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Nothing captures ‘working with what you have’ like this Orange Herb Salsa over Baked Salmon.

On a night I wanted to add some razzle dazzle to my salmon for dinner, I took Samin Nosrat (Salt, Fat, Heat & Acid) lemon salsa recipe and made it work for the ingredients I had.

This Orange Herb Salsa was the outcome, and I’m totally obsessed.

What You’ll Need For The Orange Salsa

For the full ingredient list and measurements, see recipe card below.

Red bell pepper: I love red bell peppers for the vibrancy of color they add to a dish, but especially to no cooking/heat dishes. Feel free to use whichever bell pepper you have on hand.

Scallions: Shallots or red onions make a great substitute.

Cara or Navel orange: I’ve used both. The former because I didn’t have any lemons at the time and latter because it adds a bit more sweetness to balance out the ‘bitterness’ of the zest/rind. Use lemons if you’d like (which the herb salsa in Samin’s book calls for).

Rice vinegar: You can also use white wine vinegar which in my opinion it offers less ‘sweetness’ and is a bit more ‘tart’.

Parsley: can also be substituted with dill.

Garlic infused extra virgin olive oil: This is a personal preference and isn’t required. Use regular extra virgin olive oil if that’s what you have.

How do you make the orange herb salsa

You want to make this prior to starting on the salmon so the orange and peppers have time to soften.

Step 1

Step 2

Step 1: Place orange including pith, some of the rind and any juices, the bell peppers and vinegar in a bowl.

Step 2: Mix then set aside.

a bowl with chopped parsley and scallions plus a smaller bowl with olive oil

Step 3

a hand mixing the herbs together with a fork

Step 4

bowl with chopped parsley and scallions mixed with olive oil

Step 5

Step 3: In a separate bowl place the parsley and scallions.

Step 4: Add olive oil with a pinch of salt and mix until combined.

Step 5: Set it aside.

Step 6

Step 6: When salmon is ready, add the macerated orange and bell pepper mixture (minus the juices) to the herb mixture.

a small white bowl with orange herb salsa in the foreground and a tray of baked salmon topped with the salsa in the background

To Make the Orange (Citrus) Salmon

Salmon: King or Atlantic (no skin)

Salt & pepper: to season

Extra virgin olive oil: use what you have

Orange zest: of 1 and 1/2 medium oranges

What kind of salmon should I use

I’ve made this with both King salmon and Atlantic salmon and it pairs well with both of them. I have yet to try it with another kind of salmon, like sockeye or coho but don’t let that be a reason not to try it.

How do you prepare and cook the salmon:

orange slices arranged on a parchment lined baking tray along with a small bowl of orange zest and a plate of seasoned raw salmon

seasoned salmon on a bed of orange slices on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper

Mix olive oil with orange zest. Sprinkle salt on top of salmon then spread zest mixture all over salmon.

Place salmon on a bed of thinly sliced orange pieces. You can skip this step if using skin on salmon and place on a foil lined baking sheet.

I slow cooked the salmon as per Samin’s Nosrat recipe, at low temperature over a long period and it yielded salmon that was indeed all kinds of tender. That said, if you don’t have that kind of time cooking it at 420F for 6-8 minutes on a foil lined baking tray will work just fine. You an even throw this on the grill or pan fry if you have the skill and want to make it even quicker.

a small white bowl with orange herb salsa is on the right and a tray of baked salmon topped with the salsa is on the right

Can this herb salsa be used on anything else?

Yes! I have only tested it on chicken kebabs and with cold shrimp but it could also work with white fish tacos and on a burger. Feel free to try it on anything.

Watch How To Make Orange Herb Salsa

Print Recipe

Orange Herb Salsa over Baked Salmon

Want to add a little razzle dazzle to your weeknight salmon dinner? Look no further than this orange herb salsa. With just a few ingredients bring this colorful and zesty together in less than 7 minutes

Prep Time15

Cook Time50

Total Time1 5

Course: Main Course

Keyword: fish, herb-salsa, salsa

Servings: 1 cup

Equipment

Chopping board
Knife
Mixing bowl
Parchment paper or Foil
Digital food thermometer

Ingredients

For the salmon:

½ tsp salt
2 tbsp orange zest (zest from 1 and 1/2 medium oranges)
1-2 tbsp garlic infused or plain extra virgin olive oil (see note 1)
4-4 oz pieces of salmon without skin (see note 2)
1 medium orange thinly sliced

For the Salsa:

½ large red bell pepper finely diced
2 stalks scallion or ½ medium red onion finely chopped (see note 1)
1 medium navel orange (that was zested) diced including pith and skin
3 tbsp white wine or rice vinegar
½ cup parsley finely chopped
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
pinch of salt & pepper

Instructions

For Salmon

In a small bowl, add zest, olive oil and salt and mix until combined. Set aside.
Preheat oven to 225℉
Arrange orange slices on a parchment lined baking tray
Pat salmon dry with paper towel and season with salt & pepper
Coat fish with zest mixture then place on baking tray and into oven to bake for 40 – 45 minutes until flaky and internal temp reads 145℉.

To make salsa:

Meanwhile, in a different bowl combine, bell peppers, onions, orange and vinegar. Cover and set aside to allow mixture to soften.
In another bowl mix parsley, scallions (if used) olive oil, a pinch of salt and set aside.
When fish is finished, remove from oven.
Then with a slotted spoon, transfer orange herb mixture minus any juices into the bowl with herb mixture and stir to combine.
Plate fish and scoop salsa on top. Eat immediately.

Notes

This recipe was created while I was eating low FODMAP hence the use of the green parts of the scallion and the garlic infused olive oil. If you have no sensitivities to onions or garlic, use red onions and regular extra virgin olive oil.
If you use salmon with the skin on, skip the orange slices and bake on just the parchment paper.