Salmon Tinga With Cherry Tomatoes

Salmon Tinga With Cherry Tomatoes

Tinga comes from the Nahuatl word “tingatl,” meaning something shredded, messy, or all mixed up — basically a delicious stewed guisado of shredded meat (chicken, pork, or beef) cooked with tomatoes, onions, and chipotle chiles. While tinga originated in the Mexican state of Puebla, it's now a beloved classic all over the country, with every region adding its own twist. Salmon works beautifully here because it roasts gently in a hot oven in mere minutes, emerging perfectly flaky and juicy. Meanwhile, the classic tinga sauce comes together on the stove: rich tomato and chipotle, toasted cumin, softened onions and garlic, finished with a splash of apple cider vinegar that wakes everything up. A swirl of crema and a handful of crunchy greens brings it together. Serve the saucy salmon with the greens for a light dinner, or tuck it into warm corn tortillas for a quick fish taco night. Stack it high on a crunchy tostada, or serve it straight as a guisado alongside rice.

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

4 (8-ounce) skinless salmon fillets, or 1 (2-pound) skinless salmon fillet, preferably center-cut

4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided 

Fine sea salt and freshly ground pepper

2 teaspoons ground cumin

2 dried bay leaves

1 medium red onion, thinly sliced into half moons

4 garlic cloves, finely chopped

12 ounces cherry tomatoes, halved

2 canned chipotles, from a can of chipotles in adobo, finely chopped

1 (15-ounce) can crushed tomatoes 

1¼ cups vegetable broth or water

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

½ teaspoon sugar

2 large limes, zested and juiced (about ¼ cup juice)

6 ounces tender crunchy greens, such as Little Gems, endive or romaine hearts (about 6 cups), torn

½ cup crema Mexicana, or sour cream thinned out with water 

½ cup roughly chopped fresh cilantro or parsley (leaves and tender stems)

12 corn tortillas or tostadas, or rice pilaf, for serving (optional)

Heat oven to 425 degrees. In a large baking dish, coat salmon fillets with 2 tablespoons olive oil and season lightly with salt and pepper. Roast the salmon until it is just opaque throughout and cooked to medium, depending on the thickness, 10 to 12 minutes for individual fillets (or 16 to 20 minutes for one large piece).

While the salmon roasts, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a large stainless steel skillet with high sides (or a large enameled Dutch oven) over medium-low heat. Add cumin and toast, stirring constantly, until fragrant and starting to darken, 1 to 2 minutes. Add bay leaves, half of the onions (reserve half for serving) and garlic, season with salt, and cook, stirring often, until the onions soften, 5 minutes. Add cherry tomatoes and raise the heat to medium-high. Cook, tossing occasionally, until the tomatoes soften, 5 minutes. 

Stir in chipotles, crushed tomatoes, broth, vinegar and sugar, then season with salt. Bring to a simmer, then adjust the heat to low for a gentle simmer. Cover partially with a lid, and cook, stirring occasionally (scraping the sides to prevent scorching), until the sauce is slightly reduced, 10 to 15 minutes. Taste and add more salt, pepper, or chipotles in adobo if you prefer it spicier. Turn off the heat and discard bay leaves.

Toss the reserved onions with lime zest and juice in a medium bowl, and season with salt and pepper.

Transfer salmon to a large serving platter and spoon tinga sauce over the fillet, or serve straight from the baking dish. Top with greens, drizzle with crema or sour cream, top with the citrusy onions and sprinkle with cilantro. Serve with tortillas, tostadas or rice pilaf, if you’d like.

TIP: Agree with the suggestion to skip the lettuce. I used 3-4 tsp of chipotle sauce bc I couldn’t find the chipotles, and I also poured a lot of the excess lime juice from the lime onions into the sauce at the final salt and pepper stage to add a little more zip. Served with a basic box of rice pilaf and tortillas — both good, but particularly liked the rice with the sauce. The whole family loved it!

The sauce and citrus onions were great, but the lettuce didn’t quite make sense in context. We used sockeye—a milder option like coho or steelhead would be a better fit. Still cleaned our plates!