A Californian/Caribbean spin on fish tacos. Healthy, high in omega-3 salmon is paired with colorful, flavorful, and healthy salsa. Olive oil and avocados provide more healthy fats. Cook salmon with the skin on for a collagen boost.
Be sure to buy wild and not farmed salmon. Farmed salmon is bad for our oceans and the meat is gray and is artificially colored orange. Wild salmon has been sustainably managed in Alaska for quite some time now.
Caught using trolling lines off the coast of northern California, King (Chinook) salmon is a Seafood Watch “Good Alternative.”
Soft tacos are one of my favorite foods. They can be made in so many different ways with so many different ingredients. I fell in love with fish tacos in Mexico where I have visited many times. We get a lot of great, fresh salmon here in the Pacific Northwest. Be sure when you buy salmon whether fresh or frozen that is wild and not farmed. Farmed salmon is bad for the ocean and the flesh is gray so they have to artificially color it with orange. Alaska has a very healthy and sustainable wild salmon fishery because they have worked so hard at it over many years.
Be sure to zest the lime before you cut it!
EQUIPMENT: cast iron pan, fish flipper, wooden cutting block, chef’s knife
Pan Seared Salmon Tacos and Mango Salsa
Cuisine: Californian, Caribbean, MexicanDifficulty: Easy4
servings30
minutes10
minutesA Californian/Caribbean spin on fish tacos. Healthy, high in omega-3 salmon is paired with colorful, flavorful, and healthy salsa. Olive oil and avocados provide more healthy fats.
Ingredients
- Mango Salsa
1 ripe but firm mango
1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped organic red or heirloom tomatoes
1/4 cup chopped red onion
1 jalapeno, finely diced
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 fresh lime, juiced
sea salt
- Salmon Tacos
1 lb salmon filets with skin
2 teaspoons chipotle chile powder, divided
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
sea salt to taste
freshly ground black peppercorns
1/2 fresh lime, juiced
1 lime, zested
1 cup shredded red cabbage
8 corn tortillas
1 avocado, thinly sliced into wedges
2 limes, cut into wedges for serving
Directions
- Mango Salsa
- Cut off the the very bottom of the mango so that it will sit upright on a cutting board. Use a vegetable peeler to remove the skin. Starting at the top, slice down the mango lengthwise along the seed on both sides. You should now have two really nice pieces of mango. There may be mango left on the seed. I just gnaw on it, haha. Cut the two mango pieces into bite-sized cubes.
- Combine all of the ingredients in a medium sized bowl and season to taste with salt. Be careful with the salt, you can always add more later. Set aside (can be made ahead of time and kept in the refrigerator).
- Salmon Tacos
- Pat salmon dry with paper towels to get crispy skin. Season the non-skin side of the salmon with 1 teaspoon of the chipotle chili powder, salt, and pepper.
- Place a cast iron pan over a medium-high heat and add the oil. Once it starts to shimmer, place the salmon skin side up in the skillet. Sauté for 4 to 5 minutes or until the part touching the pan has a golden brown crust and the salmon can be easily separated from the pan with a fish flipper. Carefully turn the salmon over. Squeeze lime juice over. Sprinkle with lime zest. Sauté for another 3 to 4 minutes, until salmon is opaque and the skin is crispy and releases easily from the pan. Be careful not to overcook it.
- Remove fish from pan and set aside to rest.
- Heat the tortillas on both sides in the dry pan over high heat, wiping it with the paper towel if needed.
- Stack two tortillas, arrange red cabbage, and place pieces of salmon inside. Top with a large spoonful of mango salsa and sprinkle remaining chipotle chili powder over, to taste. Repeat with the remaining tortillas, salmon, and salsa.
- Garnish with wedges of avocado and limes.
