When I visited a friend in Northern California years ago, she took me out for a local delicacy- fish tacos. I was dubious but to my sincere surprise, I absolutely loved them. With growing confidence in my ability to cook fish and a ripe avocado and mango that I needed to find a quick use for, I decided to be brave and try salmon tacos.
I'm so glad I did because they were DELICIOUS. They are much lighter than the deep fried fish tacos I remember but that's probably a good thing. They are fresh, clean and oh-so flavourful. The fish was so good that Jeff and I both couldn't help sneaking a few bites while assembling our tacos. We can't wait to have it again. To make this dish a little fancier, skip the tortillas and serve the salmon as whole fillets topped with the salsa.
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| the finished product, made with white flesh Chinook salmon |
serves 3 (makes 6 medium or 4 large tacos)
1 mango, diced
2 green onions or 1/4 red onion, diced
2 Tablespoons cilantro, finely chopped
juice and zest of 1 lime
1/2 jalapeño pepper, diced (optional)
salt to taste
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 pound salmon (~2 6oz fillets), skin removed
olive oil
soft tortillas (corn or wheat)
1 large avocado, diced
sour cream
To make the salsa: Combine the diced mango, onion, cilantro, lime juice, lime zest, jalapeño and salt. Stir to combine and set aside (the avocado will be added just before assembling the tacos).
To prepare the fish: Combine chili powder, garlic powder, paprika, brown sugar, cayenne and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a small bowl. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Once the pan is hot, brush one side of the salmon flesh lightly with olive oil, then sprinkle generously with the spice mix (using about a half of the spice mix). Place salmon in the pan, spiced side down. Brush olive oil on other side of the salmon fillets and sprinkle with remaining spice mix. Cook 3-4 minutes on each side or until salmon is cooked through and flakes easily with a fork. As always, be careful not to overcook! Remove from pan and set aside to rest for a minute or two.
While the salmon cooks and rests, warm the tortillas in the oven and add the diced avocado to the salsa. To assemble the tacos, first break the fish fillets into smaller pieces- you can chop it but I just flaked it with a fork. Spread a scant teaspoon of sour cream over the tortilla then top with chunks of salmon and avocado mango salsa.
