These Blackened Salmon Tacos with Corn Avocado Salsa are perfect for a light and fresh summer weeknight meal!
This post is sponsored by the Norwegian Seafood Council. Thanks for supporting the brands and organizations that make TFD possible. As always, opinions are my own!
I love me a good taco. In fact, tacos are one of those foods I can never tire of. Probably because there are so many opportunities to introduce variety – you can vary up the protein, the veggies, the cheeses, the sauces, the heat, etc. Speaking of sauces, these tacos would pair perfectly with my avocado lime crema!
HOW TO MAKE OUR BLACKENED SALMON TACOS (1 MIN)
I’m a big fan of fish tacos too, especially in the summer. They’re light and refreshing and oh, so satisfying. And when thinking of the perfect summer taco salsa, my mind immediately went to corn. Probably because we’ve got about 4 ears a week in our fridge thanks to our CSA and I’m always looking for creative ways to use them up without just making corn on the cob every week. Enter these blackened salmon tacos with corn avocado salsa!
We eat a lot of salmon in our house and whenever I talk about seafood with my clients or on social media, the topic of sustainability always comes up. There’s a lot of confusion and misconceptions out there that wild-caught fish is more sustainable than farm-raised. But not all farm-raised fish is created equal. I remember a prominent seafood chef in Boston once saying “think about farmed fish as you would farmed vegetables, some do it right, others do it cheaply.”
Sustainability is a value I hold when making food choices. I care about the environment and the future of our planet. So when I learned about Norwegian Seafood and their sustainability practices, I was hooked. I was lucky enough to recently speak directly with Egil Sundheim, the U.S. Director for the Norwegian Seafood Council, and learned a ton about their regulations and sustainability practices.
According to Sundheim, Norway has been focusing on sustainability to maintain their resources for generations. They were practicing sustainability before it became a trendy term. For Norwegians, he described, “it is a way of life for us.” From a geographical standpoint, it makes sense. Norway sits along 60,000 miles of coastline and Norwegians are dependent on the coast to provide food and jobs.
So of course I was curious, how exactly does Norway raise farmed-fish sustainably? Once again, Norway’s unique landscape plays a role. The fjords, which are long, narrow, deep inlets of the sea between high cliffs, are ideal for fish farming. The fjords protect the salmon from currents and help ensure that the open pens in the ocean receive a good amount of water flow and oxygen. Plus, Norwegian seafood is highly regulated. They are monitoring water quality, water flow, oxygen, waste build-up, etc. 24-7.
Just how fresh is Norwegian seafood consumed in the U.S.? Pretty dang fresh. Once the fish is harvested, it goes immediately to processing and it’s shipped on ice to the U.S. that same day, typically arriving to retailers within 36-48 hours.
How do you know if the fish you’re purchasing is from Norway? Ask the fishmonger behind the seafood counter at your retailer the point of origin for the fish. If you’re purchasing packaged fish (frozen or fresh), check the packaging for point of origin. We buy our salmon from Trader Joe’s because IMO it’s the best tasting salmon out there, and surprise, surprise, guess what the point of origin is labeled on the packaging, Norway! Now I know why it tastes so fresh and delicious.
But seriously the taste is unparalleled. The Norwegian Seafood Council was kind enough to ship me fresh salmon to recipe test with and I am not kidding you, I have never had better tasting salmon in my life. My husband was blown away too.
And Norway delivers more than just salmon to the U.S. You may be able to find cod, haddock, halibut, king crab, mackerel and bacalao all from Norway.
If you’re inspired to go out and find some salmon from Norway, test it out with this recipe, which is perfect for soaking up these last few weeks of summer! It’s super fresh, light, and full of flavor. Everything you’d want out of a summer taco! Plus, salmon packs in a powerful nutrient punch, providing omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin D, magnesium, selenium, and B vitamins.
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Blackened Salmon Tacos with Corn Avocado Salsa
(1 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)
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- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 8-10 tacos 1x
Ingredients
For the salsa:
- 2 cups corn kernels (about 3–4 ears of corn)
- 1/4 cup diced red onion
- 1 jalapeno pepper, minced (seeds and ribs removed if you don’t want the heat)
- 1 tablespoon lime juice (from 1/2 lime)
- 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1–2 avocados, diced
For the tacos:
- 1.5 lbs salmon
- 1 1/2 tablespoons smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon thyme
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 8–10 corn tortillas
- 1/2 cup grated cojita cheese
- Optional toppings: sliced red cabbage, cilantro
Instructions
For the salsa:
- In a medium bowl, mix together corn, onion, jalapeno, lime juice, cilantro, salt and avocado until combined. Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve with tacos.
For the tacos:
- In a small bowl, whisk together smoked paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, thyme, oregano, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper until combined.
- Rub seasoning onto salmon filets or place seasoning onto shallow bowl or plate and press salmon, flesh side down, into the rub, coating the entire filet.
- In a cast iron pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, place salmon flesh side down into the pan, cooking until blackened, about 2-3 minutes. Flip salmon over, skin side down, and cook until internal temperature reaches 145 degrees F, about 5-10 minutes, depending on thickness. If salmon is thick (over 1.5 inches), you may need to flip salmon over onto its sides to help it cook faster.
- Divide flaked salmon and cabbage among tortillas and top with corn and avocado salsa, cojita cheese, and cilantro.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Tacos
- Method: Cast Iron
- Cuisine: Mexican
Tell me, have you ever tried seafood from Norway?
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best tacos recipe ever. sharing it with mom and asking her to make it for me hehe
Love to hear that! I hope she makes it for you 🙂
Your tacos look pure artistic and delicious; I’d gobble them up in minutes!
Hi Luna, that’s so kind of you to say! Thanks for your comment 🙂
I am definitely going to make these. Mouth already watering.
Question though…how did you prepare the corn tortillas exactly, i.e., how did you blacken them around the edges, and how did you get the tortillas to keep their shape, like in your photos? Thanks in advance!
Hi Becky! I placed the tortillas over open fire on my gas stove range. Place tortilla on range, turn heat on to medium-high, let tortillas blacken around edges, about 15-30 seconds, and then using tongs, flip tortillas over and let cook until blackened around edges, another 15-30 seconds. And how I got them to keep their shape, some food styling magic :). I placed them right next to each other and then placed two lime halves on the outside.
What a fun way to upgrade taco Tuesday! We tried these this week and they are a major hit! They reminded us of the Fish Shop tacos in PB!
That’s awesome, Liz! I cook salmon very often, and these tacos are one of my favorites. 🙂
There are so many different things going on in this recipe that I love! The corn salsa, the salmon, the crispy shells – such a great, delicious combo!
Thank you, Brittany! It’s so delicious. 🙂
It looks like you doubled up the tacos: very important if using homemade ones too.
Either way works!
These look so delicious!!!
Thank you, Amy!
Putting this on my menu for next week!
How did they turn out, Kelly? 🙂
Mmmm this looks like the perfect taco night idea :-).
Definitely 🙂
These sound incredible (I love all things salmon!), and your photography is fantastic!
Thank you, Lindsey! I’m really in love with these salmon tacos myself. 🙂
I made the salmon tacos with the corn avocado salsa for dinner last night for dinner. My husband and I both thought it was delicious! I can’t support using Norwegian salmon because we get our salmon from Sitka Salmon Shares and believe we need to support our local economy.
That’s great, Edith! I’m glad you found salmon that works for you. 🙂