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These salmon tacos are my go-to when I want something fast, fresh, and a little healthy without a lot of fuss. The salmon gets a quick chili spice rub, pan-sears in one skillet, and the whole thing comes together in 20 minutes.
5-Star Review ★★★★★
“Love these tacos! Perfect for dinners! So easy and not to many dishes to clean up after! The fish slaw really puts the cherry on top! Super delish!” -Yoselyn
These have become my easy weeknight salmon tacos that always turn out amazing, and everything’s ready in just 20 minutes. The salmon fillets get an easy chili spice rub (don’t worry, it’s not spicy), then they’re pan-fried and flaked into fresh corn tortillas. Pile on some creamy fish taco slaw for crunch, sliced radishes, fresh cilantro, and a big squeeze of lime. Yum!
These are truly foolproof. Even my husband, who has a tendency to overcook salmon in a skillet, nails it when he follows this recipe. The slaw is crunchy and comes together really fast since all you need is a bag of coleslaw mix. It’s so good I make it for other seafood dishes too, not just these tacos.
Serve them with a side of cilantro lime rice and some black beans, and you’ve got a full taco night.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Salmon: Fresh, buttery, flaky salmon is naturally mild tasting, meaning it pairs well with the savory and smoky seasonings in this fish taco recipe. I prefer using fresh salmon fillets, but you can also use frozen. Just make sure the fillets are completely thawed and patted dry before cooking.
- Seasonings: A simple mix of chili powder, ancho chili powder, garlic powder, and onion powder gives the pan fried salmon a slightly spicy, smoky, and aromatic flavor profile.
- Tortillas: You can use either corn tortillas or flour tortillas for these salmon tacos. Homemade tortillas are easy to make but you can always use store bought to speed things up.
- Toppings: Salmon tacos are refreshing and bright in summer, so I like to top them with crunchy and creamy fish taco slaw, then finish them off with fresh cilantro, sliced radishes, and lime wedges for extra brightness.
How To Make Salmon Tacos
First, make the salmon dry rub by combining salt, pepper, chili powder, ancho chili powder, garlic powder, and onion powder in a small bowl. Generously rub this mixture into the flesh side of each salmon fillet.
Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet. Cook the salmon skin side down until it’s crispy and browned. Flip the fillets and cook for an additional 3 to 4 minutes or until the flesh looks opaque and flaky.
Transfer the cooked salmon to a plate and let it cool for a few minutes before using two forks to flake the meat into large chunks. I like eating the crispy salmon skin, but if you prefer not to eat it, you can remove it and discard it before flaking the salmon.
Then spoon it into your warm tortillas and top with slaw, chopped cilantro, sliced radishes, and lime wedges.
What to Serve With Salmon Tacos
The mild, classic Mexican-inspired flavors of the salmon fillets make them the perfect base for a wide variety of taco toppings. I really like my creamy fish taco slaw on these tacos, but you can top them with any of these fresh and zesty toppings:
- Something creamy like cilantro lime crema, avocado crema, creamy chipotle ranch dressing, or fish taco sauce
- Salsas like a mango salsa, pineapple salsa, or black bean and corn salsa
Frequently Asked Questions
- Can I make the salmon in the oven or air fryer? Yep, both work great if you’d rather not stand at the stove. For the oven, bake the seasoned fillets at 400°F for about 12 to 15 minutes, until the salmon flakes easily. For the air fryer, cook at 400°F for 8 to 10 minutes. Either way, just watch for that flaky texture and you’re good.
- How do I know when the salmon is done? The salmon is cooked when it flakes easily with a fork and looks opaque all the way through. If you want to be exact, pull it off the heat at 145°F on an instant-read thermometer. I usually take mine off right around 140 and let it rest a couple minutes, since it keeps cooking a little after it leaves the pan.
- Can I use frozen salmon? For sure. Just thaw it all the way in the fridge first, then pat it really dry before seasoning. If there’s extra water on the fillets they’ll steam instead of getting that nice crispy skin.
- Corn or flour tortillas? Totally your call. I love corn tortillas here for that classic taco flavor, but flour works too if that’s what you’ve got. Warm them up first either way, it makes a big difference.
Salmon Tacos
Ingredients
For the salmon
- 1 pound salmon fillets, fresh or frozen and thawed
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon ancho chili powder (or regular chili powder if you can’t find ancho)
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- 1 ½ tablespoons olive oil
For the slaw
- 5 ½ cups tri-color shredded coleslaw mix
- 6 tablespoons mayonnaise
- ¼ cup sour cream
- ¼ cup chopped cilantro
- 1 lime, zested and juice
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
For serving
- Small tortillas (corn or flour)
- Chopped cilantro
- Sliced radishes
- Lime wedges
Instructions
- Prepare the slaw. Add all the ingredients to a medium bowl and toss together to combine. Cover and set aside.
- Make the salmon. Pat the salmon dry. In a small bowl, combine the salt, black pepper, chili powder, ancho chili powder, garlic powder, and onion powder.
- Season the flesh side of the salmon only with the seasoning mixture.
- Heat the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-heat. Add the salmon skin side down and cook until the skin is crispy and browned, about 4 to 5 minutes. Flip and cook for another 3 to 4 minutes depending on the thickness, until the flesh is opaque and flaky.
- Transfer salmon to a plate and let it rest and cool slightly for 3 minutes. Flake the salmon into large pieces using a fork, discarding the skin if desired.
- Assemble. Serve the flaked salmon in warm corn or flour tortillas with a good amount of slaw and garnish with chopped cilantro, sliced radishes, and lime wedges.
Video
Notes
- Don’t feel like making the slaw? These are still great with just a handful of thinly shredded cabbage tossed with a squeeze of lime and a pinch of salt. I also like a little creaminess in there from sour cream, plain Greek yogurt, or avocado. A scoop of mango salsa or a little pico de gallo all work, too!
- Storage. Store leftover salmon and slaw in separate airtight containers in the fridge. The salmon keeps up to 2 days and the slaw up to 3 days.
- Reheating. To reheat, the microwave is totally fine; just do it in short 20- to 30-second bursts on medium power so the fish doesn’t dry out or get rubbery. A quick minute in a warm skillet works well too if you want the edges a little crisp again.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Great quick recipe. We eat a lot of salmon in the PNW so I’m always looking for a new way to prepare it. We are also a taco loving family. Followed the recipe except used avocado oil. Slaw recipe was also good.
Thank you so much Danita! We’re glad you enjoyed this recipe 🙂
Very easy! This was a 15-20 min dinner and love that I didn’t need a bunch of dishes! I had one more salmon filet that I didn’t cook for lunch the next day plus leftover slaw and it was delicious and an easy “stuck at home with covid” lunch.
Thank you Jessica! We’re glad you enjoyed this recipe.
These tacos are AMAZING!! The seasoning on the salmon is perfect, and the coleslaw is just so good and creamy (I used Greek yogurt in place of sour cream) and went perfectly with the salmon! I also made your flour tortillas but with 1 cup AP flour, 1/2 c whole wheat, and 1/2 c masa harina. We will definitely be making these again soon!
Thank you Laurie!
As I was grabbing seconds of these wonderful tacos, my daughter said, “Mom, these are so good. You should make these often!”
Music to my ears….. Thank you!
Fwiw, there was no bag of slaw veggies, so 1) we used two grated carrots, and then used a thin (not fine) setting on our mandolin to slice most of the cabbage til we had almost 6 cups, put a good half cup of cilantro into the slaw mix… then we added tamed pickled jalapenos & some of its juice with the dressing. But….I forgot the cumin. I will so include it next time. It’s so yummy!
Placed the slaw in the bowl, arranged thinly sliced radishes around one part of the edge and sliced avo on another part.
Didn’t have time for any other toppings?
We were happy without!!!!!
I personally prefer the taco fillings on rice instead of as tacos. Not my family, but it’s perfect for me.
Thank you! My old “Happy Meals” board included foods that are off limits to me now? Per the doc, I’m supposed to be a pescatarian who avoids coconut fat….( To save what’s left of my vision, and even improve it!!!!!)
These tacos?
They are helping me rebuild my Happy Pescatarian Meals list.
I thought it could be done? But I wasn’t sure….and I’ve had salmon tacos before, but almost despised them. It was a fluke that I had to use salmon and tortillas today, so I made them for my daughter, which was a blessing for me!
Serendipity lives to see another day, in part, thanks to you!!!!
Hurrah!!!!!
Hi Rainah! Thank you so much for sharing! We’re so glad you enjoyed this recipe with your family. Your slaw recipe also sounds delicious!
Another great recipe. The slaw went great with the tacos. Can you show us a shrimp taco with creamy poblano sauce?
Hi Mikel! We’re glad you enjoyed this recipe. We have several shrimp taco recipes on the site and also have several sauce recipes for you to try!
Superb! The combination of flavours is absolutely perfect. I made the fish taco sauce and the slaw as recommended, which made “my” salmon tacos divine! Thank-you Isabel!
I’ve made these twice and they are fantastic. So easy and flavorful.
These were great!
I had to use broccoli slaw and lime flavored hard taco shells but still super yummy.
My husband and I ate it all!
I will definitely share your recipe.
Thank you
That sounds delicious. Thank you Glenda!
I catch all my salmon here in Alaska. Salmon does not need to be flipped. Fish fillets are not burgers. You want it flaky? Cut some white onion 1/8th to 1/4inch . Place it in a fry pan. I use cast iron. Place the fish skin side down on the onion. Pour water into the pan about 1/2 thickness of the onion. Put on medium heat, and cover. Heat and bring to boil…. steaming the fish for about 3-4 minutes. It comes out soft and flaky every time. No grease, easy clean up, makes great tacos, salmon dip, salmon spread, salmon sandwiches, salmon imaginations.
Hi Norm! Thank you for the feedback. I bet the fish in Alaska tastes great! Being in Oklahoma, fresh salmon can he hard to find. Thanks for the tip.
This is my 3rd time in 3 weeks making these tacos! My 15 year old loves them. Thank you thank you.