Blackened Salmon Tacos

I cannot even begin to tell you the feeling I get when I cook salmon. The smell is my childhood. Reminiscing on weekends up in Long Beach, Washington reading a Baby-Sitters Club book I had bought for a dime at the neighbor’s garage sale and eating elephant ears at the carousel. My grandparents have a teeny, tiny fishing house up there and I spent a good portion of my holidays in that cramped cabin.

I remember one trip I snuck a small TV into the car right before we took off. My dad was weirdly obsessive about packing light so getting this TV to our destination was like smuggling drugs across the border. I felt guilty the whole way up but at the same time, we were no worse for the wear and no bombs detonated because we had an extra carry-on.

And to think, if I hadn’t snuck that Tiny-Tim TV in the back seat, we wouldn’t have been able to watch all the Ernest movies the local video store had to offer. You’re welcome, family. A lot of really great memories happened at that cabin. It saw me cheat for the first time in my life on a little game called Candy Land. My brother and I jumped off our first bridge into a creek with some townies. It saw two boyfriends, one of whom I decided to marry. I had s’mores for the first time in the fire pit. I had a firework explode in my face, and as a matter of fact, on a different occasion, saw my dad jump out of his Birkenstocks when a firework decided he was the prime directive.

It was a humble vessel, but facilitated many great things. Not to mention the food.

It was up to the men to catch the dinner and the women would shuck the corn, boil the Yukon Golds and warm up the pre-made, great-grandma’s oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. (Yes, you can expect that recipe is coming your way). By the time the boys came back with their fish and stories, we were only a salmon-gutting, seasoning, and cooking moment away from dinner. We left the skin on and bones in, and the filet would arrive on the plate in a “V” shape. Dinner was accompanied by a lot of talk about the fish that got away, which was of course, with my grandpa’s arms stretched out, “That big. I mean, it was a monster.”

When I smell salmon nothing but happy memories ensue. These Blackened Salmon Tacos are a little more adventurous than the meals eaten at the cabin, but none-the-less evoke some powerful memories. I created a quick, carrot, cabbage, shallot with a lime-cilantro vinaigrette salad to give freshness and a crunch to each bite. I wish that my mind could translate into words the experience you get by tasting these tacos but I’m afraid you will just have to try it yourself. I couldn’t even get through this photoshoot without pinching off a few bites of salmon here and there. Just-could-not-stop.

Blackened Salmon Tacos

Print Recipe

★★★★★

5 from 1 review

Blackened Salmon tacos recipe. Perfect for the whole family. Simple ingredients and easy execution, I’ve made it several times and still go back for more!

• Author: Karlee Flores
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 20 minutes
• Total Time: 35 minutes

Ingredients

|| Slaw ||

1 ½ cup carrots, julienned

1 ½ cup red cabbage, julienned

2 shallots, julienned and rinsed

1 cup cilantro, fresh and with stems

Juice of 2 limes

¼ cup olive oil

1 tablespoon white wine vinegar

½ teaspoon salt

1 garlic clove

|| Dry Rub || 

2 teaspoons paprika

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon brown sugar

1 teaspoon garlic powder

½ teaspoon thyme, dried

1/ teaspoon onion powder

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

|| Blackened Salmon ||

1 pound salmon steak, de-skinned and de-boned

3 tablespoons canola oil

2 tablespoons agave

20-25 Corn tortillas

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Instructions

|| Slaw || Julienne (slice very thin) carrots, red cabbage, and shallots and set in a medium bowl. I rinsed the shallots to make sure they weren’t too potent. Take the bundle of cilantro, lime juice, white wine vinegar, garlic clove, and salt and place in a Vitamix® or food processor and run on medium speed until it comes together (about 1 minute), then drizzle the olive oil in. It will start to look creamy.

Pour the cilantro vinaigrette into the julienned veggies. Stir the slaw together and then refrigerate up to one day.

|| Dry Rub || Mix all the dry ingredients together in a small bowl to create the rub.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Take the salmon steak and put one tablespoon agave on one side of the fillet and brush all over the steak until it’s covered. Sprinkle half of the dry rub on the salmon leaving no part untouched. Turn the salmon over and repeat.

Using a large, cast iron skillet, heat the oil over medium to high heat. As soon as the oil starts to smoke, place the salmon in the pan presentation side down. Continue to cook the salmon for five minutes on each side and then place in the preheated oven for 10 minutes or until the center is no longer pink. Cooking times will very depending on the thickness of the salmon and the temperature of your oven. Cook until you feel it’s cooked enough, but it will dry out if you leave it in too long. Remember to purchase only the freshest salmon to get the best results.

Notes

I used 3 parts mayonnaise and 1 part sriracha for an additional kick of flavor and creaminess. It’s not needed, but definitely recommended! YUM.

Keywords: blackened salmon, cajun, family, fish, taco tuesday, tacos