Salmon Tacos

Salmon Tacos may very well be one of my favorite taco recipes! It’s the spiced crispy salmon chunks, the charred tortilla, the toppings and just how simple and quick this is to make! Salmon tacos is made of flakey salmon, bright toppings that create a balance of textures and flavors that feels both fresh and comforting.

Before we hit all the details on this delicious salmon tacos recipe, I need to say that these would go perfectly with our Fish Taco Slaw recipe. That slaw is made for fish tacos, and I’ve shared it with the Mahi Mahi Tacos which is another variation of fish tacos. Can you tell we’re obsessed?

While traditional fish tacos often use fried white fish, salmon offers a richer taste and a boost of healthy omega-3 fats. When cooked properly, salmon flakes into tender pieces that absorb seasoning beautifully and pair perfectly with citrus, herbs, and crunchy toppings.

This guide explains how to cook the salmon correctly, build balanced tacos, and avoid the common mistakes that make tacos soggy or bland.

What Makes Salmon Perfect for Tacos

Salmon works well in tacos because it naturally has:

• Rich flavor
• Flaky texture
• Enough fat to stay moist
• Ability to absorb seasoning

When cooked and gently flaked, salmon creates tender pieces that nestle perfectly inside tortillas.

Why You’ll Love Salmon Tacos

• So TASTY! Salmon is a seriously tasty fish and you can imagine the flavor it adds to fish tacos!
• Cooking the salmon in the air fryer is a game changer!! Just watch this Air Fryer Salmon video recipe!
• You can play around with toppings and sauces to make this recipe different every time, and it would taste SO GOOD!
• It’s a 20 minute meal start to finish! So it’s a perfect choice for busy nights.
• Super filling, hearty and nutritious.
• Perfect for a healthy, clean tasting meal that you’ll feel so good about enjoying!
• The salmon tacos are also great for entertaining and for fun gatherings like the superbowl!
• Leftovers can be made into a large Taco Salad! SO GOOD!

Salmon Tacos Ingredients

• Salmon –Well that’s the hero ingredient here! You can use farm raised, wild or Sockeye Salmon. I love cutting it into chunks–more on that below on how to section.
• Spices –really simple dry spice blend of salt, pepper, garlic powder, chilli powder and oregano. Honey is optional.
• Olive oil –Use quality olive oil. I use Mina Moroccan Olive oil-always

Best Tortillas

• Corn tortillas are traditional with a slightly nutty flavor
• Flour tortillas  are softer and more flexible

Warming tortillas prevents cracking.

Avocado Salsa Ingredients or Use Mango Corn Salsa, Mango Pico De Gallo

• Avocados cut into chunks
• Cilantro minced
• diced red onions
• Lime juice
• Mango cut up into chunks
• Jalapeños minced (optional)

Herb Crema (Sour cream)

• Sour cream
• minced cilantro and scallions
• minced jalapeños (optional)

Common taco sauces:

• chipotle mayo
• avocado crema
• lime yogurt sauce

How To Make Easy Salmon Tacos

Season the Salmon

1. You’ll start by seasoning the salmon with the spice blend and olive oil in a bowl.

Cook the Salmon

1. The best way I find to cook perfectly crisp salmon chunks with a juicy succulent texture is in the air fryer. So I place them single layer in an air fryer basket. You can watch the video and read all about that in this Air Fryer Salmon post.
2. You can cook salmon using your preferred method like air fryer, skillet or oven on a baking sheet. Cook until the fish flakes easily with a fork. Avoid overcooking so the fish stays tender.

Prepare Sauces

1. While the salmon is cooking, this is the perfect time to make the toppings you choose. You can make the Fish Taco Slaw or our Homemade Salsa and Authentic Guacamole Recipe too. Today we’re making a mango avocado salsa which is SO delicious! Simply mix all ingredients in a bowl and it’s ready!
2. The second thing we used for our salmon tacos recipe is a herb crema which is basically herbed sour cream. To make it, we mixed fresh cilantro, scallions, jalapenos, lime juice and salt into sour cream. This is so good for so many other recipes too! 
3. The salmon is now ready–look at how perfectly crisp this is! These make the best salmon tacos recipe ever!! Now you’re basically ready to assemble.

Assemble the Tacos

1. Start with a spread of the herb sour cream over a tortilla. Use corn or flour tortilla–your pick. Also use any size you prefer, but smaller ones are best. And finally, feel free to charr the tortillas or use them as they come. 
2. Now go in with the succulent salmon, use a couple pieces of salmon and top that with the avocado salsa.
3. Now that’s a salmon taco recipe I guarantee you’ll make so often!

Pro Tips For Salmon Tacos 

1. Cutting the salmon into chunks is perfect for this recipe because salmon cooks quicker, gets more seasoning and has a better texture all around.
2. Seasoning and spices we used here are basic for tacos, however you can make them more intense by adding more, or removing some.
3. Air Fryer Salmon is my best technique to cook salmon for salmon tacos. The salmon comes our juicy, and super crisp on the outside. The cooking time is only a few minutes!
4. Use seasonal avocado salsa–like avocado with mango, citrus, pineapple or your favorite!
5. Char the tortillas for extra flavor if you’d like.
6. Assemble the tacos at the time of serving only.
7. Follow the recipe and make this into a huge Taco Salad.
8. Use leftovers to make Crunchwrap Supreme with the salmon, cojita cheese and your favorite toppings!

Salmon Taco Variations

We love this salmon tacos recipe as it is, but I won’t deny that we’ve tried it with a few variations and they were so good! You can definitely add more!

• Spicy Salmon Tacos: Add chipotle sauce and jalapeños.
• Mango Salmon Tacos: Add mango salsa for sweetness.
• Mediterranean Salmon Tacos: Use cucumber, yogurt sauce, and herbs.
• Avocado Salmon Tacos: Extra avocado and lime crema.
• Change the type of fish. Do you remember the Mahi Mahi Tacos? The mahi mahi fish is very firm and has a different taste and texture completely compared to salmon, yet so so good! I love this Baked Mahi Mahi recipe too!
• Make another salsa! Use different topping , avocado salsa is incredible, especially with mango chunks to cut the spicy jalapeños and tangy onions so I would go with that for salsa. But I also love salmon tacos with the classic Fish Taco Slaw.
• Adjust the spice. You’ll notice how I use jalapeños so very often and generously here and that’s because we love spicy food! Just try our viral Hot Pepper Sauce (an old family recipe made for generations) and you’ll know! You can skip jalapeños here all together if it’s not your thing.
• Tortillas. Use corn tortillas or flour as we’ve shown here. Charring the tortilla adds an extra level of flavor, but it’s optiopnal.

What To Serve With Salmon Tacos/ What are the toppings for tacos?

• Fish Taco Slaw
• Cuban Black Beans
• Homemade Salsa
• Authentic Guacamole Recipe
• Strawberry Corn Salsa
• Your favorite salad recipe
• Hot sauce
• Cojita cheese

Tacos Are soggy?

Too much sauce or watery toppings can cause soggy tacos, to avoid this add sauce sparingly and drain slaw if needed.

Salmon flavor seems dull?

This is always due to under seasoned fish, to avoid this season well and add lime juice, extra seasoning, or chipotle sauce.

Tortillas cracking?

If tortillas were not warmed, they would crack. To avoid this, heat them briefly before assembling tacos.

Tacos falling apart?

This happens when you have too many toppings, always use smaller portions and balance layers.

What type of fish is best for tacos?

A white fish is classically used for fish tacos, like those Mahi Mahi Tacos or this Air Fryer Fish For Air Fryer Fish Tacos. However, salmon offers a new level of flavor so we wanted to share that with you guys today!

What is the white sauce on fish tacos made of?

This what we refer to here as the crema. It’s basically a sauce made up of sour cream, lime, salt, cilantro, scallions and jalapeños. Most people blend mayo with sour cream as the base for this sauce, but I much prefer only using sour cream in all my creamy sauces.

What are Baja fish tacos?

These type of Tacos are stuffed with Beer battered cod, topped with a classic Homemade Salsa and cilantro ranch dressing! The crunch is incredible and the freshness, brightness of flavors shines through!

Can salmon tacos be made ahead?

The salmon can be cooked ahead, but tacos should be assembled right before serving.

Fish Recipes

• Green Mussels
• How to Cook Scallops
• Baked Salmon With Greek Dressing
• Baked Mahi Mahi
• Fish Fry
• Tuna Tartare
• How To Cook Lobster Tail
• Mussels Marinara
• Tuna Steak Recipe
• Sockeye Salmon With Lemon Butter Sauce
• Mediterranean Baked Fish
• Lobster Roll
• Sushi Burrito

5 from 16 votes

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Salmon Tacos

Salmon Tacos may very well be one of my favorite taco recipes! It's the spiced crispy salmon chunks, the charred tortilla, the taco toppings and just how simple and quick this is to make! So many varieties to make this too--today we chose a mango avocado salsa and herb crema. YUM!

Course Main Course, Main Dish, tacos

Cuisine American, Caifornian, Mexican, Tacos, TexMex

Keyword Fish tacos, how to make tacos, salmon, salmon recipe, salmon tacos, salmon tacos recipe, taco recipes, taco toppings, tacos

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 12 minutes

Servings 8 tacos

Calories 289 kcal

Author Mahy

Ingredients

Salmon

• 3 salmon fillets cut into 1 inch chunks
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil Extra virgin--Moroccan Mina olive oil

Taco Seasoning

• 3/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon Granulated garlic powder
• 3/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 1/2 teaspoon chilli powder spicy or regular

Mango Avocado Salsa

• 1 cup Avocado diced
• 3/4 cup mango chunks diced to the same size as the avocado
• 1/4 cup Cilantro minced
• 1 Jalapeño minced --optional
• 1/3 cup red onions minced
• 2 Tablespoons Lime juice
• 1/4 Teaspoon Kosher salt
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil I use Mina

White Sauce (crema)

• 1 cup Sour cream
• 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper
• 2 Tablespoons cilantro minced
• 3 Tablespoons Scallions minced
• 1 Tablespoon Jalapeño minced --optional
• 1 1/2 teaspoons lime juice add more to taste

Assembling the Tacos

• 8 mini tortillas any type

Instructions

1. The first step is to prepare the salmon by adding the salmon into a large bowl.

   

2. Mix all the seasoning ingredients in a small bowl.

3. Season the salmon with the spice blend and add in the olive oil.

   

4. Place the salmon in an air fryer basket in a single layer.

   

5. Air fry for 10 minutes at 400 degrees, shaking half way until crispy and golden.

   

6. While the salmon is cooking, prepare the salmon tacos topping.

7. Make the avocado salsa by mixing all ingredients in a bowl and taste for seasoning.

   

8. Make the white sauce or crema by mixing the ingredients with the sour cream in a medium bowl and taste the seasoning and lime juice.

   

9. Now assemble the tacos.

10. Place a charred tortilla (you can use any type, charred or not) on a board and spread a generous amount of the white sauce.

    

11. Now add the salmon over that and top with a heaping amount of salsa

    

12. Fold over the tortillas to make the tacos.

    

13. Repeat and serve on a large plate garnished with lime wedges and extra cilantro .

    

14. Enjoy

Recipe Video

Recipe Notes

Pro Tips For Salmon Tacos 

1. Cutting the salmon into chunks is perfect for this recipe because salmon cooks quicker, gets more seasoning and has a better texture all around.
2. Seasoning and spices we used here are basic for tacos, however you can make them more intense by adding more, or removing some.
3. Air Fryer Salmon is my best technique to cook salmon for salmon tacos. The salmon comes our juicy, and super crisp on the outside. The cooking time is only a few minutes!
4. Use seasonal avocado salsa--like avocado with mango, citrus, pineapple or your favorite!
5. Char the tortillas for extra flavor if you'd like.
6. Assemble the tacos at the time of serving only.
7. Follow the recipe and make this into a huge Taco Salad.
8. Use leftovers to make Crunchwrap Supreme with the salmon, cojita cheese and your favorite toppings!

Salmon Taco Variations

We love this salmon tacos recipe as it is, but I won't deny that we've tried it with a few variations and they were so good! You can definitely add more!

• Spicy Salmon Tacos: Add chipotle sauce and jalapeños.
• Mango Salmon Tacos: Add mango salsa for sweetness.
• Mediterranean Salmon Tacos: Use cucumber, yogurt sauce, and herbs.
• Avocado Salmon Tacos: Extra avocado and lime crema.
• Change the type of fish. Do you remember the Mahi Mahi Tacos? The mahi mahi fish is very firm and has a different taste and texture completely compared to salmon, yet so so good! I love this Baked Mahi Mahi recipe too!
• Make another salsa! Use different topping , avocado salsa is incredible, especially with mango chunks to cut the spicy jalapeños and tangy onions so I would go with that for salsa. But I also love salmon tacos with the classic Fish Taco Slaw.
• Adjust the spice. You'll notice how I use jalapeños so very often and generously here and that's because we love spicy food! Just try our viral Hot Pepper Sauce (an old family recipe made for generations) and you'll know! You can skip jalapeños here all together if it's not your thing.
• Tortillas. Use corn tortillas or flour as we've shown here. Charring the tortilla adds an extra level of flavor, but it's optiopnal.

What To Serve With Salmon Tacos/ What are the toppings for tacos?

• Fish Taco Slaw
• Cuban Black Beans
• Homemade Salsa
• Authentic Guacamole Recipe
• Strawberry Corn Salsa
• Your favorite salad recipe 
• Hot sauce
• Cojita cheese 

Tacos Are soggy?

Too much sauce or watery toppings can cause soggy tacos, to avoid this add sauce sparingly and drain slaw if needed.

Salmon flavor seems dull?

This is always due to under seasoned fish, to avoid this season well and add lime juice, extra seasoning, or chipotle sauce.

Tortillas cracking?

If tortillas were not warmed, they would crack. To avoid this, heat them briefly before assembling tacos.

Tacos falling apart?

This happens when you have too many toppings, always use smaller portions and balance layers.

What type of fish is best for tacos?

A white fish is classically used for fish tacos, like those Mahi Mahi Tacos or this Air Fryer Fish For Air Fryer Fish Tacos. However, salmon offers a new level of flavor so we wanted to share that with you guys today!

What is the white sauce on fish tacos made of?

This what we refer to here as the crema. It's basically a sauce made up of sour cream, lime, salt, cilantro, scallions and jalapeños. Most people blend mayo with sour cream as the base for this sauce, but I much prefer only using sour cream in all my creamy sauces. 

What are Baja fish tacos?

These type of Tacos are stuffed with Beer battered cod, topped with a classic Homemade Salsa and cilantro ranch dressing! The crunch is incredible and the freshness, brightness of flavors shines through!

Can salmon tacos be made ahead?

The salmon can be cooked ahead, but tacos should be assembled right before serving.

Nutrition Facts

Salmon Tacos

Amount Per Serving

Calories 289 Calories from Fat 180

% Daily Value*

Fat 20g31%

Saturated Fat 4g25%

Polyunsaturated Fat 4g

Monounsaturated Fat 10g

Cholesterol 30mg10%

Sodium 630mg27%

Potassium 551mg16%

Carbohydrates 17g6%

Fiber 3g13%

Sugar 5g6%

Protein 17g34%

Vitamin A 618IU12%

Vitamin C 15mg18%

Calcium 94mg9%

Iron 2mg11%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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