These salmon tacos are a great opportunity to use the odds and ends of your refrigerator. If you have tomatoes, cucumber or avocados on their last limb, this is the time to try out this recipe!
If you have never had fish tacos before….what are you doing? These babies are DELICIOUS. Yes, salmon tends to be more expensive than ground beef or chicken, but if you have room in the budget every once in a while, I would definitely try these. Much more exciting than rice and asparagus on a plate 😉
These tacos are easy and only take about 35 minutes to prepare from start to finish. I used a single fry pan to prepare the peppers and onions, and then I used it again to make the salmon. Salmon cooks up quickly, so be sure to keep your eye on it!
The cabbage slaw
Okay this part is critical: if you do not like coleslaw, I think you will like this anyway. I don’t know about you, but I think some restaurants make nasty coleslaw. You know what I’m talking about – the very runny, almost milky looking stuff on your plate that is colliding with your fries and making everything soggy. It does not have to be this way!!
Cabbage is crispy and I think it should stay that way. I only used white cabbage since that is what I had on hand, but red cabbage will totally work too. I also bought my cabbage pre-shredded, and it was quite affordable from Trader Joe’s.
For the sauce, I only used a touch of mayonnaise, some dijon, olive oil and apple cider vinegar. It makes the slaw much more crispy, tangy and NOT drippy. It will also hold overnight in the fridge if you have leftovers.
If you are worried about watery slaw, you can rinse and salt your cabbage to prevent this from happening. You can read more about this process in this Mashed article I found!
Torch the tortillas
If you have a gas stove, it’s really easy to crisp up the corn tortillas before serving. Just be careful!
Using tongs, feel free to plop a tortilla on the burner grate and turn the heat down to low. Keep a close eye on the tortilla, you will need to flip it after 15-20 seconds.
If you are doing it right, the tortilla should be hovering just a tiny bit over the flame, and the edges will slowly start to curl in as it gets hot. Before it bends too much (don’t let it directly touch the fire), flip it with some tongs. The edges should have some dark brown marks but it should not appear burnt.
Toppings for the salmon tacos
I went with cucumber, parsley and a greek yogurt topping that is an easy substitute for sour cream (directions are in the recipe). I also planned to use avocado but they actually turned brown too quickly :(.
You likely won’t have much real estate left in there for anything else but if you want to go the extra mile, fresh salsa or corn sounds pretty good. But in this case, I’d take a double serving of the slaw!!
And that’s pretty much it! If you decide to keep leftovers, be sure to separate the salmon from the other items so they don’t get fishy!
Looking for other fast finger food? Try my Pesto Pizza with Brussels, Arugula and Brie or my Oven Baked Barbecue Chicken Legs.
Salmon Tacos with Slaw and Peppers
Equipment
- sharp knife
- cutting board
- 2 bowls (one medium one small)
- medium fry pan
- tongs
Ingredients
Tacos
- 1 lb fresh salmon such as Atlantic or sockeye
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp honey
- ⅓ cup white onion sliced thin
- 1 red bell pepper cored and sliced
- 8 medium corn tortillas
- ⅓ cucumber chopped, for serving
- crumbled feta for serving
- salt and pepper
- parsley for serving
Cabbage slaw
- 1 cup white cabbage shredded
- 8 baby carrots finely chopped
- 1 tbsp dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp mayonnaise
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 4 tbsp olive oil
Cream Topping
- ¼ cup plain greek yogurt
- ½ lemon juice and zest needed
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- Chop up your onions, peppers and carrots. In a medium fry pan, heat a tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and peppers and toss with a pinch of salt and pepper. Saute the veggies for about seven minutes, until the onions look soft and brown and the peppers appear crispy. Remove the veggies to a separate plate and set aside.
- Add another tablespoon of olive oil to the pan and then add the salmon. Season the salmon with a pinch of salt and pepper and cook over medium heat for about four minutes and then flip it. As it continues to cook, shred the salmon with a fork. Drizzle one tablespoon of honey over the meat and mix it in as the salmon continues to cook. Once it appears cooked through, remove the pan from the heat.
- To make the slaw, add the mayonnaise, apple cider vinegar, and olive oil to a medium bowl. Stir to combine. Add the cabbage and chopped carrot and mix together.
- To make the cream sauce, add the zest and juice of half a lemon to a bowl with the plain greek yogurt. Add a pinch of salt and stir together. Add one tablespoon of olive oil to thin if you prefer.
- Toast the corn tortillas. Using tongs or oven mitts, place a corn tortilla directly on a burner over low heat. Let sit for 15 seconds and then flip it to the other side and repeat. Carefully remove the tortilla from the heat and place on a plate to cool.
- Assemble the tacos by placing salmon in the tortilla, followed with peppers and onions and the cabbage slaw. Top with the cream sauce, avocado, feta and parsley if desired. Enjoy!
Nathan
Fantastic!