Mexican Salmon with Savory Tamarillo Sauce

👩🏻‍🍳 Tamara Talks – About Mexican-Peruvian Fusion Salmon

This lovely, healthy, savory pan seared salmon recipe features frozen tamarillo pulp that is widely available in the US and elsewhere. If you are unfamiliar with tamarillo, you are certainly not alone. I first had tamarillo (aka sachatomate and tree tomato) in Peru, but tamarind is a ubiquitous Mexican ingredient. One focus for me as a food blogger is to bring Peruvian and Latin American ingredients to non-native home cooks. This is a wonderful ingredient!

If you’re comfortable with savory recipes that use citrus – lemon, lime, orange, grapefruit – you will be comfortable with tamarillo. It is not as tart as lemon or lime… It tastes like a sweet tomato with a citrus-like tang. It reminds me a little of kiwi fruit. The tamarillo/tree tomato lends itself well to both sweet and savory applications!

When I began working on this skillet salmon recipe, I wanted to incorporate tamarillo pulp in a pan sauce that would complement a cast iron quickly seared salmon portion. The pan sauce comes together so quickly, and it’s not going to add a lot of fat or calories to your healthy salmon!

📋 Ingredients You’ll Need

Here is a quick look at the ingredients in the recipe – it’s handy to use at the grocery store or as a summary of what you need. Skip to the recipe for quantities.

• salmon – On photo day, I had some really nice frozen sockeye salmon portions. I thawed them before starting the dish.
• shallots – Substitute red onion (finely diced), sweet, or yellow onions.
• garlic – I prefer freshly smashed and minced garlic, but I do often use minced garlic in a jar. I buy small jars that will be used quickly. The jarred garlic can get strong if it’s kept too long.
• ají amarillo – Ají amarillo paste is available in the international foods aisle of some grocery stores. You can also order ají amarillo paste online. If you find fresh, frozen, or dried ají amarillo, you can make ají amarillo paste.
• dry sherry – You can substitute dry white wine, marsala, or broth. Avoid anything sweet!
• tamarillo pulp – I use Goya frozen tamarillo pulp. If you’re using fresh or frozen tamarillos, you’ll need to purée and strain them first.
• cornstarch – I keep camote (sweet potato) flour in my pantry, and I’ll use it instead. However, cornstarch is more widely used, and works just as well!
• fresh herbs – On photo day, I used cilantro and mint. Parsley, basil, and oregano are good options as well. Use a single herb, or a combination.

🔪 Seared Skillet Salmon Instructions

Sear the salmon.

• Brush the surface of a heavy pan with canola or vegetable oil. NOTE: Cast iron is my preference for searing. Stainless steel is good too. Non-stick pans can’t handle the high heat. You want oil with a high smoke point. Place salmon portions flesh side down. Cook long enough to see opaque pink on the bottom (flesh side) of the salmon. This may take about 4-5 minutes. Look at the edge of the salmon to see if it’s ready to turn.

• When you see about half of the thickness of the salmon is opaque, gently turn the salmon. Cook an addition 3-4 minutes to allow the skin to crisp. Remove, and cover to stay warm. NOTE: Don’t worry about the bits left in the skillet. They add to the flavor of the sauce!

Make the savory tamarillo pan sauce:

• Sauté the aromatics – Add the shallot (or red onion) to the skillet. Sauté until the shallot begins to soften. Add the ají amarillo and garlic to the skillet. Stir to combine, and cook an additional 1-2 minutes until fragrant. Be careful to not burn the garlic!

• De-glaze the skillet – Add the dry sherry (or wine) to the skillet. Stir to combine, and bring to a boil. Scrape the browned salmon bits into the sherry mixture. This requires about 2 minutes.

• Make the slurry – Add the tamarillo pulp and the cornstarch to a small bowl. Whisk to combine until smooth and incorporated.

• Finish the savory tamarillo sauce – Whisk the slurry into the skillet until thoroughly combined. Bring to a low boil. Assess the thickness. Add broth or water as needed. Season with sea salt and fresh ground pepper. NOTE: If your salmon has cooled, put it back in the pan, and spoon the sauce over it. Reduce heat until ready to serve.

Serve the seared skillet salmon with savory tamarillo sauce.

• Serve – Plate a salmon portion, top with the tamarillo pan sauce, garnish with fresh herbs, lime, and/or fresh tamarillo slice. Cilantro rice makes a lovely side dish. While the title is “Mexican cilantro rice,” cilantro rice is a typical side dish in Peru as well! NOTE: I am working on a recipe/post for the grilled zucchini ribbons as well.

❓ FAQ

💭 Top Tips

A heavy skillet produces a better sear. I use cast iron, but a good stainless steel skillet can work too. Avoid nonstick pans as they’re not well-suited to high temperatures, and the high heat may damage the nonstick coating.

Ají amarillo is rated 30,000 to 50,000 on the Scoville Heat unit scale. However, it has a fruity flavor which balances it out. If you are unfamiliar with this sunny, yellow Peruvian pepper, you may want to start with less. I find it similar to serrano peppers in heat level. I also find the jars vary a lot from one brand to the next.

Cooking time: I loosely follow the 10-minute rule when cooking fish on the stove: I allow approximately 10 minutes for each 1″ of thickness.

Healthy fish and seafood recipes are probably my major focus with my menu planning. We are blessed to have great access to high quality fish and seafood, and that may not always be the case. I definitely “count my lucky stars.” If you love salmon (or other fish), see if you can find tamarillo pulp, and give this simple, healthy recipe a try. I think you’ll be glad you did!