These are not your average salmon tacos. I repeat, these are not your average salmon tacos! If you haven’t noticed it yet, we just love eccentric flavor profiles over here. If you’re looking for something easy but also sure to impress your family or guests, then I’ve got you covered. Keep reading.
WHAT MAKES THESE SALMON TACOS UNIQUE
The special ingredient that makes these salmon tacos unique is harissa. Originating in Tunisia, this smoky and peppery paste or sauce is traditionally made of red chili peppers, garlic, olive oil, and a variety of spices. Harissa is a common ingredient in both Middle Eastern and North African Cuisine.
In this recipe, we will be using a premade harissa paste that I found in my local Publix to cut down on preparation time. However, if you have the time and would like to make your own harissa paste from scratch, simply combine the following ingredients in a food processor: roasted red chili peppers, coriander seeds, olive oil, cumin, salt, and pepper.
INGREDIENTS FOR SPICY HONEY SALMON TACOS
Salmon. The obvious star of the show is going to be our base ingredient, salmon. However, we’re going to prepare the salmon a little bit differently for this particular recipe. Instead of first cooking the salmon whole and then flaking it, we’re actually going to cube the salmon while it is raw. I find that these bite-sized cubes consistently absorb the flavor of the seasonings and you can distribute the salmon more evenly on the tortillas when cubed. To get the desired result, start with a salmon filet that is about 1 and ½ inches thick. Then, cut the salmon filet into ½ inch strips. Next, cube each ½ inch strip until your salmon looks like this:
After cubing the salmon, add it to a large mixing bowl. Coat it with the spicy harissa paste and the honey sauce that we’re going to talk about next. Cover and refrigerate for 15 minutes.
Trader Joe’s Spicy Honey Sauce. I know you have probably heard of this viral hot honey sauce. If you haven’t, I highly recommend trying it out. It’s AMAZING! However, if you’re looking to keep the heat in salmon tacos minimal, you can opt for regular raw honey without the added “spicy” component. Especially since we’re already using the spicy harissa sauce. I’m a spicy girly, so I go all in.
Organic Mini Flour Tortillas. Also from Trader Joe’s, these mini flour tortillas are the perfect size for tacos. We are going to char them on each side in a skillet to crisp them up a bit.
Sauteed Peppers and Onions. Separately sauteed bell peppers and onions will be the first to top the salmon when constructing the tacos.
Red Cabbage Slaw. I use red cabbage slaw instead of lettuce on ANY variation of tacos that I make. I absolutely love how my red cabbage slaw pairs with these salmon tacos. Find my step-by-step Chipotle Red Cabbage Slaw recipe here.
Favorite taco toppings. Here is where you really do your own thing. Get creative with what toppings you add to your salmon tacos! You can add some sliced avocado, cheese, or sour cream to name a few possibilities. I like to top my tacos with diced Roma tomatoes, sriracha sour cream, and the tomato basil feta cheese from Publix. Fresh salsa also pairs well with these tacos. I recommend skipping over the heavily preserved salsas in the middle of the grocery store aisles and opting for the fresh, refrigerated salsas in the produce section instead.
INGREDIENT SUBSTITUTION OPTIONS FOR YOUR SALMON TACOS
I am all about personal customization when it comes to making recipes. I think that you should always tweak a recipe to fit your personal taste buds and dietary restrictions. Make it yours. Here are some substitution suggestions for some of the ingredients in my salmon tacos recipe:
- Protein Substitution: You can easily swap out the salmon with a different protein, like shrimp or cubed chicken breasts. I recommend trying Argentina Shrimp; it has a lobster-like taste and I find that it absorbs seasonings well.
- Tortillas Replacement: I prefer flour tortillas, but you can swap them out for corn tortillas if you’d like. For a low-carb option, you can use the Carb Balance tortillas or lettuce wraps.
- Toppings Substitutions: For a dairy-free option, replace sour cream with a dairy-free sour cream and eliminate the cheese. You can top your salmon tacos with sliced avocados instead.
WHAT ELSE CAN YOU SERVE WITH YOUR SALMON TACOS?
Well, let’s start by determining the occasion at hand. Are you whipping up these tacos for a weeknight family dinner? Or are you hosting a taco-themed night for friends?
For a weeknight family dinner, you can serve these salmon tacos with a side of rice and beans. Make a big-batched refreshing mocktail that the whole family can enjoy with dinner.
If you’re hosting friends or an indoor date night, start the evening off by serving chips and queso or guacamole as your appetizer. Then set up a taco topping bar so that your guest(s) can add their toppings of choice to the salmon tacos. These Blackberry Coconut Mojitos would pair perfectly with your taco bar!
Now it’s recipe time! I’m going to break the recipe down into sections to make the steps as clear and easy to follow as possible.
Spicy Honey Harissa Salmon Tacos Recipe
Ingredients
SALMON INGREDIENTS
- 1 ½ lb fresh, thick-cut salmon filet
- 3 tbsp Spicy Harissa Paste
- 2 tbsp Trader Joe's Spicy Honey or sub with Raw Honey
- sea salt and cracked black pepper to taste
TOPPINGS INGREDIENTS
- Chipotle Red Cabbage Slaw link in post
- ½ large yellow onion, sliced
- ½ large bell pepper of choice, sliced
- 4 Roma tomatoes, diced
- 8 oz sour cream
- 1 tbsp sriracha sauce
- 1 tub fresh salsa of choice
- 1 tub Publix’s tomato and basil feta cheese
Instructions
SALMON PREPARATION
- Rinse the salmon filet and pat dry with paper towels.
- Place the salmon filet on a cutting board and slice into ½ inch slices.
- Cut each ½ slice into equally sized cubes. Add the cubed salmon to a bowl.
- Add the 3 tablespoons of Spicy Harissa Paste and the 2 tablespoons of Spicy Honey into the bowl with the cubed salmon.
- Add sea salt and cracked black pepper to the bowl. Toss all ingredients together until the cubed salmon is evenly coated.
- Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes.
- After the marination period, spray a skillet with avocado oil and turn the stovetop to medium-high heat.
- Once the skillet is heated through, add the cubed salmon to the skillet in a single layer. Cook on one side for 3 minutes.
- Flip and cook on the opposite side for 3 more minutes.
- Stop here if you want the salmon cooked to a medium-well temperature. For well-done salmon, cook until the internal temperature of the salmon has reached 145 degrees F.
TOPPINGS PREPARATION
- While the salmon is marinating in the refrigerator, thinly slice the bell pepper and yellow onion.
- Spray a skillet with avocado oil and turn the stovetop to medium-high heat. Once the skillet is heated through, sautee the peppers and onions for about 5-7 minutes, or until they are tender and lightly charred.
- Turn stovetop heat to low and cover.
- Separately, add 1 tablespoon of sriracha or hot sauce to the 8 oz sour cream container. Stir until evenly mixed and put the container back into the refrigerator.
- Prepare cabbage slaw recipe. Or, serve shredded lettuce instead.
- Cut the Roma tomatoes lengthwise and remove the seeds. Cut each half into thin slices and then finely dice. Add the diced Roma tomatoes into a separate container.
TACO CONSTRUCTION STEPS
- Turn the stovetop to high heat and press down the tortillas in a skillet for 15-20 seconds on each side.
- Add the cooked salmon to each tortilla.
- Add the toppings to each tortilla in your own sequence. My order: salmon, sauteed peppers and onions, sriracha sour cream, cabbage slaw, diced tomatoes, and then feta cheese.
