The spiciness of the blackening seasoning is warm and fragrant. The homemade pineapple-avocado salsa offers a sweet counterbalance that is so refreshing!
The pineapple is juicy and sweet, the avocado is creamy, and the jalapeño offers a kick that when combined tastes like summer!
What’s in This Grilled Blackened Salmon?
Ingredients For Salmon
- Salmon filets
- Olive oil
- Spices for homemade blackening seasoning
Ingredients For Pineapple Avocado Salsa
- Pineapple
- Avocado (check out this helpful guide on how to cut avocado)
- Jalapeño
- Red onion
- Cilantro
The seeds contain the most heat in a pepper, so remove them if you prefer salsa that is less spicy.
How to Make Grilled Salmon
- Stir together the blackening seasoning.
- Sprinkle each piece of salmon generously with the spice rub.
- Let the salmon rest on your counter for 30 minutes before grilling it.
- While the salmon comes to room temperature, grill the sliced pineapple over medium-high heat for 3 to 4 minutes on either side. Once grilled, dice the pineapple and mix it in with the rest of the salsa ingredients.
- Place the salmon skin-side up on the grill and cook until it reaches your desired level of doneness.
How Long Do You Grill Salmon?
We use four 6-oz salmon fillets for this grilled blackened salmon recipe and cook them for around 5 minutes total (3 minutes skin-side up, 2 minutes with the skin on the grill).
You want an internal temperature of 115F. After removing from the grill, the residual heat will continue to rise up to 125F (medium rare).
For salmon that is more cooked, leave it on an extra minute. As always, cooking time is dependent on the thickness of the protein as well as the cooking temperature. We recommend using a thermometer to determine doneness.
Can I Use a Pre-Made Blackening Seasoning?
Of course! If you have a blackening seasoning that you really like, feel free to use that.
Tips For Making Grilled Blackened Salmon
It’s so important that you let the salmon rest on your countertop before grilling it. This gives the fish time to come to room temperature and ensures that the salmon cooks evenly through once it’s on the grill.
For the best tasting pineapple-avocado salsa, use a ripe avocado and a fresh, fragrant pineapple. If the pineapple isn’t ripe enough yet, it won’t be nearly as sweet and your pineapple salsa won’t be quite as amazing.
Check out our guide on how to cut an avocado for lots of useful tips!
Finally, resist the temptation to flip the salmon a million times while it’s on the grill. You need to give it time to sit on the grill so it cooks evenly throughout and develops those lovely grill marks.
If you make our grilled blackened salmon with pineapple-avocado salsa, please let us know by leaving a review below!
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For more grilling recipes, check out the following:
- Crispy Grilled Chicken Wings
- Grilled Eggplant Skewers
- Turkey Feta Burgers with Apple Cabbage Slaw
- Grilled Lobster Tails and Clams
- Grilled Corn Salad With Zucchini
Grilled Blackened Salmon Recipe with Pineapple-Avocado Salsa
Ingredients
For the salmon:
- 4 6 oz portions coho salmon
- 1 ½ tsp sweet paprika
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- pinch of cayenne
- extra virgin olive oil
For the salsa:
- 1 large pineapple (peeled and cut into ½” thick rounds)
- 1 medium avocado
- ¼ – ½ small jalapeno or other small chili (minced (about 1 Tbsp))
- 2 Tbsp red onion (minced)
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro (finely chopped )
- extra virgin olive oil
- kosher salt
- non-stick grill spray
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, thyme, salt, and cayenne and mix well. Drizzle each salmon filet with about 1 tsp of olive oil, then sprinkle blackening seasoning equally on each piece. Let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.
- Heat a grill to medium-high heat, then spray lightly with nonstick grill spray. Lay pineapple sliced on a baking tray, then drizzle with about 2 Tbsp olive oil, turning to coat on both sides. Sprinkle with 1 tsp of kosher salt. Grill for 3-4 minutes per side, then remove. Let cool slightly, then core and cut into a small dice.
- Place grilled pineapple, avocado, jalapeno, cilantro, and 1 tsp kosher salt in a bowl, and stir to combine. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
- Cook salmon on grill over medium-high heat, skin side up, for about 3 minutes. Flip and cook another 2 minutes, or until salmon reaches an internal temperature of about 115 F.
- Top salmon with pineapple salsa and eat immediately.
Notes
- Store-bought blackening seasoning can be used in place of homemade.
- Salmon will continue to cook once removed from the grill (125 F is medium-rare). If you like salmon cooked more, leave it on an extra minute. As always, cooking time is dependent on the thickness of your protein as well as the temperature of your grill, stove, or oven. For best results, determine temperature with a thermometer.
The weather is so uncharacteristically drab today for L.A. in December (expecting rain tomorrow) and I desperately needed a summery dinner to get me out of my funk — this was IT! We don’t have a grill, so I baked (and then broiled for a min or two) and the salmon came out great. Your seasoning blend is amazing. I served it with your suggested salsa, but swapped the pineapple for mango because my kids prefer it, and it was a lovely complement. Will be on repeat here! Thank you!
I am BEYOND surprised to hear that your kids ate the salmon with blackening seasoning on it! My kids adore seafood, but can’t handle the heat. All about that pineapple (or mango!!) salsa! The perfect way to cool down! xo, Ari