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Home » Fish » Salmon and Trout » Smoked Salmon Tacos

Smoked Salmon Tacos

By Hank Shaw on November 1, 2021 - 2 Comments

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5 from 4 votes
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Smoked salmon tacos aren’t a thing in Mexico, but smoked marlin tacos are, and that’s the inspiration for this recipe, which is quick, easy, and tasty — once you have some smoked salmon on hand.

Photo by Holly A. Heyser

Keep in mind that this recipe relies on hot smoked salmon, the kind popular in the Pacific Northwest — I have an awesome recipe for smoked salmon here — and not the softer cold smoked salmon that you would get in say, Scotland.

This recipe hinges on good things to eat that play well with each other, rather than on any special cooking techniques or odd ingredients.

What’s more, it’s incredible quick to make (and eat), so it’s great for a work night. Pretty much the only thing that’s cooked are the peppers and the tortillas. Everything else is cool or room temperature.

Really the only prep here is the peppers, which are called rajas in Mexico. If you want to bang out your smoked salmon tacos in a hurry, you can use canned green chiles. But making the rajas from scratch, even a day or two before, is better.

Basically you roast poblanos or Anaheim (or Hatch) green chiles, remove the skins, stems and seeds, and cut the peppers into strips. I do this same thing with my turkey breast tacos, too, because, well, it’s amazing.

Closeup of a plate of smoked salmon tacos.
Photo by Holly A. Heyser

Similarly, you can of course use store-bought tortillas, but I prefer to make my own — here’s how to make corn tortillas at home. And while I do prefer corn here, I won’t judge you (this time) if you use flour. You do see fish on flour tortillas from time to time in Baja.

The remaining ingredients are there to play with each other.

My rendition of smoked salmon tacos uses flaked smoked salmon as the star, with the lime-soaked rajas underneath for a touch of tart and spicy, a little extra sour and fattiness from the avocados and Mexican crema (a thinner sour cream), plus the crunch of roasted pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds.

If you want to add more heat to your smoked salmon tacos, simply drizzle on your favorite hot sauce. In this case, Huichol would be my favorite; it’s from the Pacific coast of Mexico.

Another great alternative is to skip the crema and avocados and go instead with my avocado-tomatillo salsa, which will get you to the same place — and which works very well with smoked salmon.

No smoked salmon on hand? Use any smoked fish. Good choices would be smoked bluefish, smoked trout, smoked sablefish, smoked mullet or whitefish, or smoked sturgeon.

And if you’re looking for another idea for smoked fish tacos, I have a different recipe for tacos de marlin.

Closeup of a plate of smoked salmon tacos
Print Recipe
5 from 4 votes

Smoked Salmon Tacos

Prep Time45 mins
Cook Time20 mins
Total Time1 hr 5 mins
Course: Appetizer, lunch, Main Course
Cuisine: American, Mexican
Diet: Gluten Free
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 505kcal
Author: Hank Shaw

Ingredients

  • 3 poblano or Anaheim chiles
  • 1/4 cup lime juice
  • 8 corn tortillas
  • 1 pound smoked salmon
  • 1/3 cup roasted pumpkin seeds (or sunflower seeds)
  • 2 avocados, diced
  • Mexican crema or sour cream, to taste
  • 4 limes, cut into wedges
  • Hot sauce, to taste

Instructions

  • Char the skins of the chiles over a gas burner, grill or under the broiler. Put the chiles in a plastic bag or some other closed container to steam for 20 minutes. Scrape off the skins, remove the seeds and stems, and cut into strips or dice them. Salt well and soak in the 1/4 cup lime juice.
  • When you are ready, flake out the smoked salmon; discard any skin and bones. Heat your tortillas and load them up with the salmon, the strips of roasted pepper, and avocados. Top with the crema, pumpkin seeds, and, if you want, lime juice and hot sauce.

Notes

If you don’t have any smoked salmon, you can use any smoked fish here. Smoked bluefish or mackerel are great choices, as are smoked trout, mullet or amberjack. And of course, smoked marlin is the classic in Mexico. 

Nutrition

Calories: 505kcal | Carbohydrates: 46g | Protein: 30g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 14g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 26mg | Sodium: 949mg | Potassium: 1102mg | Fiber: 14g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 619IU | Vitamin C: 106mg | Calcium: 105mg | Iron: 4mg
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Filed Under: American Recipes, Appetizers and Snacks, Featured, Fish, Mexican, Recipe, Salmon and Trout

Avatar for Hank Shaw

Hank Shaw

Hey there. Welcome to Hunter Angler Gardener Cook, the internet's largest source of recipes and know-how for wild foods. I am a chef, author, and yes, hunter, angler, gardener, forager and cook. Follow me on Instagram and on Facebook.

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Comments

  1. Avatar for CleveCleve says

    November 2, 2021 at 6:15 pm

    Really tasty for tonight’s dinner.
    Made blue corn tortillas, also from Hank’s corn tortilla recipe.
    Big hit.

    Reply
  2. Avatar for EricEric says

    November 2, 2021 at 4:31 pm

    Had a 12 oz smoked coho salmon from Sitka Salmon Shares, so we tried this tonight. Came out fabulous! Definitely a keeper recipe.

    Reply

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Hi, my name is Hank Shaw; I’m a James Beard Award-winning author and chef. I started this site back in 2007 to help you get the most out of all things wild: fish, game, edible wild plants and mushrooms. I also write cookbooks, have a website dedicated to the intersection of food and nature, and do a podcast, too. If it’s wild, you’ll find it here. Hope you enjoy the site!

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