Sweet-and-smoky chipotle salmon topped with fresh orange salsa and creamy aji verde! An easy, delicious, restaurant-level salmon dinner.
Chipotle Salmon with Orange Salsa and Aji Verde
My Husband Claims This Is The Best Salmon He’s Ever Had.
As soon as I slathered that chipotle brown sugar rub on the salmon, I knew that we were going to love it.
As if that buttery, flaky, smoky-sweet salmon wasn’t enough – add a little juicy, colorful salady salsa on top, and a garlicky aji verde on the bottom of the bowl for the green sauce lover in the family (ME), and we had a total showstopper meal that immediately earned a place in the “best salmon recipes” category for our family.
One of my daughters liked the salmon and green sauce (a win!), one of my daughters went back for seconds on the complete bowl, and both Bjork and I commented throughout the whole meal about how much we loved the flavors and textures.
(I realize this picture doesn’t look like much but I was just standing there eating that juicy orange salsa out of the bowl while waiting for the salmon to bake. For this batch, I had run the cabbage through the food processor, making it tender and extra shreddy. It’s SO yummy.)
The ingredient list looks a little long, but there’s a lot of overlapping ingredients. And it’s very straightforward:
- Bake the salmon.
- Blend the sauce.
- Toss the salsa (or salad? it’s kind of both).
Pile it all into the bowl, and feel like you’re in a restaurant. Hope you guys love this one. It’s just a vibrant bowl of freshness that I’ve been needing lately.
All my favorite salmon recipes are right here, if you want more ideas to love salmon!
Here’s What The Ingredients Look Like:
You cannot miss with these flavors.
In a nutshell: salmon, spices, and cilantro, lime, garlic, jalapeno, oranges.
Happy colors, happy flavors.
Let’s Make This:
1
Make Your Salsa.
It’s shown here with oranges in the bowl – but wait to add those until just before serving so they don’t turn pink. 🙂
2
Blend Your Aji Verde.
I just adore this sauce so much.
3
Bake Your Salmon.
Spice rub + oil, then bake for 10 minutes.
4
Plate It Up Kinda Fancy.
Rice and sauce on the bottom of the dish, then chunks of salmon + the salsa on top.
If You Love This, You’ll Love These
We do have a bit of a “type” in our family when it comes to favorite recipes – the spicy sweet combo just seems like what we are loving these days. Others we love right now:
- these sweet potatoes with the chipotle sauce (our hyper-fixation over the last few months)
- the bbq salmon with mango salsa
- this air fryer salmon or air fryer chicken
- these gochujang noodles
- the bang bang salmon
How To Make This Salmon (Video)
Chipotle Salmon with Orange Salsa and Aji Verde
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
Sweet-and-smoky chipotle salmon topped with fresh orange salsa and creamy aji verde! An easy, delicious, restaurant-level salmon dinner.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Chipotle Salmon
- 1 1/2 pounds salmon filet (I have used both skinless and skin-on; either works)
- 2 tablespoons taco seasoning (I use Siete)
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon chipotle powder, depending on spice preference
- spritz of avocado oil
Orange Salsa
- 3 large navel oranges, cut into chunks (peeled with a knife, pith removed)
- a small wedge of purple cabbage, finely shredded or pulsed in a food processor (about 2 cups)
- 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
- a small wedge of red onion, minced (about 1/4 cup)
- 1–2 tablespoons olive oil or avocado oil
- juice of 2 limes (2–3 tablespoons)
- half of a jalapeño (ribs and seeds removed)
- 1 tablespoon sugar + 1/2 teaspoon salt (more to taste)
Aji Verde
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 cup mayo
- 1 cup cilantro leaves and stems
- half of a jalapeño pepper (ribs and seeds removed)
- 1 clove garlic
- juice of 1 lime
- a pinch of salt, to taste
Other
- Rice for serving
Instructions
- Make Orange Salsa: Toss all ingredients together except oranges; massage with your hands to soften the cabbage a bit. (You’ll add the oranges until right before serving, so they don’t turn pink.)
- Make Aji Verde: Blend the aji verde sauce until smooth.
- Prep Salmon: Preheat oven to 450 degrees; place a rack near the top. Pat salmon dry with paper towels. Place on a sheet pan lined with foil (I just leave the filets in one whole piece). Mix seasoning for salmon; coat salmon filets with seasoning. Spritz with a light coating avocado oil.
- Bake Salmon: Bake for 5 minutes near the top of the oven. Then broil another 4-6 minutes until cooked to your liking (I like it to be medium, about 135 degrees).
- Serve: Add oranges to the slaw mixture. Put rice and aji verde side by side on the bottom of a plate or shallow bowl. Then flake a few chunks of salmon on top, and finish with a scoop of the salsa. Chef’s kiss!
Notes
If your salmon has skin, place it skin side down on the baking sheet.
In the ingredient photo above, you’ll see cotija cheese which I do often add to my aji verde – however, for the final version, I felt like the sauce was more harmonious for this dish without the cotija, which is why it’s not in the final written ingredient list.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: salmon recipe, sheet pan salmon, orange salsa, aji verde
My Favorite Salmon Recipes
Filed Under: All Recipes Dairy-Free Dinner Fish and Seafood Gluten-Free Healthy Recipes Salmon Sheet Pan
January 26, 2026
Nice to meet you!
I’m Lindsay and I ♡ FOOD. I used to be a teacher, and now making food and writing about it online is my full-time job. I love talking with people about food, and I'm so glad you're here.
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Does your nutritional info include the rice, salad and sauce? Or is it just the salmon? Excepted to try this! Looks delicious!!!
Family won’t eat cilantro. Can you suggest a substitute?? Thanks!!
You can omit it!
I’m wondering the same thing – cilantro seems like it provides a big flavor boost in the sauce, specifically. Any recommendations for a sub? Avocado perhaps?
Avocado wouldn’t lend too much flavor, and would thicken the sauce so you may have to adjust the liquid. If wanting to substitute with an herb, a handful of minced chives would be great.
Wondering the same. You used to put a note about what the nutrition info included, only salmon and sauce for example. That was really helpful. Please consider doing that again.
Absolutely delicious!! I served with brown rice, the whole family loved it. Thank you.
Glad it was a hit with the family!
Solid recipe! The salmon was comparable in crispiness to the air fryer salmon recipe. The sauce is really good but next time I plan substituting 1/2 the mayo with Greek yogurt.
Thanks for making the recipe!
This was so delicious! Thank you for posting this recipe. It will definitely be on repeat in my kitchen…..
Great recipe!
This new salmon dish rocked our world tonight at supper. It’s easy enough to make for weeknights but it really tastes like a special occasion!
My husband couldn’t stop raving about this dish. He said it was some of the best salmon he’s had and turned him on. 😉 Just amazing, fresh flavors. We enjoy spice, and this recipe had layers of it without being overpowering. This would be impressive for company, and ideal because the salsa and sauce can be prepared ahead and the salmon ready to go on the pan, then just throw it in the oven and assemble when you’re ready. Don’t skip playing it as suggested. This recipe will be in our monthly rotation, especially in the warmer months.
So glad it was enjoyed, and thank you for all your notes!
We loved, loved this recipe! I don’t like salmon that much either!! Your recipes are the best , Lindsey!!
Delicious all the way around. I loved the sweet spicy coating on the salmon, the freshness of the slaw and the little bit of zing from the sauce. Was fairly easy to pull together yet felt pretty fancy plated all together! Thanks for sharing!
Glad it was enjoyed!
This recipe was UNREAL – each part was super easy to throw together but when they were all combined?!?! I swear I was wiggling in my seat after each bite. So. Freaking. Good.
I needed to substitute the cabbage out – it really hurts my stomach so I cut up romaine lettuce super thin and used that instead!
I literally want to make this for dinner again tomorrow night!
Cucumbers would be good on the side, too!
Oh my, so much deliciousness in one bowl! Absolutely fabulous! Thank you for the recipe.
This dish was absolutely phenomenal. From the citrus salsa to the aji verde sauce, I swear I could lick that sauce off of my shoe and love it. It was SO SO GOOD!
Yay, thanks for making the recipe!
This was delicious!
You said to use parchment paper in your recipe. I did so and the salmon lit on fire on the broiler.
Might want to change your recipe.
Are you sure your parchment paper didn’t touch the heating elements? I use parchment paper with my sourdough bread at 450° every week and do not have an issue.
Katie B. Mine caught fire too! I learned parchment paper is not rated for high heat- under the broiler. I had a full on fire in my oven!!! And like you, I know my paper was not overlapping or touching any heating element. Parchment paper is rated only for up to 450 degrees.
Our new favorite salmon recipe! The sauce and salsa are so bright and it all comes together so quickly!
My grocery store did not have red cabbage, so I used regular slaw! I also took inspiration from the previous comments and swapped Greek yogurt instead of mayo to lighten the aji verde and it was still delicious! LOVE this recipe– it absolutely feels like a restaurant dish.
I made this salmon as soon as I got the recipe in my email. The salmon gets this delicious sweet and spicy crust. My salmon was very thick, so it needed a bit more time in the oven. The slaw with the oranges is addictive. I used plain old green cabbage and it worked just fine. The sauce is drinkable. Five million stars!
Has anyone tried this by air frying the salmon??
Do not skip a single component in this recipe!! This was such a wonderful meal! Visually gorgeous and so delicious. The brightness and sweetness of the oranges was fantastic. The salmon with the aji verde was perfect. Feels like a fancy dinner without the fuss!
I have made many Pinch of Yum recipes in my day and this one has to be my favorite so far!! The layers of flavors are EXCEPTIONAL. Fresh and simple ingredients come together quite quickly to make a lovely well rounded meal. Adding this to our rotation immediately.
I followed the recipe as written and wouldn’t change a single thing. It’s perfect!
This is an utterly delicious recipe. I love the slaw! All the flavors work beautifully together. I will definitely make this again. But there is one problem with the recipe – using parchment paper under the broiler. You suggest 4-6 minutes and after just 2 minutes we smelled smoked and the paper was on fire. Easily solved but just wanted to let you know.
I do not care for cilantro. Is there sub I can use for the sauce?
This was incredible! Made it exactly as written and wouldn’t change a thing. Will be adding to the rotation.
I totally agree with your hubby – this was THE BEST salmon dish! The ingredient list does look long but as you mentioned, but they overlap and the green sauce…the perfect component to round out the dish! Can’t wait to make it again (and again).
I don’t see the question about the nutrition info answered, so I’m asking again.
Can you clarify what is included in the nutrition information, or check the accuracy of it? It seems very high, even if the rice is included.