Grilled salmon seasoned with a smokey rub served with a fresh black beans and corn salsa.
Grilled Salmon with Black Bean Salsa
These grilled salmon are steaks rubbed with a spicy blend of smoked paprika, chipotle chili powder, brown sugar, cumin and cocoa powder served with a quick side dish of black beans, grilled corn, cilantro and splash of lime juice. An quick and easy summer dinner, ready in under 30 minutes. Don’t have a grill? A grill pan works too, or try this Sheet Pan Teriyaki Salmon recipe or any of these delicious salmon recipes instead.
You will love the spicy smoked flavors of the salmon paired with the sweet corn side with fresh lime and cilantro flavors. Fresh corn is best here, but if you have frozen that works fine too! This is a complete meal ready in less than 30 minutes.
Salmon is an excellent source of high-quality protein, containing all the essential amino acids and a good source of Vitamin E, a powerful antioxidant. When buying salmon, I look for fresh or frozen sustainable wild options such as Alaskan salmon which is raised in pristine waters – it costs a little more but it’s leaner than farm raised because the fish are raised in the wild and get more exercise, the meat has a natural red color whereas farmed salmon is artificially colored. Coho, Chum and pink salmon have less fat than King and Sockeye varieties.
Variations:
- If you prefer to make this low carb, swap the corn and beans out for diced avocado and cucumber or tomatoes.
- Don’t like Salmon? You can replace this with grilled swordfish or chicken.
Spiced Rubbed Grilled Salmon with Black Beans Corn Salsa
Ingredients
For the salmon:
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 1/2 tsp brown sugar
- 1/2 tsp chipotle chili powder
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 lime, juice of
- 4 6 oz Alaskan wild salmon fillets
- olive oil spray
- lime wedges for serving
For the black beans and corn:
- 15.5 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 2 cups frozen or fresh corn kernels, thawed if frozen
- 1/4 cup red onion, minced
- 3 tbsp finely minced cilantro
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp fresh squeezed lime juice
- kosher salt to taste
Instructions
- Combine all the spices in a small bowl, paprika to cocoa powder.
- Squeeze lime juice over salmon then rub in the spices to completely coat; set aside to rest about 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a large saute pan, heat oil over medium heat.
- Add onions and sauté 2 minutes; add beans, corn and salt and cook until heated through, about 6 - 8 minutes.
- Remove from heat and toss in cilantro and lime juice.
- Heat a clean outdoor grill (make sure the grates are clean and lightly oiled) or if cooking indoors a lightly oiled grill pan over high heat.
- When hot, grill the salmon covered for about 8 to 10 minutes or until the fish is opaque throughout.
- Serve with black beans, corn and lime wedges.
I made the black beans and corn as a side dish for the Skinnytaste enchiladas. A delicious combination.Â
This was so, so good!!  We had salmon in the fridge and didn’t know what to do with it.  This was outstanding!  The whole family enjoyed it!  Thanks for another excellent recipe!Â
I just made this for dinner tonight and it was amazing! I didn’t have any cocoa powder, so I left it out. I also pan seared instead of grilling and it still came out so flavorful! Will definitely make again!!
My favorite salmon recipe to date! I added a little minced garlic to the corn and black bean side dish
Don’t have a grill, how long would you broil this in the oven for?Â
This is possibly the best thing I’ve ever cooked! I used regular chili powder and paprika and pan-seared. Fantastic!! Thanks Gina!
Glad you enjoyed it!
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Can’t believe I had not done this version of Salmon till tonight. I did broil it till done and it got nicely “charred” on top. Had nice thick salmon with skin still on it. It was fabulous. Perfect blend of spices, seems to be even more then the “sum of it’s parts.”
Such a great rub recipe! Great balance of smoky, spicy, and sweet. The only thing I added was a 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder. My family and I will definitely use this recipe again!
Thanks Maggie!
This recipe looks delicious! One question, do you use skinless salmon?
If you prefer!
Delicious!  I made the salmon with a side of wild rice and kale/apple salad for dinner.  Absolutely yummy.  I love the nice crust you get on the salmon from the suguar.  I used regular chili powder instead of chipotle because that’s what I had in the house, and it worked just fine.  Great, easy, fast recipe!Â
I followed this recipe exactly! Â Delicious! Â Thank you!
Making this for my mom tomorrow night. I know it will make our mothers day memorable 🙂 what heat do you grill the ‘steaks’ on?Â
We eat salmon a lot and I'm always looking for different ways to prepare it. This rub is awesome and it pairs so well with the corn and black beans. Keeper
Great rub, we really enjoyed it. Grilled the fish on cedar planks but really enjoyed the flavor!
This has become one of our family favorites! So good…thanks!
Made this for dinner a couple nights ago, and my 3yo daughter and I LOVED IT (hubby doesn't eat fish, so he got chicken). I was skeptical because I never liked salmon, but this was delicious. I let my daughter try it to see if she liked it, and the next thing I know, she's standing at the counter eating all of the fish off her plate! I'll definitely make it again.
Made this for dinner tonight. It was delicious! We were out of cocoa powder and I had to substitute lemon basil for lemon, but everything else came together perfectly!
I just made the rub for the salmon, but it was very tasty and easy to make!
AWESOME!
This is the first recipe that I have made from you website and I must say I will be coming back for more and more dinner ideas! I am in the process of lossing some extra pounds that have packed on in the last two years and your website is the perfect place to get fresh meals. I have always loved to cook, but have recently enjoyed making meals from fresh ingredients. This was so easy to make, with a fresh taste!! Absolutely amazing!