Blackened Salmon with Peach Salsa
By Sammi Brondo — August 24, 2026
Sweet, smoky, and ready in about 30 minutes, this Blackened Salmon with Peach Salsa is the ultimate summer dinner. Perfectly seasoned salmon is topped with a fresh, juicy peach salsa for a delicious balance of bold flavor and seasonal sweetness. It’s an easy, high-protein meal that’s as beautiful as it is satisfying.
Once the weather starts to get warmer, give me all the fresh fruit and veg.
I love produce all year long, but there’s something about warmer weather that makes fruit and vegetables especially refreshing. And makes me want to play around with different flavor combinations too.
Peach salsa is an unexpected favorite of mine. It’s absolutely delicious with tortilla chips, and so good on top of salmon too.
As a dietitian, I love salmon. It’s full of heart-healthy fats and muscle-building protein.
But also as a busy working mom, I just love how easy it is. It’s truly one of the easiest fish to prepare – you can’t go wrong.
Why You’ll Love This Blackened Salmon with Peach Salsa
This blackened salmon is made by marinating the salmon in a mixture of olive oil, peach cider vinegar, honey, and spices. The key is to not move it all when searing it – you really want it to get a deliciously crisp blackened top.
Adding peach salsa on tops adds even more flavor to the salmon. The salsa is made with fresh peaches, tomatoes, strawberries, bell pepper, red onion, and basil. The combo of these different fruit and veggies is crunchy, sweet, tangy, and oh so flavorful.
I know this Blackened Salmon with Peach Salsa will become a staple in the spring and summer! It makes such an easy and flavorful high protein weeknight meal.
How to Make Blackened Salmon with Peach Salsa
Prepare the ingredients
Prepare the ingredients to make this Blackened Salmon with Peach Salsa. You’ll need olive oil, apple cider vinegar, honey, paprika, garlic and onion powder, a salmon filet, diced peaches, strawberries, peppers, red onion, cherry tomatoes, and basil.
Prepare the marinade
Prepare the salmon. In a shallow bowl, add 3 tablespoons of the olive oil, plus the peach cider vinegar, honey, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Whisk well to combine.
Marinate salmon
Cut the salmon into 3-4 smaller filets and add to the bowl with the marinade. Use a spoon to scoop the mixture all over the salmon, making sure it’s fully coated. Set aside to marinate while preparing the salsa.
Prepare peach salsa
Prepare the peach salsa. In a large bowl, add the diced peaches, strawberries, bell pepper, cherry tomato, red onion, and basil.
Toss to combine
Add the olive oil, peach cider vinegar, and salt and toss to combine. Set aside.
Cook salmon
Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil to a large skillet over medium high heat. Once the pan is hot (you should feel the heat with your hand above the pan), add the salmon skin side up. Pour remaining marinade over the salmon. Let the salmon cook for about 10-15 minutes, making sure not to flip or move the salmon at all, until cooked through. Once an internal temperature of 145 F has been reached, gently flip the salmon and remove from the heat.
Top with salsa
Top blackened salmon filets with peach salsa and add extra peach salsa on the side for dipping.
If You Love This Blackened Salmon with Peach Salsa, Try These
- Salmon Sushi Bake: Craving sushi but don’t want to get takeout? This is just the recipe to make.
- Creamy Tuscan Salmon (30 Minute Meal!): This reader favorite is made in just one pan and is full of flavor.
- Sheet Pan Spring Salmon, Potatoes and Snap Peas: It doesn’t get much better than an easy sheet pan meal.
- Blackened Salmon Bites: Blackened salmon – but as small bites! These are so good.
- Olive Oil and Garlic Farfalle with Salmon: This pasta dish is one of my favorite ways to enjoy pasta.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Olive oil: You’ll use olive oil to marinate the salmon and for the peach salsa. Feel free to use a different cooking oil if preferred.
- Apple cider vinegar: This also coats the salmon and the peach salsa. If you don’t like apple cider vinegar, another white vinegar will work.
- Honey: A little honey adds just a touch of sweetness to the salmon.
- Spices: You’ll need paprika, onion powder, and garlic powder.
- Salmon: I recommend a 1 pound fillet and cutting it into about 3 long individual pieces.
- Peaches: These are the base of the salsa! Make sure to cut them small.
- Strawberries: Strawberries add more seasonal sweetness to the salsa.
- Bell pepper: I used red bell pepper, but any color will do.
- Cherry tomatoes: Cherry or grape tomatoes both work.
- Red onion: A little red onion adds a nice savory contrast to the sweetness in the salsa.
- Basil: You can add basil to the salmon and to garnish the whole dish.
Blackened Salmon with Peach Salsa Tips & Variations
- Spices: Want to add a little kick to the salmon? Add some chili powder to the marinade.
- Peach salsa: While the fruit and veg don’t need to be chopped in a very small dice, you do want to make sure to chop them small and uniformly so that they fit well together as a salsa.
- Cooking tips: Make sure your pan is really hot before adding the salmon. You should be able to feel the heat with your hand above the pan. Then, do not move the salmon once it’s in the pan. Letting it cook without moving will help to blacken the top. When the salmon is done cooking, the sauce will start to thicken. Once it starts to get dark, the salmon is probably done. If the sauce is starting to burn and the salmon isn’t done, turn the heat down and continue to cook.
- Storage: Store salmon and peach salsa separately in airtight containers in the fridge. Broil the salmon in the oven to reheat and keep it crispy before eating. The salsa can be eaten as is and will become more flavorful the longer it sits in the fridge.
Frequently Asked Questions
Ingredients
Blackened Salmon
- 3 tablespoons + 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 lb salmon filet
- Salt
- Pepper
Peach Salsa
- 2 small peaches diced (about 1 cup)
- 5-6 strawberries diced (about 1/2 cup)
- 1 red bell pepper diced (about 3/4 cup)
- 8-10 cherry tomatoes cut into quarters (about 1/2 cup)
- 2 tablespoons diced red onion
- 1 tablespoon fresh chopped basil
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- Salt
Instructions
- Prepare the salmon. In a shallow bowl, add 3 tablespoons of the olive oil, plus the peach cider vinegar, honey, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Whisk well to combine.
- Cut the salmon into 3-4 smaller filets and add to the bowl with the marinade. Use a spoon to scoop the mixture all over the salmon, making sure it’s fully coated. Set aside to marinate while preparing the salsa.
- Prepare the salsa. In a large bowl, add the diced peaches, strawberries, bell pepper, cherry tomato, red onion, and basil. Add the olive oil, peach cider vinegar, and salt and toss to combine. Set aside.
- Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil to a large skillet over medium high heat. Once the pan is hot (you should feel the heat with your hand above the pan), add the salmon skin side up. Pour remaining marinade over the salmon. Let the salmon cook for about 5-10 minutes, making sure not to flip or move the salmon at all, until cooked through. Once an internal temperature of 145 F has been reached, gently flip the salmon and remove from the heat.
- Remove the bottom skin from the salmon and top salmon filets with peach salsa. Add extra peach salsa on the side for dipping.
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Delicious dinner and perfect for a busy night.
So glad you loved it!!