What to Serve with Grilled Salmon? 10 BEST Side Dishes

Perfectly cooked, tender, and juicy grilled salmon with the flesh flaking off is something that everyone enjoys.

It can make a delicious meal any time of the day.

But even though salmon is a fatty fish, it isn't too heavy.

Hence, you can also eat other items along with the fish.

It gets more exciting because grilled salmon is versatile and shines even more when served with other foods.

So have you considered what to serve with grilled salmon yet? Or are you looking for some great ideas?

The exciting news is there are so many to choose from, such as garlic bok choy, oven-roasted asparagus, rice pilaf, sautéed mushrooms, and cauliflower mash.

10 Top Side Dishes for Grilled Salmon

You can serve the following items with grilled salmon, considered the ten best.

For a firmer, meaty option, grilled swordfish side ideas with seven best picks highlights compatible sides.

1 - Roasted Parmesan Potatoes

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Spuds are the most versatile veggies, and they taste good no matter how you cook them.

They also make a nice combo with grilled salmon - and pair equally well with grilled swordfish side ideas for steaks.

From its taste, the dish may appear like a complicated one, but it's not.

Roasted potatoes are easy to make, but it doesn't require numerous ingredients.

Besides salt and pepper, garlic, parmesan cheese, and rosemary are the only other items in the dish.

Make the dish with red bliss or new potatoes, as they have low starch content and are best for roasting.

Yukon Gold is the second choice as it stands between starchy and waxy.

2 - Garlic Bok Choy

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Want a dish that cooks fast? Bok choy with garlic in a skillet takes hardly ten minutes to cook.

It also makes an excellent side dish with grilled salmon - and works beautifully alongside grilled swordfish side ideas with bold flavors.

Bok choy is a variety of Chinese cabbage and a popular ingredient in Asian dishes.

Like many other veggies in the same family, you can eat it raw or cooked.

The dish uses sesame oil, soy sauce, and shallots, besides garlic and bok choy.

Baby bok choy has a milder flavor than adult ones, so you can use the former type.

Cut the veggie in half but don't chop it in pieces because the dish tastes better when whole.

3 - Oven Roasted Asparagus

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Crisp-tender asparagus roasted in the oven is one hell of a dish, and it matches grilled salmon nicely - it also complements grilled swordfish side ideas for simple pairings.

The veggie tastes excellent and nutritious, but it doesn't often receive much attention.

Even though salmon is a star dish, asparagus will also shine when you serve them together.

Adding too many ingredients to the dish can complicate it, so it's best to keep it simple.

Asparagus tastes best only in its prime, so choose fresh and tender veggie stalks.

Tips should be tightly closed, stalks firm and thick, and have deep and bright colors, whether white, green, or purple.

4 - Mashed Sweet Potatoes

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Not a dessert, mashed sweet potatoes offer a slightly sweet taste, so you'll have a lovely addition to your menu.

Of course, the dish also tastes good with grilled salmon - and provides a tasty contrast to grilled swordfish side ideas for sweet-savory balance.

Sweet potatoes are versatile, and you can enjoy them as savory and sweet dishes.

Even with mashed sweet potatoes, you can make it sweet or savory; either will taste yummy with the fatty fish.

If you opt for sweet, you only need milk, butter, sweet potatoes, honey, maple syrup, or sugar for extra sweetness.

5 - Black Bean and Corn Salad

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A salad can improve the flavor of a star dish even more, and it also adds freshness and cleanses your palate.

It is what black bean and corn salad do when you serve it with grilled salmon - add the same freshness to grilled swordfish side ideas for bright contrasts.

The salad has both cooked and raw elements, so you have diverse textures and flavors in one bowl, but they combine nicely.

It also has a sweet, tangy, and spicy flavor with juicy and crunchy textures.

Canned beans and frozen corn are convenient for the dish as you don't have to cook them again.

If you prefer fresh corn, choose those with moist and silky hair and consume them as soon as possible, or they will lose their natural sweetness and juiciness.

6 - Rice Pilaf

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A filling meal satisfies your hunger and allows you to experience lovely flavors.

Rice pilaf is a filling dish with a tasty accompaniment of grilled salmon - it also pairs well with grilled swordfish side ideas for hearty meals.

Hence, it will be unfair to leave the dish out.

Pilaf comes in a lot of varieties, depending on the region.

You can make the dish with or without meat, but chicken broth makes it more flavorful, so you must use that.

You can add veggies, raisins, herbs, and spices to improve the taste of not only pilaf but also salmon.

Rice also matters in pilaf, and the variety matters a lot.

Make the dish with aromatic basmati rice, and you'll have the perfect side dish.

7 - Creamy Cauliflower Mash

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Mashed potatoes make an incredible pairing with salmon, but cauliflower can be a suitable substitute if you don't want to include more spuds in your menu - it also pairs nicely with grilled swordfish side ideas for lighter mashes.

It's a healthy option and an easy dish to make.

It also needs only a handful of ingredients, including salt, pepper, olive oil, garlic, cream cheese, and parmesan cheese.

Cauliflower smells bad if overcooked, so make sure it's cooked perfectly.

It also tastes terrible if it isn't fresh, so choose pure white heads, packed tightly, and they should also be spotless.

8 - Sautéed Mushrooms

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Mushrooms have earthy and meaty flavors, and though not precisely vegetables, they're versatile and can take the place of veggies.

The fungi taste good with grilled salmon and together can make you full.

You can make sautéed mushrooms with any variety, but all may not be readily available.

So, you can use the button, cremini, or portabella mushrooms for the dish.

The fungi cook fast, so it saves you a lot of time.

Salt, pepper, butter, olive oil, and garlic make the mushrooms delicious.

Add some red wine vinegar and teriyaki sauce to improve the taste.

9 - Spaghetti with Pesto Sauce

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Adding another hearty dish with grilled salmon seems like a good idea if you're going to have many guests at the event you're hosting.

Everyone will have a full belly and also enjoy the flavors.

A simple spaghetti dish with pesto sauce is delicious and adds variety to your menu.

You can use ready-made noodles or even make them from scratch.

If you want to make the noodles dish a little more complex, add some tomatoes, garlic, and basil.

You can make the pesto sauce as usual, as it's perfect.

10 - Roasted Broccoli with Parmesan

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It's the last dish on the list but certainly not the least when it comes to taste.

Broccoli is naturally delicious, even when it's raw.

But roasting enhances its flavor even more.

Make the broccoli slightly charred on the edges for a bit of smokiness.

Salt, pepper, lemon juice, garlic, olive oil, and parmesan cheese will do the rest to make it yummy.

You can substitute Parmesan cheese with cotija or Asiago; you can also add kale or broccolini if you don't have enough broccoli florets.

Red pepper flakes can add some spiciness to the dish.

10 Quick Tips for Sides with Grilled Salmon

Serving grilled salmon will be fun now that you know about at least ten dishes to serve with the fish dish.

Include different items so that it stays interesting.

Serve mashed sweet potatoes, roasted broccoli, rice pilaf, or cauliflower mash with sautéed mushrooms and black bean and corn salad.

Grilled salmon is delicious and can be a suitable main dish at most of your events, so you must rotate the items every time, or monotony will set in after a while.

Many grilled seafood and meat mains share side dishes. grilled shrimp and scallops side pairings for seafood menus complements lighter fish, and grilled ham steak side ideas for hearty dinners matches richer, meat-forward menus.