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Simple weeknight Salmon Tacos come together in 30 minutes featuring a baked salmon fillet seasoned with a homemade spice blend, layered into soft, warm corn tortillas with crunchy cabbage, creamy avocado, and smooth crema.
These salmon tacos are a mouthwatering fusion of flavors! Juicy salmon paired with a zesty kick of chili and refreshing cabbage, all tucked into a soft, warm tortilla. This recipe creates an easy weekday meal that you can whip up in under 30 minutes.
Table of Contents
Salmon Taco Ingredients
- Salmon Fillet: this recipe was tested using farm raised salmon, this tends to be fattier cuts of salmon. If you are cooking wild caught salmon you will need to adjust the cooking time down to avoid overcooking, since wild caught is leaner.
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil: used to help adhere the spice blend to the salmon.
- Seasoning Blend: the main flavoring of this blend is the Chili powder, our favorite store bought brand is Gebhardt’s, of course you can use any brand of mild chili powder or use a homemade blend. Other seasonings include chipotle chili powder, onion and garlic powder, and salt.
Reduce the Spice
To reduce the spice/heat of the salmon used in these tacos, swap the chipotle chili powder for paprika.
Taco Assembly Ingredients
- Cabbage: fresh cabbage adds a nice healthy crisp texture. You can sub with a fish taco slaw also.
- Avocado: Smooth and creamy, the avocado pairs nicely with the slight heat from the salmon seasoning.
- Cilantro: Fresh diced cilantro will add a nice herby flavoring.
- Corn Tortillas: Our favorite tortillas for tacos are typically corn. You can use white or yellow corn tortillas. To save time, use store-bought; however, homemade corn tortillas will take these tacos to the next level!
- Queso Fresco: use crumbled queso fresco or Cotija Cheese, if needed you can sub with Feta cheese.
- Crema: use a regular Mexican Crema or add some flavorings such as this lime crema or red pepper crema.
How to Make Salmon Tacos
- Rub the salmon fillet with olive oil and sprinkle evenly with the seasoning mixture.
- Bake the salmon for approximately 14 minutes, or until cooked through with an internal temperature of 145 degrees F. The salmon should easily flake with a fork.
- Layer up your tacos with corn tortillas, fresh cabbage, creamy avocado slices, crumbled queso fresco, cold crema and chopped cilantro.
Warming Tortillas
Warm up your tortillas to help prevent breaking. To heat on the stovetop, place them directly over your gas burner and flip them with a set of tongs until soft, pliable and lightly charred on the edges. Or you can use a skillet, placing the tortillas on the skillet and flipping until just warmed to be nice and soft.
possible Variations
- Spicy Salmon Tacos: want to amp up the heat? Simply add a bit more chipotle chili powder.
- Not Salmon Tacos: feel free to swap out the salmon for another fish if desired, check out our Healthy Cod Fish Tacos or make some Grilled Fish Tacos.
- Cooking method: this salmon can easily be cooked in a pan for a pan seared salmon taco, or even grilled.
Salmon Taco Toppings
These salmon fillets are infused with delicious, traditional Mexican-inspired flavors that make them perfect for creating a variety of tasty taco combinations.
I love adding creamy fish taco slaw to my tacos, but you can also choose to add other fresh or zesty toppings to make them even more delicious. Some of our favorites include:
- Squeeze of fresh lime juice
- Red onion, fresh or pickled
- Pineapple Salsa
- Avocado Crema
- Cilantro Lime Crema
- Chipotle Crema
- Roasted Corn Salsa
- Mango Salsa
- Fish Taco Sauce
- Avocado Salsa
- Texas Caviar
What to serve with these tacos
- Rice: Cilantro Lime Rice or Green Rice are great options for serving alongside seafood.
- Beans: refried black beans, charro beans or borracho beans.
Storage Information
- Storage: Store leftover salmon in an airtight storage container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
- To Reheat: bake leftover salmon on a baking sheet in the oven at 350 degrees F.
- Freezing: it is not recommended to freeze cooked salmon since this would change the flavor and texture of the fish.
Salmon Tacos FAQ
These tacos are loaded with nutritious benefits including Omega-3’s, protein, and potassium. Plus topping the tacos with avocado and cabbage adds additional healthy fats, vitamins B and C, and fiber. Overall, these tacos will provide a nicely balanced meal.
Absolutely. The recipe is written for baking the salmon, which is a nice quick and easy way to cook it. If you would prefer you can grill the salmon or sear it in a skillet on the stovetop. Whichever cooking method you choose, salmon should be cooked to an internal temperature of 145 degrees F.
No, these tacos are plenty flavorful thanks to a quick and simple seasoning rub. There is no need to marinade the salmon before cooking it.
More Taco Recipes
For side dish ideas make sure you check out our recipe list What to Serve with Tacos.
Simple Salmon Tacos
Ingredients
- 1 pound salmon fillet
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil
- ¼ teaspoon chipotle chili powder
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
Tacos
- corn tortillas
- cabbage shredded
- avocado sliced
- cilantro chopped
- queso fresco crumbled
- crema
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Spray a baking sheet with oil and place the salmon on the sheet, skin side down.
- In a small bowl combine the chipotle chili powder, chili powder, salt, garlic and onion powders.
- Drizzle the avocado oil on top of the salmon filet and spread to coat the surface of the salmon.
- Sprinkle the seasonings on top in an even layer. Use your hands as needed to ensure the top of the salmon is coated with the seasoning mixture.
- Bake the salmon for approximately 14 minutes or until cooked through. Salmon is done when it is opaque and easily flakes with a fork.
- Remove the salmon from the oven, slice or flake the salmon into chunks, discarding the skin, and assemble the tacos.
- Warm the tortillas on a skillet or over a gas burner, char the edges of the tortillas if desired. Warming the tortillas prevents them from breaking.
- Layer cabbage, the cooked salmon, sliced avocado, chopped cilantro, crumbled queso fresco and top with a drizzle of crema.
- Serve immediately and enjoy.
Equipment
Notes
- Storage: Store leftover salmon in an airtight storage container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
- To Reheat: bake leftover salmon on a baking sheet in the oven at 350 degrees F.
- Freezing: it is not recommended to freeze cooked salmon since this would change the flavor and texture of the fish.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Photography by the talented @ModernFarmhouseEats
