Baked Salmon with Salsa (Printable)

Tender salmon paired with a fresh pomegranate walnut salsa for an elegant, flavorful main dish.

# What You'll Need:

→ For the Salmon

01 - 4 salmon fillets (6 oz each), skin-on or skinless
02 - 2 tbsp olive oil
03 - 1 lemon, zested and juiced
04 - 1/2 tsp salt
05 - 1/4 tsp black pepper
06 - 1/2 tsp smoked paprika (optional)

→ For the Pomegranate Walnut Salsa

07 - 1 cup pomegranate arils
08 - 1/2 cup toasted walnuts, roughly chopped
09 - 1/4 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
10 - 2 tbsp red onion, finely diced
11 - 1 tbsp olive oil
12 - 1 tbsp lemon juice
13 - 1 tsp honey or maple syrup
14 - 1/4 tsp salt
15 - 1/4 tsp black pepper

# How-To Steps:

01 - Set oven temperature to 400°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
02 - Pat fillets dry and arrange them on the prepared baking sheet.
03 - Combine olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt, black pepper, and smoked paprika, then brush the mixture evenly over the fillets.
04 - Bake for 15 to 18 minutes until the salmon is cooked through and flakes easily.
05 - In a bowl, gently toss together pomegranate arils, toasted walnuts, parsley, red onion, olive oil, lemon juice, honey, salt, and black pepper.
06 - Allow salmon to rest for 2 minutes, then plate and top generously with the salsa.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • The salsa does all the work while salmon bakes, so you're not standing over the stove sweating through dinner prep.
  • It looks fancy enough to serve guests but tastes like your kitchen finally made sense.
  • Pomegranate and walnut create this textural contrast that keeps every bite interesting in a way plain fish never could.
  • The whole thing comes together in 35 minutes, which means you can actually eat before you're too hungry to enjoy it.
02 -
  • Overcooked salmon is drier than it has any right to be, so check it at 15 minutes the first time you make this—every oven has opinions about timing.
  • Toasting walnuts yourself transforms them from tasting like health food into tasting like something you actually want to eat, which is the kind of small act that changes everything.
03 -
  • Invest in a instant-read thermometer and pull the salmon at 48–50°C internally—this is the secret to salmon that's moist instead of rubbery, and it removes all the guesswork.
  • Toast your walnuts fresh the day you cook; they keep their crunch better and taste exponentially better than ones sitting in a bag for months.

Go Back