Salmon Fish Tacos

There is nothing like the sight of a freshly made mini taco, whether it's a street taco with beef or chicken or my personal favorite...the glorious fish taco! Nothing compares to squeezing that fresh lime juice over a bed of perfectly seasoned fish, crunchy cabbage and flavorful pico de gallo.

 

Now most fish tacos are made with a flaky white fish like tilapia, but I prefer my little taco babies with salmon. Thanks to my mom, I can honestly say that I can cook a pretty mean salmon. If cooked the right way, salmon is flaky, tender and not overpoweringly fishy. Plus I like the extra meatiness that salmon lends to the otherwise light fish taco.

 

Paired with a deliciously limey cabbage slaw, some fresh pico de gallo and my Simply Guac these tacos will be gone before you even have time to heat up some more tortillas. Join in this fresh fish fiesta!

 

 

Salmon Fish Tacos

 

Ingredients:

12 thin corn tortillas or 6 thicker

1 1/2 pound salmon filet

1 tablespoon McCormick taco seasoning

4 tablespoons lime juice, divided

3 cups shredded green cabbage

2 tablespoons mayonnaise

dash of salt

1 cup shredded cheese of your choice

1 recipe Pico de Gallo (2 diced tomatoes, 2 tablespoons diced onion, 1/2 finely chopped and seeded jalapeno, 1/4 teaspoon sugar, 1 teaspoon lime juice, 2 tablespoons freshly chopped cilantro, dash of salt)

2 limes cut into 12 wedges

 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Prepare salmon by spraying an 8 X 8 casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray. Lay filet skin side down in dish. Season top with taco seasoning. Drizzle 1 tablespoon lime juice over top. Bake in oven for 20 minutes until salmon lightly flakes.

 

 

2. While salmon is baking prepare pico de gallo by chopping tomatoes, onions, jalapeno and cilantro and adding to a small mixing bowl. Add lime juice, sugar and salt and mix all together. Chill in fridge until ready to serve. If you can make this ahead of time, it tastes best after chilled a few hours.

 

 

3. Prepare cabbage slaw by mixing mayonnaise, dash of salt and 3 tablespoons remaining lime juice. Add in cabbage and toss until completely coated in dressing.



 

4. Warm corn tortillas over medium low heat on a skillet. Arrange tacos by taking two thin tortillas stacked, or one thicker tortilla, and placing fish, cabbage slaw, pica de gallo and cheese on top. You may also garnish with guacamole and salsa. Squeeze with extra limes if desired.

 

Serves 6

 



Quinoa Salmon Salad

So without further ado, here is my first recipe for a very healthy and very flavorful Quinoa Salmon Salad. This is one of Ben's favorite meals! He took me to eat at a trendy restaurant in Phoenix. He of course ordered the burger of all burgers and I opted for this healthy, super foods kind of meal. It was so heavenly that I just had to recreate my own version. And boy am I glad that I did. Even the kiddos can't get enough of this meal. So yummy!

 

Quinoa Salmon Salad

 

Ingredients:1 cup quinoa
2 cups vegetable stock
1 lb. salmon filet
1/4 cup soy sauce
6 thinly sliced radishes
1/2 cucumber, thinly sliced
1 large avocado, sliced
1/2 cup shelled edamame
1/4 cup coarsely chopped pistachios
Sweet Chili Vinaigrette (recipe below)

Quinoa:
Rinse quinoa until water becomes translucent. Bring quinoa and vegetable stock to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to low. Boil for 15-17 minutes or until most of the liquid is absorbed. Fluff and chill in the fridge for at least two hours. I love making this in the morning because I can just stick it right in the fridge and it is one less step that I have to worry about when making dinner in the evening.

Salmon: Marinate in soy sauce for 30 minutes before cooking. Sprinkle some salt and pepper on top. Bake at 375⁰ for 20-30 minutes until it barely flakes. A fillet that fills an 8X8 pan would take about 20 minutes and a fillet that fills a 9X13 pan would take about 25-30 minutes. I love a grilled flavor, so you may do that as well. We use the trusty George Foreman grill we got 10 years ago as newly weds. It takes 6 minutes to cook the salmon through. Do not overcook salmon! It should have just a slight hint of shine in the middle when it is done.

Sweet Chili Vinaigrette: enough dressing to serve 4-6. Great on salads too.
4 tablespoons rice vinegar
4 tablespoons sweet Thai chili sauce (may not find at Walmart, but is in most grocery stores in the Asian isle)
2 teaspoons sesame oil
½ teaspoon sugar
½ teaspoon granulated garlic
salt to taste

Combine all ingredients and stir well. Chill in fridge before serving.

Assembly: (this meal serves four, so divide evenly among four plates)
Layer radishes and cucumbers at bottom of plate. Scoop quinoa over top. Drizzle 2 tablespoons dressing over. Place salmon over quinoa. Place edamame around edges of plate. Top salmon with slices of avocado. Add 1-2 more tablespoons of dressing over top of salmon. Garnish with chopped pistachios.