15 Best Side Dishes for Salmon
Salmon makes for an impressive main—one with real centerpiece status. The gorgeous hue, the natural brightness of the herbs they’re often cooked with or wedges of yellow lemons, the shiny lacquer of caramelized sauces...it’s a real showstopper. Plus, it’s one of those entrees that comes together super quick and easily. Choosing the right and best side dishes for salmon can even further elevate this main meal protein, from complementary flavors to aesthetics that enhance your salmon dinner. Whether it’s a rice side dish for salmon, pasta side dishes for salmon, potato side dishes for salmon, or just simple-to-make, healthy side dishes for baked salmon, we have something that’s just right for your dinner table.
Quinoa Pilaf
Salmon is often prepared with Mediterranean seasonings and vegetables, making this an obvious good side dish for salmon. Cremini mushrooms, zucchini, and grape tomatoes add juicy, fresh flavor to light quinoa, and crushed herbs de Provence echo the ones commonly used on salmon recipes from France, Greece, Italy, Turkey, Lebanon, and other neighboring countries.
Rice Pilaf with Oranges and Walnuts
A rice side dish for salmon is a natural pairing and this one bumps up the interest with a colorful blend of oranges, celery, mushrooms, and toasted walnuts—an ingredient as well known for its heart-healthy properties as your star protein. Using a package of mixed rice with seasoning takes all of the guesswork out, leaving you to wow with the enhancements.
Grilled Veggie Pasta Salad
Because pasta is so filling, pasta side dishes for salmon are slightly less common than rice side dishes for salmon. Very often, salmon is flaked and incorporated right into the pasta recipe. However, this one makes for a perfect side as zucchini, peppers, onions, and asparagus lighten up whole-grain rotini in balsamic dressing. All of these flavors are classic complements to salmon.
Fried Smashed Potatoes
No matter what the main is, there’s nothing about this recipe that doesn’t sound delicious. Parmesan, parsley, salt, and pepper keep flavors savory but simple in this potato side dish for salmon, which makes it all the better to showcase the richness of the fish. Try broiling the salmon you make with this potato side, or at least keeping the skin crisp for complementary textures.
Chopped Green Salad
An herbaceous dressing on earthy greens make this texturally rich salad a substantial side for salmon. Blanching and shocking vegetables like green beans and broccoli helps them achieve a vibrant green hue and retains their crunch; cucumbers and green grapes provide refreshment. These lighter, vegetal flavors will make your salmon dish taste even richer in contrast.
Goat Cheese Mashed Sweet Potatoes
Potato side dishes for salmon don’t necessarily have to be conventional white potatoes—this high-yield, sweet-meet-savory, fall vibes side makes a convincing argument for whipping up the orange kind. Goat cheese adds a bit of tang while it supplements the creaminess of half and half and butter, and pistachios contribute crunch and a bit of salt to make the sweets sing. Lean a fillet of salmon against this side and you have a restaurant-worthy plating.
Wilted Spinach Salad with Pears and Cranberries
Another autumnal flavor combination, this salad uses the natural sweetness of pears and cranberries as a foil against the salty bacon and grassy baby spinach. Both of the latter two flavors are traditionally used to enhance salmon, making this a lovely side to serve with generous fillet. The recipe says that the Gorgonzola is optional, but when we’re cooking, it’s always welcome!
Grilled Asparagus in Dill Butter
Dill and butter are already good friends of many salmon recipes, which makes this simple dish a great, no-fuss healthy side for your fish dish. Plus, if you’re planning on grilling your salmon anyway, it’s a smart way to make both the main and the side all at once. Garlic, cracked black pepper, and finely shredded Parmesan cheese add umami and grilling brings out asparagus’s deeper notes.
Coconut Rice
The reason for so many variations of rice side dishes for salmon is that this type of fish is naturally well-suited for Asian flavors. In fact, you don’t even have to do anything especially fancy to make it Asian-influenced! This four-ingredient recipe uses coconut milk, flaked coconuts, and scallions to achieve a taste of the Eastern tropics. This would be perfect for a salmon recipe with flavors from Thailand, Malaysia, India, Singapore, or Vietnam.
Make It Mine Thai Curry Pot
Not sure how to season your salmon? This customizable base recipe for a gorgeous Thai curry answers that question, as well as what sides to serve with salmon. A fantastic empty-the-fridge recipe, it’s easily adapted for any kind of vegetable. For best texture, though, make this a side dish for baked salmon. Cube it and cook it separately to seal in the tender moisture of the fish as the exterior forms a protective dry layer and let the curry act as a sauce.
Black Bean and Corn Salad
This fiber-packed healthy vegetable side comes together in just 15 minutes—nearly exactly as much time as it takes to broil a salmon fillet on its own. Using canned black beans and frozen corn, the only things you really need to prep is some avocado, red onion, and cilantro. Try making your salmon main dish with adobo seasoning, sazon, or sofrito to mesh this protein with its side, or use up your lime with this Pepper-crusted Salmon with Yogurt Lime Sauce recipe.
Pesto Pasta with Charred Radicchio
Pesto is so good with salmon, which is what makes this pasta side dish so right for this fish. Big, tubular pasta adds fun volume to the side, giving it a substantial feel. Bitter radicchio, once charred, makes for a wonderful counterpoint to the rich, buttery flavor of salmon. Plus, all the colors of this dish—purple, green, white, and orange-pink—are a feast for the eyes as well as the stomach.
Chickpea Cauliflower Couscous
This salmon side dish channels a sweeter side of the Mediterranean adding dried apricots for a bright contrast to the mild chickpeas and cauliflower that forms the base of this recipe, augmenting the onion. Baby spinach adds color and nutrients to a lovely neutral dish meant to let your salmon shine amid pops of sweet fruit.
Air-Fried Balsamic Glazed Carrots
Make dinner a monochromatic beauty with this easy side dish for salmon! Ready in ten minutes thanks to the trusty air fryer, you’ll get all your vitamin A in one fell swoop with this sweet and salty, tender side. Pre-made balsamic glaze is the cherry on top of this honey and olive oil-seasoned dish, and all three flavor elements are known to go well with salmon.
Skillet Browned Broccoli with Pan Toasted Garlic
This recipe may be listed as a good side dish for salmon, but honestly, it’s a perfect side dish to any manner of protein. Simple and quick, requiring only olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper for flavoring the broccoli and 15 minutes to cook, it’s a healthy side to keep in your back pocket. If making a big batch, remember to cover cooked broccoli with foil as you work through the rest.
As you can see, the beauty of making salmon for dinner is that it’s a fish that goes with nearly any kind of cuisine. Its versatility lends itself to pairing with an entire globe’s worth of side dishes, from Asia to the Mediterranean to Latin America and everywhere in between. No matter if your goal is to make a pasta side dish for salmon, rice side dish for salmon, potato side dish for salmon, or just a good side dish for salmon that’s heavy on flavor, there are countless ways to pair salmon perfectly.