Smoked Salmon Tacos loaded with salmon, homemade red cabbage taco slaw, and a creamy taco sauce to top it all off, all nestled in a warm tortilla. This hearty meal makes the most of pre-cooked smoked salmon for a simple no-cook 30 minute dinner that will amaze you with how delicious it is.
Where are my fellow salmon lovers at? You can feel seen with this recipe which is guaranteed to be a new favorite.
This simple dinner recipe comes together in a snap! It’s full of delicious, savory smoked salmon flavor paired with freshness and a creamy sauce for the ultimate flavor and texture combo. No need to heat up the oven and if you use your food processor for the cabbage and cilantro, you’ll barely even need to use your knife! It’s the easiest fish tacos recipe you’ll ever make.
The cabbage slaw is made easily with a food processor, lime, olive oil, cilantro, and seasonings – simple yet it packs a punch of flavor and doubles as a side dish. The taco sauce adds that creamy zest with yogurt, mayonnaise, lime and seasonings simply stirred together. Add some cotija cheese and avocado and you’re set for taco Tuesday or any dinner night!
I used my well reviewed hot smoked salmon recipe. This recipe has been tested over 100 times and makes the best salmon tacos. It’s pretty much smoked salmon perfection and will make you fall in love with smoked fish if you aren’t already. I smoke a huge batch and we eat it for days and/or freeze some for quick dinners later on. That being said – store bought works just fine here!
While this is one of my quick 30 minute dinners as written, there’s an option to make it come together even faster for a 15-minute dinner. Yes, you heard me right. If you use a bag of coleslaw mix for the slaw, it’ll come together in minutes without sacrificing any flavor.
Ingredients
The ingredients are simple and don’t be scared by the long list! There is some cross over between what’s use in the slaw and the taco sauce so leave that cumin and lime out.
The full list of ingredients is in the recipe card and the ingredient image so I’ll just touch on a few important notes to be aware of:
- Make sure to use hot smoked salmon, not lox. It should be firm to the touch and look like the pictures here. It normally comes pre-packaged in the refrigerated cooked meat section or seafood department of the grocery store.
- Don’t use nonfat yogurt! Low fat or full fat works best here or you can substitute sour cream. You can replace the mayonnaise with more yogurt and vice versa but you won’t get the best texture or flavor. The blend of the two works best here.
- Use corn tortillas, flour tortillas or even crunchy taco shells – whatever your preference is. I’ve been digging those cassava tortillas lately.
- Fresh lime juice is critical here and I don’t recommend substituting it BUT, if you have to, lemon juice would be the best alternative.
- Use your favorite taco toppings. You can swap the cotija with shredded cheddar cheese, add juicy tomatoes, guacamole, or whatever you like best. It’s awesome as written but feel free to tweak to you and your family’s preferences.
How to Make Smoked Salmon Tacos
This recipe comes together in a flash. Since there are 3 main components, I’ll break this section into 3 parts.
Making the Taco Slaw
- Start by slicing the cabbage as thin as you can. I highly recommend using a food processor for this.
- Grab a medium bowl (whatever you plan on serving it in) and whisk olive oil, lime juice, lime zest, honey, cumin, salt and pepper together in it.
- Add cabbage and cilantro and stir to mix well. Chill in refrigerator while preparing the rest of the taco ingredients to allow flavors to meld. Room temperature is fine but chilling is best.
Taco Sauce Prep
- Stir all of the fish taco sauce ingredients together in a small bowl. I like using a whisk to make it super creamy.
Assembling the Tacos
- Heat a large flat skillet to medium heat for the tortillas. Warm tortillas up on the hot skillet for about 10-15 seconds per side. You can microwave them if you’re truly in a pinch but stovetop is best.
- Break salmon into bite-sized chunks, making sure to pull out any bones. Place salmon, crumbled cotija cheese and avocado in separate small serving bowls.
- Serve tortillas, salmon, cabbage slaw, sliced avocado, cotija cheese and fish taco sauce together. Combine all ingredients inside of a tortilla and serve right away!
Recipe Tips
Recipe Tips
- Want to make it faster? Just buy a bag of coleslaw mix instead of shredding the cabbage! It won’t be a red cabbage slaw but will still taste just as good.
- Stir the sauce, don’t blend it! Blending will break down the structure of the fats and create a runny taco sauce. Don’t do it, just a simple stir or whisk will do.
- Use good smoked salmon. While the slaw and sauce are flavorful and will enhance the flavor of the salmon, the recipe will only be as good as the ingredients you use.
Storing Leftovers
Store leftover salmon, sauce and cabbage slaw separately in airtight containers in the refrigerator. The salmon and slaw will keep for up to 3 days while the sauce will keep for a week or more.
BEST Hot Smoked Salmon Tacos with Homemade Slaw
Equipment
- 1 Food processor with 1/8" blade OR a mandolin or sharp knife
- 1 Large Bowl
- 4 Small bowl
- 1 Spoon
Ingredients
Red Cabbage Slaw
- 6 cups red cabbage, thinly sliced about 1 small cabbage or 1/3 to 1/2 of a large cabbage
- 1/3 cup fresh cilantro chopped
- 2 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 2 Tablespoon lime juice
- 1 Tablespoon lime zest
- 1 Tablespoon honey or agave syrup
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Fish Taco Sauce
- 1/3 cup plain yogurt whole milk yogurt is best, low fat is ok but DO NOT use nonfat
- 1/4 cup mayonaise
- 1 Tbsp. lime juice
- 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp. hot sauce I used Tapatio
- 1/2 tsp. cumin
- salt and pepper to taste
Tacos
- 12 small tortillas corn or flour
- 12 oz. hot smoked salmon
- 1 avocado thinly sliced
- ½ cup cotija cheese crumbled
Instructions
To Make Taco Slaw:
- Slice cabbage very thin (about 1/8”). Using the thin slice blade on a food processor works best for this. After removing the cabbage, you can use the chopping blade to chop the cilantro as well.
- Add olive oil, lime juice, lime zest, honey, cumin, salt and pepper to a medium serving bowl and whisk to combine.
- Add cabbage and cilantro to the bowl and stir to mix well. Chill in refrigerator while preparing the rest of the taco ingredients to allow flavors to meld.
To make Taco Sauce
- Add all fish taco sauce ingredients to a small bowl and stir to mix. If yogurt is still chunky use a whisk to make sauce smooth and creamy. Do not use a blender or it will get watery! Season to taste with salt and pepper and set aside.
For Tacos
- Start heating up a large flat skillet on medium heat for the tortillas. Warm tortillas up on the hot skillet according to package instructions, normally 10-15 seconds per side.*
- Break salmon into bite-sized chunks, removing any bones in the process and place in a small bowl. Place crumbled cotija cheese and avocado in separate small bowls.
- Serve tortillas, salmon, cabbage slaw, sliced avocado, cotija cheese and fish taco sauce together. Combine all ingredients inside of a tortilla with the taco sauce drizzled on top and cheese sprinkled on after. Extra taco slaw can be served as a side dish.You can serve with any other taco fixings you like such as salsa, extra chopped cilantro, pickled red onions, jalapeños, lime wedges, etc. but they're excellent with just the ingredients listed.
Notes
Nutrition
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