see instructions in the Recipe Notes below.
How to make the Asian glaze
- While the salmon is baking and the pasta is cooking, prepare the glaze.
- In a medium, high-sided bowl, combine the Asian glaze ingredients. Mix everything well. Sprinkle with red pepper flakes to taste.
- Spread the glaze over each salmon fillet (after the salmon has been baked for 12 or 15 minutes). Note: Reserve half or ⅓ of the glaze for pouring over pasta.
- Return the salmon to the oven for about 2 or 5 minutes or until the salmon is cooked to your likeness.
- Note: Salmon is done when it flakes easily with the fork and the internal temperature measures 145 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer.
Make mango peach salsa
- Prepare the mango peach salsa while the salmon is baking.
- Note about mangos. Wash them thoroughly to get rid of any debris. Use ripe mangos. Always peel the mangos. Pit the mangos and dice them into cubes.
- In a large mixing bowl combine diced mangos, diced peaches, diced red bell pepper, and chopped fresh cilantro. Toss to combine.
- Add freshly squeezed lime juice and chili powder. Toss to combine. Taste and season with salt and pepper, if needed. Add more lime juice and chili powder, if you like.
Assembly
- In each serving bowl, combine cooked pasta together with cooked salmon.
- Spoon mango peach salsa next to or over the baked salmon.
- Spoon the reserved Asian glaze over the pasta and salmon.
- Top with chopped fresh cilantro.
Notes
- Make sure salmon does not have extra moisture. If using frozen salmon, defrost it completely and get rid of any excess moisture. Prepare salmon by patting it dry with paper towels.
- How to pan-sear the salmon. I personally prefer the baked version - it's less messy and much more foolproof to ensure your salmon doesn't fall apart. If you prefer to pan-sear the salmon instead here is how to do it. Heat a large high-sided cast-iron skillet (10-inch diameter) over medium heat on the stovetop for 2 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add seasoned salmon fillets skin side up and cook, undisturbed, for about 5 or 7 minutes. Flip the salmon over to the other side, and cook for several minutes more until it's cooked through.
- Fig spread is a must-have ingredient for the glaze that adds texture, flavor, and a "sticky" quality to the glaze. It helps to ensure that a glaze has a thick consistency and doesn't get watery. I used the fig spread by the Divina brand. It has a nice thick texture. It is usually sold in most grocery stores. This brand also has Chili Fig Spread which I highly recommend - in this case, you can skip the red chili flakes.
- Use other fruit spreads and preserves that have a nice thick texture similar to the fig spread. It can be peach or apricot spread, for example. Or a different brand of the fig spread. The most important thing is to pay attention to the texture of the spread - it should be thick.
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer:
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed. It should not be used as a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
This recipe is fantastic. Making it again tonight.
Linda, I am so happy you loved it! Thanks for the comment - I really appreciate it! 🙂
I made this for dinner tonight. It turned out real good. I changed it a little bit by grating about a 1/2 teaspoon of fresh ginger into the glaze. I didn't have rice wine vinegar so I mixed white wine vinegar with a small amount of brown sugar.
Robbie, I am so glad you gave this recipe a try and loved it! Love the addition of fresh ginger!
My husband got a shipment of wild salmon so I am very much into trying new salmon recipes! Saw this on FB, and while the recipe is a bit involved, I followed it exactly. It was fantastic!
Michelle, I am so happy to hear the recipe was enjoyed! Thanks for stopping by and the 5-star review! 🙂
While I loved the recipe, it took me a little bit longer than you say to make this. I will make this again and will see if I can make it faster next time. Overall I really liked it!
Glenna, I am so glad you loved the recipe! Thank you for taking the time to share your wonderful feedback!