Effortlessly Add Flavor To Fish With One Store-Bought Ingredient

Fish is an excellent source of protein, vitamins, and minerals. It's a little more delicate than other types of meat, but it's easy to impart flavor into your fish dish. It pairs well with bright, citrusy ingredients like lemon juice, so searing fish in an herby lemon butter or serving it with a lemon wedge is not uncommon. But if you're looking for another acidic flavor with citrus undertones, try cooking your fish right in the pan with some salsa.

Salsa has plenty of ingredients that pair well with lighter, milder fish such as cod or salmon. The trick, though, is to let the fish sear on its own in a pan before adding the salsa; this helps the fillet get that crispy exterior. Once the fish is seared, let it finish cooking in the salsa, which will build delicious flavor. Then, serve it right along with the warm salsa. This dish can be done with your favorite store-bought salsa, but if you make a homemade version, you can control the flavor even more.

Store-bought salsa is a great option if you're short on time, and you might even be able to find salsa that's made fresh in-house in the prepared food section. It saves time and lets you just focus on perfectly grilling the fish. Other salsa types can be used here, too. Mango and pineapple are great options; pineapple is more acidic than mango, but both salsas usually include lime juice for a burst of bright flavor.

While store-bought is easy, if you make fresh salsa yourself, you can decide exactly what flavors go best with the fish. Try making your own salsa with fresh tomatoes for flavor, and add red onions, jalapeños, and a generous amount of lime juice to it. The citrus and acidity mix well with the rich meat of white fish or salmon, and the jalapeño gives the final dish a hint of heat. If you go the mango or pineapple route, you can swap the lime juice with freshly-squeezed orange juice, which will pair with the fruit to add a hint of contrasting sweetness to the jalapeño's spice.