Salpicón de Pescado (Spicy Citrus-Marinated Fish)

By Rick A. Martínez

Published March 25, 2025

  • Mark Weinberg for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Michelle Gatton.
Media 1 of 1
Total Time
40 minutes
Prep Time
15 minutes
Cook Time
25 minutes
Rating
5(761)
Comments
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In Mexican cooking, salpicón is a dish of fish, shellfish or meat mixed with chopped vegetables and tossed in an aromatic dressing. In the Yucatán, salpicones are flavored with sour orange juice and habaneros. In this version, quick-roasted fish fillets are tossed in lime and orange juice to mimic that tropical flavor. The fattiness of the fish and avocado tame the heat of the habaneros, but if you are sensitive to spice, use half of a habanero or look for habanadas, a chile that tastes just as sweet and floral as a habanero but with zero heat! You can serve this dish right away while the fish is still warm, or refrigerate the fish and pico de gallo separately for a few hours — the flavors only get better. Then mix together cold for parties, picnics or a day at the beach.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

  • 4 (6-ounce) boneless, skin-on fish fillets such as snapper, salmon or cod, about 1-inch thick

  • 1 to 2 habanero chiles, stemmed, seeded and finely chopped

  • 2 garlic cloves, finely grated

  • ¼ cup fresh lime juice, plus more if desired

  • ¼ cup fresh orange juice

  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

  • Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

  • 2 large Roma tomatoes, chopped

  • ¼ medium red onion, chopped

  • 2 large radishes, trimmed, halved, and thinly sliced

  • ½ avocado, peeled and pitted, chopped

  • ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves with tender stems

  • Tostadas or warm tortillas, for serving

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

17 grams carbs; 101 milligrams cholesterol; 542 calories; 15 grams monounsaturated fat; 8 grams polyunsaturated fat; 8 grams saturated fat; 36 grams fat; 3 grams fiber; 789 milligrams sodium; 39 grams protein; 4 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Line a sheet pan with parchment paper or foil. Arrange the fish fillets on the sheet pan skin-side down.

  2. Step 2

    In a large bowl, whisk together the habanero chiles, garlic, lime juice, orange juice and oil until combined. Pour ¼ cup of the habanero mixture into a small measuring cup (reserve the rest for the pico de gallo) and brush it over the tops of the fillets, gently massaging it into the flesh. Generously season the fillets with salt and pepper. Let sit at room temperature to absorb the flavor while the oven comes to temperature. Arrange a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 450 degrees.

  3. Step 3

    Bake the fish until it is opaque in the center and easily flakes apart when pressed with a fork, 8 to 12 minutes — it will depend on the thickness of your fish and how many times you open the oven to check it. (The key here is to check your fish often; you don’t want to over- or undercook it!) When the fish is cool enough to handle, flake the fish apart into 1-inch pieces and transfer to a plate, leaving the skin behind.

  4. Step 4

    While the fish cools, finish the pico de gallo: Add the tomatoes, onion, radishes, avocado, cilantro and 1 teaspoon salt to the bowl with the reserved habanero mixture and gently stir until combined; taste and season with more salt and lime juice if desired. Let sit about 10 minutes, uncovered, for the flavors to meld. (If desired, refrigerate the fish and pico de gallo separately for up to 3 hours.)

  5. Step 5

    When ready to serve, gently toss the fish in the pico de gallo and serve on tostadas or in tortillas to make tacos.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
761 user ratings
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Comments

Mel L

Made this recipe exactly as written using cod, with the exception of using a jalapeño in place of the habanero (husband has a low heat tolerance). This was incredibly easy and delicious. I think it would be equally great with shrimp as well. I took another reviewer’s tip to spread a little sour cream on the tortilla before adding the fish and pico. SO good!!

Roberto Cipriano

This was absolutely delicious and easy to make. i used snapper and erred on the side of slightly undercooked. The citrus juices in the sauce blend really nicely with the fish. SO GOOD!

Cindy S

Delicious with home-fried tortilla shells. Apply a thin layer of sour cream to the taco before adding the fish. This was really fresh-tasting, and the citrus combo was spot on. I used the Chub tomatoes. Fast and easy to make.

Wendy

Really good and very simple. Followed pretty closely to the recipe other than using Serrano since that was what I had on hand and using more avocado just because. Added some sour cream and chopped cabbage as well to the tacos. The orange juice, lime juice, pepper, garlic base for the pico is what makes this recipe sing!

Erica P

Very tasty salsa. This was my first tostada. Half the fun was in figuring out how to eat it 😆. The instructions for cooking the fish worked well. I used salmon that came out just done enough - not dry and not raw.

Lauren

This is one of the best NYT recipes I’ve tried. I wish we could have it every night in the summer. Made with snapper. Took it to work the next day and served it cold to several friends. Absolutely delicious. (Also grilled rather than using the oven)

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