Seared Salmon Tacos with Avocado Crema
Seared Salmon Tacos with Avocado Crema! It’s the perfect twist on the original fish taco recipe and a family favorite! These are super easy to make, heart-healthy, and full of flavor. Your family will love this Mexican favorite!
Oh my goodness… have I got a taco recipe for you today! You all know by now my love for salmon. Salmon is hands down my favorite fish. I eat it at least once a week at my house and it has so many health benefits like omega 3 fatty acids and DHA and EPA which help to prevent strokes. I eat salmon so many different ways but seared and stuffed into a taco might just be the best.
And to be sure and keep my heart healthy and my tastebuds happy, I’m going to be cooking up these salmon tacos on repeat! My family loves them, they’re so tasty and satisfying, they’re quick + easy, and when I serve these for dinner I know we’re getting a nutritious meal that everyone enjoys!
HOW TO MAKE SEARED SALMON TACOS
To make these tacos quickly, we’re going to do a bit of simple multi-tasking. Here’s the order of steps I recommend.
- Mix together the dry seasoning. While the skillet is heating over the stove, whisk together the spices until combined. If want to go an even easier route, you can use store-bought taco seasoning. Lightly pat the salmon filets dry with paper towels and evenly rub with the seasoning mixture. Don’t forget the sides!
- Pan sear the salmon. Pan searing salmon is one of the quickest ways to make a healthy fish dinner. No need to heat up the kitchen with the oven and no standing over a hot grill – less than 10 minutes of cook time on the stovetop is all you need to make pan seared salmon! Avoid overcrowding while cooking, working in batches if you need to and add salmon fillets flesh side down, to an already heated pan. Cover pan and sear fish, undisturbed, for about 3 minutes until crispy and golden, before flipping. If you don’t have a lid for your pan, just use a baking sheet.
- Flip salmon. After 3 minutes, uncover pan, and flip. Cook salmon for about another 5 minutes. You will know salmon is done when the flesh is flaky, when checked with a fork. Be aware that the salmon will continue to cook, some, after removed from the heat and you don’t want to overcook the fish, as it will become dry. Once the salmon is fully cooked, you’ll easily be able to remove the skin with a fork. Meanwhile…
- Make the Avocado Crema sauce. While the salmon is cooking, whip up the Avocado Crema sauce by adding all ingredients to a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. If you don’t want to take time to make the sauce, these tacos are even great topped with guacamole or a store-bought avocado cilantro dressing.
ASSEMBLE THE TACOS
- Once the salmon is ready to go, use a fork to roughly shred it into some large pieces. Add slaw and then salmon to warmed tortillas. I like to heat a couple of tortillas at a time in a large skillet over the stove. Top with other taco favorites! I added a few spoonfuls of feta cheese, some diced avocado and sprinkled on fresh cilantro. Finally, add a drizzle of the Avocado Crema sauce. For the “drizzle look” of the Avocado Crema over the tacos, cut off the very end of one corner of a plastic baggie (a very small cut). Load the baggie with a couple of spoonfuls of sauce and then squirt the sauce out of the cut as you move back and forth across the tacos. Voilà… enjoy!
You are going to fall in love with these tacos with the very first bite. The flavors going on in these tacos will blow you away. You get the spicy flavor from the salmon and the cool rich flavors from the Avocado Crema sauce. Oh man. These are incredible.
I 100% know you are going to enjoy these just as much as my family does! If you are looking for a healthy and fresh dinner recipe, this one is just for you! And if you love salmon just as much as I do, be sure to check out my Salmon Bowls with Pineapple Salsa, Grilled Salmon and Blackened Salmon with Strawberry Avocado Salsa.
I could literally go on and on about the wonderful flavor of this salmon, not to mention the cooking method that gives it the most lovely flakiness and texture. Even if you’re not in the mood for tacos, this is a salmon recipe that could totally stand on its own. The salmon would work well paired with myriad of side dishes or use it as the protein in a salad. If you’ve been trying to find a way to love salmon, give this seared salmon recipe a try… you WON’T be disappointed!
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Seared Salmon Tacos with Avocado Crema
Ingredients
For the salmon:
- 1 pound fresh wild-caught salmon
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil
- 1 teaspoon garlic salt
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
For the avocado crema:
- 1 large avocado
- 2 teaspoons lemon or lime juice
- 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt or mayo
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil
- 2 tablespoons water
- 3/4 teaspoon garlic salt
- sea salt and ground pepper to taste, as needed
For serving:
- 6 corn tortillas or other favorite tortilla/wrap
- 1 bag of slaw mix
- fresh cilantro, salsa and any other favorite taco toppings
Instructions
- Mix all seasonings for the salmon in a small bowl. Feel free to just use taco seasoning, if preferred.
- Pat salmon dry and then rub evenly with seasoning mix (don't forget to rub down the sides of the salmon). You will probably not need to use all of the seasoning mix.
- In a nonstick pan, add oil and heat to medium-high. When pan is hot, add the salmon, flesh side down and cook for 3 minutes with lid on the pan. Flip the salmon and cook fish all the way through (uncovered), about 5 more minutes. You can check the middle of the salmon with a fork to make sure it is heated and beginning to flake. (This timing is usually perfect for me - you don't want overcooked salmon and it will continue to cook a bit even after removed from heat.)* Set aside.
- While salmon is cooking, combine all Avocado Crema ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.
- Heat tortillas in a skillet over the stovetop or panini maker until hot on both sides.
- Top tortillas with slaw/salad mix and fresh cilantro. Remove skin from salmon and use your fingers to pull chunks of salmon to divide it among the tortillas and top with Avocado Crema or guacamole and/or any other favorite taco topping.
- Enjoy... I know you will! One of my personal favorite recipes on the blog!
Notes
*The recipe for Avocado Crema will make more than enough for these tacos. I love having extras for egg wraps, omelets, salad dressing and sandwich spread. If you prefer not having leftover sauce, consider cutting ingredients in half for the tacos.
*For the "drizzle look" of the Avocado Crema on tacos, cut off the very end of one corner of a plastic baggie (a very small cut). Load the baggie with a couple of spoonfuls of Crema and then squirt Crema out of the cut as you move back and forth across the tacos.
*If your salmon fillets are extra thick, you may want to cook them for 1-2 more minutes. *Instead of the seasoning mix, you can use taco seasoning instead. Photos by Sasha at Eat Love Eats.
Did you make this recipe?
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This recipe was originally published February 2019. It was updated with new content May 2021.
Hundred percent agreed with this, I’m also always trying to incorporate more salmon into my diet because I know how healthy it is. Healthier compared to other fish and there are lots of recipes to incorporate with salmon. So much goodness with this recipe, from salmon to avocado crema, yay! Really perfect for me, I will prepare this for Sunday dinner!
I really don’t eat enough salmon! It’s such a tasty and healthy fish! These salmon tacos look scrumptious. Love the sound of your avocado crema!
These tacos sound delicious and I love the avo crema!
These Tacos look amazing. I was not eating fish for a few months due to a really horrific experience eating shark, it spoiled it for me. However, I bet I would love your tacos and I am going to try them. I love fish and am so glad I finally found a recipe to tempt me to eat it again.
Oh yum. I could definitely go for some salmon tacos right now.
These tacos were so delicious! And thanks for adding the taco spices, we can’t get them here in Paraguay. I’ll be adding the avocado crema to everything 😂 too delicious!
I made these salmon tacos with avocado sauce last night and it was absolutely delicious!
Delicious and very easy to make. Served it with a fresh corn salad and it was perfect.
This looks yummy! I have a couple questions though:
1: Did you sear the salmon with the skin on? If so, did you remove the skin once it was seared?
2: Did you cut it into chunks before searing or after?
Thanks for any info you can give, and for the recipe!
Yes, I seared the salmon with the skin on and after searing it is very easy to remove the skin, which you’ll want to do. You’ll notice in the cooking instructions- “When pan is hot, add the salmon, flesh side down and cook for 3 minutes with lid on the pan.” This is referring to the side without the skin and then you flip and cook on the side with the skin. I cut it into chunks after cooking and just so the meat would fit better in the tacos. Enjoy!
YUM YUM YUM! The flavor and texture of the salmon was awesome! I followed your recipe for the salmon itself, but used different toppings. We all enjoyed this so much.
I figured it was skin on when I saw “flash side down” in the recipe, but wanted to be sure, so thanks for your quick reply to my question, and thanks so much for the recipe itself. I think your method for searing the salmon may become one of our go to methods.
Thanks again! 🙂
It has become my go-to method too, even when I’m just eating salmon on its own. Thanks so much for your comment and I’m so glad you enjoyed the dish!
Made this last night and it was super easy and super tasty! It will definitely be in regular rotation for quick, flavorful dinners!
The Avocado Crema really caught my attention and I’m so glad I took a chance and made these! They were super tasty! thanks Kim, for being inspiring 🥰
So happy you enjoyed!
You’re amazing! The wife absolutely LOVED the avacado crema sauce! Salmon itself is great, but adding the sauce really kicked it up a notch! We’ve used the extra sauce we had left over in tuna and it’s fabulous!
Yes, we love the sauce here too! So glad you guys enjoyed and thanks so much for taking time to comment!
This recipe is fantastic! Fresh and delicious. It has become a major favorite in our house. Give it a try you won’t regret it.
These seared salmon tacos turned out so colorful and fresh. My whole family really enjoyed this recipe and I’ll definitely be making again.
I’ve made these before with fresh salmon and loved them! I am making them again for a Spanish project and wanted to know if you could swap the fresh salmon for frozen? I don’t have access to much fresh seafood where I’m from, so frozen is all I have.
Frozen will work fine. Just thaw before making. Enjoy!
My first time cooking salmon on the stove top I followed your cooking instructions for salmon turned out amazing! Thanks I did not try the sauce yet but I will soon:)
Yay! So glad you enjoyed! It’s one of my favorites too!
This was great! Husband, me, and my toddler all enjoyed it!
We did not have slaw, but used ripped-up spinach and grated carrots instead. Would have also worked with diced tomato and grilled onions.
There was way too much sauce, though. Next time I make this, I will probably just cut the sauce recipe in half.
Any ideas of what to do with extra sauce?
Glad to hear that the whole family enjoyed! You could try to use the sauce as a dressing, a dip for veggies or a sauce for wraps and other types of tacos. You may need to thin it out with some water, olive oil or milk to use as a dressing.