These flavorful Salmon Tacos feature tender, Cajun-blackened salmon tucked into warm tortillas with crunchy citrus-fennel slaw, creamy avocado, tangy pickled onions, and a delicious taco sauce. Fresh, colorful, and easy to make, they’re perfect for a healthy weeknight dinner!
These Salmon Tacos are bursting with flavor! Tender, flaky salmon is coated in Cajun spices and quickly blackened in a skillet, then tucked into warm tortillas with crunchy citrus-fennel slaw, smashed avocado, tangy pickled onions, and a drizzle of creamy taco sauce.
What I love most is the contrast of flavors and textures: smoky, spicy salmon, bright citrus, crisp vegetables, and cool, creamy avocado. Every bite is a little different!
The pickled onions and taco sauce can be made ahead, making these beautiful, restaurant-worthy tacos surprisingly easy to pull together on a weeknight.
These tacos are absolutely delicious. I made them last night and everyone loved them. The pickled onions and Peruvian green sauce really take them to the next level. Thanks for another winner, Sylvia!
Why You’ll Love These Salmon Tacos
- Big, bold flavor! Cajun-blackened salmon is smoky and slightly spicy, balanced by a bright, citrusy cabbage-fennel slaw.
- Fresh and colorful! Creamy avocado, crunchy vegetables, tangy pickled onions, and a delicious taco sauce make every bite irresistible.
- Easy to make ahead. Prep the pickled onions, slaw ingredients, and creamy sauce in advance, then quickly sear the salmon just before serving
Salmon Taco Ingredients
- Salmon - Choose skinless wild salmon or sustainably raised farmed salmon. King or sockeye salmon both work beautifully.
- Cajun seasoning - Gives the salmon its delicious smoky, spicy crust. Substitute your favorite taco seasoning.
- Cabbage and fennel - Create a fresh, crunchy slaw. The fennel adds a lovely subtle anise flavor, but you can use all cabbage if preferred.
- Fresh citrus - Orange and lime juice brighten the slaw and balance the Cajun spices.
- Avocado - Mashed with garlic salt and lime juice for a creamy base that holds the tacos together.
- Pickled red onions - Add a tangy punch of flavor and can be made ahead.
- Creamy taco sauce - Use homemade Chipotle Mayo or Peruvian Green Sauce. Both are delicious with blackened salmon.
- Tortillas - Warm flour, corn, or flour-corn blend tortillas for serving.
How to make Salmon Tacos
Tip: Pre-make the Pickled Onions and Chipotle Mayo, up to 5 days ahead! I usually make a double batch to use on everything.
Step one: Make the Cabbage Fennel Slaw and let it marinate while you make the rest.
Step two. Season the salmon with cajun spice, then blacken the salmon in a skillet.
Squeeze the salmon with lime and flake the salmon apart.
Step three: Make the avocado mash, mixing avocado with garlic salt and lime juice.
Step Four: Assemble. Spread a little avocado mash on warm tortillas. Then add the blackened salmon and top with the slaw. Then add the pickled onions and the taco sauce! So much goodness happening here!
Drizzle with a creamy taco sauce – which pairs incredibly well with the blackened cajun spice. Both our Chipotle mayo and our Peruvian Green sauce– are tasty here and either can be made without dairy.
Storage and Make-Ahead
Make ahead: The pickled onions and creamy taco sauce can be made several days in advance. Prepare the slaw earlier in the day, but wait until just before serving to mash the avocado and cook the salmon.
Refrigerate: Store leftover cooked salmon in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Keep the toppings and tortillas separate.
Use leftovers: Flake leftover salmon into a rice bowl with beans, avocado, and slaw, or add it to a fresh green salad.
Chef’s Tips
- Don’t overcook the salmon. Sear until nicely blackened on the outside and just cooked through. Salmon cooks quickly, so keep an eye on it to prevent drying out.
- Slice the slaw thinly. A mandoline makes quick work of the cabbage and fennel, creating a delicate, crunchy slaw that’s easy to tuck into tortillas.
- Warm the tortillas. Warm tortillas are more flexible and less likely to tear. If using corn tortillas, double them up for extra support.
- Make the toppings ahead. Prepare the pickled onions and creamy taco sauce several days in advance to make taco night a breeze.
Serving Suggestions
What makes a taco truly shine are the little things- pickled onions and a tasty taco sauce- both can be made ahead and you’ll find more ways to use them during the week.
More Mexican recipes!
Enjoy these Salmon Tacos and let us know in the comments below! Have a happy Cinco De Mayo!
xoxo
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Salmon Tacos with Citrus Fennel Slaw
- Prep Time: 40
- Cook Time: 20
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 8–12 tacos 1x
- Category: Dinner, entertaining, Main, salmon recipe, tacos
- Method: stovetop
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Pescatarian
Description
These easy Salmon Tacos feature Cajun-blackened salmon, crunchy citrus slaw, creamy avocado, and tangy pickled onions. Fresh, flavorful, and delicious!
Ingredients
Cabbage-Fennel Slaw
- 3 cups shredded cabbage- purple or green
- 1 cup shredded fennel – or sub more cabbage, jicama, or sliced cucumber
- 1/4 cup cilantro or dill (or some of both)
- 2 tablespoons jalapeno, finely chopped, more to taste.
- Orange zest of one orange (1-2 tablespoons)
- 3 tablespoons fresh orange juice
- 1/8 cup lime juice (1 lime)
- 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar ( or apple cider, red wine vinegar, champagne vinegar)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar or alternative
Mashed Avocado
- 2 large avocados, mashed
- garlic salt to taste
- squeeze of lime to taste
Blackened Salmon
- 16 ounces salmon- skinless (see notes)
- salt
- Cajun seasoning (or sub taco seasoning)
- 2–3 tablespoons olive oil, coconut oil, or avocado oil.
Tacos
- 3 limes, divided, some for garnish
- 8–12 small tortillas (flour or flour-corn blend is nice), warmed, toasted or grilled.
- Pickled red onions
- Chipotle mayo or Peruvian Green Sauce (Aji Verde)
Instructions
- Make the toppings. Make the Pickled Red Onions and Chipotle Mayo (or Peruvian Green Sauce) and refrigerate. You can do this several days ahead!
- Make the Slaw. Shred the cabbage and fennel and place in a medium bowl. Add cilantro, jalapeno, orange zest, orange juice, lime juice, vinegar, salt and sugar. Toss to combine. Taste and adjust salt, heat and acid to your liking.
- Mash 2 avocados with garlic salt to taste. Add a squeeze of lime. Mix to combine.
- Cook the salmon. Season both sides of the salmon with a little salt. Generously season both sides with cajun seasoning. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sear the salmon until deeply golden- 3-4 minutes. Flip, sear the other side and cook until it easily flakes apart with a fork, 3-4 minutes- time will depend on the thickness of the filets. Flake apart, and squeeze with half a lime. Taste for salt and lime, add more if needed.
- Tortillas. Warm or toast the tortillas until soft and pliable, and slightly toasty. Wrap in a kitchen town.
- Assemble. Spread a little of the avocado mash on the tortilla ( which will hold everything together) add some blackened salmon, and top with slaw, pickled onions, a drizzle of chipotle mayo and cilantro. Serve with lime wedges.
- These are best eaten immediately after assembling! Leftovers can be repurposed into salmon bowls.
Notes
Salmon: I experimented with leaving the salmon skin on and making crispy salmon skin tacos, but once assembled in the tacos, the skin got soggy and really unpleasant. I recommend taking the skin off.
Slaw: The slaw is best on the day of. The slaw tastes great the next day, but the tacos need a fresh crisp texture.
If you want to skip the pickled red onions, add red onions to the slaw (or green onions).
The mashed avocado helps hold the tacos together.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 taco
- Calories: 246
- Sugar: 3.1 g
- Sodium: 416.6 mg
- Fat: 13.8 g
- Saturated Fat: 2 g
- Carbohydrates: 19.4 g
- Fiber: 4.6 g
- Protein: 13.4 g
- Cholesterol: 23.2 mg
couldn’t love this recipe more! The layers of flavors are spectacular!
Great to hear Linda! Thanks for the review. 🙂
I made these today for a luncheon and they were fantastic! Followed the recipe and wouldn’t change a thing!
Great to hear Judy!
I made this tonight without the slaw, and it was still superb. That Peruvian sauce was amazing!
Oh good! Great to hear!
These tacos are absolutely delicious. I made them last night and everyone loved them. The pickled onions and Peruvian green sauce really take them to the next level. Thanks for another winner, Sylvia!
Thanks Angie- so happy you gave them a go!
DELICIOUS!!! Another 5 star recipe!
So happy you enjoyed these!
DELICIOUS!!!
Thanks Robin! Glad you liked them!
I made this for Sunday dinner and it’s fantastic. I added olive oil to the slaw dressing and made the Peruvian green sauce to add as well. My family loved every bite.
Great to hear Kate!