I was recently hired by The Salmon Council to develop a salmon recipe. I was trying to decide between salmon tacos or salmon with a balsamic glaze and just couldn’t settle on which recipe to pursue. I took the dilemma to Facebook (as one does) and the votes overwhelmingly came in for salmon tacos, so I decided to give them a whirl!
The Salmon Council did not hire me to do a blog post, but this recipe turned out so yummy I had to share it with you! Holy smokes, folks. Deeeeeeeeeeelicious. Seriously, this salmon was flavored beautifully, with a nice balance of salty, spicy and sweet. The texture of the fish was perfect and it paired wonderfully with the slaw on the tacos. Basically just super duper yummy food going on here.
Without further ado, the recipe!
- 1 to 1.25 pound salmon fillet, skin on
- 1 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1½ tablespoons brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cumin
- ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder
- ⅛ teaspoon onion powder
- 1 16-ounce package prepared coleslaw mix (no dressing)
- ¼ cup lime juice
- 1 tablespoon white vinegar
- 3 teaspoons granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ½ cup chopped cilantro
- 1 jalapeño, ribs and seeds removed, finely chopped
- 8 flour tortillas
- Additional toppings optional: sour cream, avocado
- Heat grill to medium-high heat, about 500º F.
- Mix together brown sugar, ½ teaspoon salt, paprika, ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper, cumin, garlic powder and onion powder.
- Rinse salmon fillet and pat dry with paper towels. Remove pin bones if present. Brush skin of salmon with olive oil. Lay salmon skin side down on a piece of foil that extends about 4 inches out from every side from filet, crimping the edges of the foil up so the foil can contain the juices while grilling.
- Sprinkle brown sugar-spice mixture over the flesh side of salmon, pressing evenly over the surface.
- Place foil with the salmon on the grill and close the grill cover. Let cook about 10-15 minutes, or until salmon starts to "ooze" what looks like mayonnaise and the flesh starts to pull apart easily. Remove from grill. (Note: salmon should be grilled on the foil. You won't get pretty grill marks but you won't need them since the salmon will be broken up for the tacos. The foil will catch all of the run-off from the brown sugar rub and the salmon cooks just as well with the foil.)
- While salmon is grilling, mix together the lime juice, vinegar, granulated sugar, ½ teaspoon salt, ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper, cilantro and jalapeño. In a large bowl toss the coleslaw mix with the dressing.
- When salmon is done cooking, pull off pieces from the fillet and place on heated tortilla along with the slaw. Eat! Feel free to add other toppings like avocado and sour cream as well!
- Makes approximately 8 tacos, with leftover slaw to be served on the side.
Hi! My name is Jane Maynard and you've landed yourself on my blog, This Week for Dinner™. Every Sunday I share a weekly menu...and count on you to share yours! You'll also find other deliciousness that I hope you'll enjoy!
Looks so delicious!!
it really is and I’m wishing I had some RIGHT NOW! 🙂
Where would I find coleslaw mix?
in the bagged salad section! there are mixes that come with and without salad dressing – you should grab the kind that does NOT have dressing included. 🙂
My husband would love this dish. Excited to try it!!
These tacos were incredible! Will definitely be adding them to our taco rotation. I am also sending the recipe to my daughter.
so glad you loved them! thank you for commenting!
I made this tonight and it was beyond fabulous. Instead of a bag of coleslaw, I used the spinach growing in my garden. I was nervous about the cayenne so I used just a smidge. I made homemade tacos. So delicious!