These spicy salmon tacos are so easy to make and are healthy too! They're perfect for using up leftover cooked salmon or canned salmon and taste amazing topped with sliced avocado.
Ok team, it's time for some quick tacos. I'm talking 20 minutes until dinner's on the table 😍
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A few weeks ago Will and I had my sister and her family round for lunch. We decided to go a little fancy for the occasion and cook a whole salmon.
We'd never tried cooking a fish that big before and it was a lot of fun to stuff it and bake it and it definitely made an impressive centrepiece!
One of the other benefits of cooking a whole salmon was that there were a lot of leftovers. Like a lot. One night we made a version of my 15 minute salmon pasta and then we still had enough left for another dinner.
After about 0.2 seconds of consideration we went with tacos because there is basically nothing better and we soon discovered that leftover salmon makes THE BEST tacos.
We kept it really simple. We fried some garlic and spices, chucked in the salmon and heated it through. Then just served it in some yummy charred tortillas with plenty of our favourite taco toppings.
These were honestly some of the best tacos I've had in ages. Spicy, filling and delicious!
Why we love these salmon tacos:
- They can be made with leftover salmon or even canned salmon if you prefer
- They're a healthy dinner option with just a handful of ingredients needed
- You can control the spice levels by adjusting how much chilli powder you add to the salmon
- These tacos are topped with pickled red onions which are one of my all time favourite things (and I add to many recipes including spicy tofu sandwiches, mushroom wraps and Baked Tofu Bowl with Gochujang)
Salmon Tacos Ingredients:
All you need to make these salmon tacos is:
- Spices: I like to use crushed garlic, cumin, coriander, smoked paprika and chilli powder for these salmon tacos to give them plenty of spicy Mexican flavour. Use any leftovers in these huevos rancheros baked eggs
- Salmon: We used leftover salmon for these tacos but if you don't have any you could use canned salmon or just quickly roast a couple of fillets. If you want more ways to use salmon try one of these other salmon recipes
- Tortillas: We use the mini white tortillas and like to char them up over the stove flame. If you prefer then use wholewheat or corn tortillas
- Toppings: We added sliced avocado, fresh coriander (cilantro), sour cream and some quickly pickled red onion (recipe is included below!)
Quick Pickled Red Onions Ingredients:
- Red Onion: To make a small batch of these pickled red onion I just used one onion but if you love them (which you will!) then feel free to double the batch and keep them in the fridge to put on everything.
- Sugar and Salt: Caster sugar and table salt work fine.
- Flavourings: You can really add any herbs or spices you like. I kept my version simple for this with just some peppercorns but go ahead and add a dried chilli or some thyme if you fancy it.
Salmon Tacos Instructions:
- Prepare the salmon: Heat the olive oil and fry the garlic for a couple of minutes then add the spices and fry for a little longer before adding the salmon. Heat through.
- Assemble the tacos: Serve the salmon in soft tortillas with your choice of toppings.
Quick Pickled Red Onions Instructions:
- Blanch the onions: Put the red onion in a sieve and pour boiling water over them and leave to drain over the sink.
- Make the pickling liquid: Mix together the salt and sugar with cider vinegar and add the onions and the peppercorns.
- Leave to cool: Set aside until ready to use.
See how super easy these fish tacos are? They're one of those dream weeknight recipes that I always want to make! If you want more 20 minute recipes then try some of these delicious dinner recipes!
Plus you can easily mix it up with some of the below variations.
Salmon Tacos Variations:
There are so many yummy ways to change up these tacos!
- Use a different type of fish: If you have another leftover fish then feel free to switch the salmon for that
- Try some different toppings: an avocado salsa would be delicious, a yoghurt sauce or just a squeeze of lime juice would add even more flavour
Are salmon tacos good for you?
These salmon tacos are so light and healthy. Salmon is really good for you and then you just add a some spices and healthy toppings. That's one of my favourite things about Mexican food, it's so easy to keep it light!
Want more? Try these other salmon recipes!
- Sweet Potato Salmon Croquettes
- Oven Cooked Salmon with Tomato & Garlic Sauce
- Garlic Butter Baked Salmon
- 15 Minute Salmon Burgers with Garlic Yoghurt
- Peanut Salmon Noodles with Pak Choi
Recipe
Salmon Tacos with Quick Pickled Red Onions
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon Olive Oil
- 1 clove Garlic crushed
- 1 teaspoon Cumin
- 1 teaspoon Coriander (Cilantro)
- 1 teaspoon Smoked Paprika
- 1 teaspoon Chilli Powder
- 400 g Cooked Salmon flaked or use tinned
- 8 Soft Tortillas
- 1 Avocado sliced
- Bunch Coriander leaves picked
- Sour Cream to serve
For the Quick Pink Pickled Onion
- 1 Red Onion thinly sliced
- ½ teaspoon Sugar
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 150 ml Cider Vinegar
- 5 Peppercorns
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil over a medium heat then add the garlic and fry for a couple of minutes before adding the spices and the salmon. Cook for a couple of minutes just until heated through.
- Serve the salmon in the tortillas topped with the avocado slices, sour cream, coriander leaves and pickled red onions.
- Put the sliced red onion in a sieve and pour over a kettles worth of boiling water, leave to drain over the sink. Mix the vinegar, salt and sugar together in a jar and add the onion slices. Add a couple of peppercorns and set aside to cool.
Notes
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Sara | Belly Rumbles says
Pickled red onions are so tasty, love this quick pickle. They go so well with salmon too. Make it into a taco, winner winner!