These salmon tacos are perfect for a quick weeknight dinner! With a crunchy cabbage slaw, creamy lemon dill sauce and flaky blackened salmon, this is a meal you’ll make again and again.
Salmon Tacos You’ll Swoon Over
I just love these salmon tacos so much, and they are easy to make! I’ve been making my beloved Fish Tacos recipe for years, and I wanted to develop a salmon taco recipe that is just as simple and just as tasty. My teen was skeptical about these at first, but once she took a bite she agreed that this combination is spot on.
What makes these salmon tacos so good is the contrast between the cool, crunchy slaw and the spicy blackened salmon. To keep the prep easy, I use the same lemon dill yogurt sauce as a dressing for the cabbage slaw and as a topping for the tacos. I hope you love these as much as we do!
Ingredient Notes
- Lemon Dill Sauce: You’ll need plain Greek yogurt, lemon zest, lemon juice, fresh dill, olive oil, Dijon mustard, garlic, salt and pepper.
- Blackened Salmon: My homemade Blackened Seasoning brings smoky, spicy flavor to fresh salmon. We cook the salmon in a cast iron skillet to get that delicious crust.
- Cabbage Slaw: All you need for the slaw is shredded green cabbage and some of the lemon dill sauce mixed in to make it creamy.
- Corn Tortillas: I love the extra flavor that corn tortillas bring to these tacos, plus they’re gluten-free. You can swap in small flour tortillas if you prefer.
- Avocado: The perfect finishing touch for these tacos, it goes really well with the salmon, sauce and slaw.
How to Make Salmon Tacos
Let the salmon come to room temperature for 20 minutes. This helps it to cook evenly. Meanwhile, prep the other ingredients:
Make the lemon dill sauce and slaw: Whisk together the plain Greek yogurt, lemon zest, lemon juice, fresh dill, olive oil, Dijon mustard, garlic, salt and pepper. Toss ⅓ to ½ cup of the sauce with the shredded cabbage, until it’s dressed to your liking. Save the rest of the sauce for spooning on the tacos.
Season and cook salmon: Brush the salmon fillets with melted butter and sprinkle generously with the seasonings, rubbing the seasonings onto the fish to help them stick. Cook the salmon in a hot cast iron skillet, first for 3-4 minutes skin side up, then flip and cook for 2-3 more minutes.
Assemble tacos: Warm the tortillas, then fill each tortilla with slaw, flaked salmon, sliced avocado and a few dollops of the lemon-dill sauce. Enjoy!
Tips for the Best Salmon Tacos
- Buy thin salmon fillets if you can, so that the crust doesn’t get overly blackened before the middle is cooked through. Alternatively, you can sear the salmon in a cast iron skillet and then transfer the skillet to the oven to finish cooking through.
- Cooking the blackened salmon can create some smoke, so ventilate your area by turning on the stove hood fan and opening a window.
- A sharp chef’s knife works great to thinly slice the cabbage. Alternatively you can use a mandolin.
- Warm the corn tortillas before assembling tacos: Corn tortillas can be more prone to tearing than flour. To soften them up, warm them in the microwave between damp paper towels or briefly heat them in a hot skillet.
Recipe Variations
Here are my favorite ways to change up the flavors in these tacos:
- If you don’t want the bold, spicy flavors of the blackened salmon swap it for this Pan Seared Salmon.
- Skip the slaw and sauce and top the flaked salmon in the tacos with my Mango Salsa instead, plus diced avocado. I was torn between these two versions of the recipe, both are so good!
Made this recipe? I’d truly appreciate if you leave a comment and star rating below! Your review will help others who want to try this recipe. Thank you! 💛
Salmon Tacos
Ingredients
For the Lemon Dill Sauce:
- 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
- zest of 1 medium lemon
- 4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- freshly ground black pepper, to taste
For the Salmon:
- 4 salmon fillets, 4 ounces each, skin on
- 1 tablespoon sweet or smoked paprika, or a combination of the two
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ¾ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 1 ½ tablespoons avocado oil, or another high smoke point cooking oil
Remaining Ingredients:
- ½ small green cabbage, thinly sliced or shredded*
- 8 small corn tortillas
- 1 avocado, sliced
Instructions
- Let the salmon come to room temperature for 20 minutes. If your salmon fillets are on the thicker side and/or you like your salmon more well done, preheat oven to 400°F.
- Make Lemon-Dill Sauce: Combine the plain Greek yogurt, lemon zest, lemon juice, fresh dill, olive oil, Dijon mustard, garlic, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Whisk to mix.1 cup plain Greek yogurt, zest of 1 medium lemon, 4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, 1 clove garlic, ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt, freshly ground black pepper
- Make Slaw: Toss shredded cabbage with ⅓ to ½ cup of the lemon-dill sauce, until dressed to your liking. Cover and refrigerate the slaw and the bowl with the remaining sauce.½ small green cabbage
- Season Salmon: Combine paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper, dried oregano, dried thyme, salt and black pepper in a small bowl. Whisk to mix. Pat the salmon fillets dry with paper towels. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle generously with the seasonings, rubbing the seasonings onto the fish to help them stick.4 salmon fillets, 1 tablespoon sweet or smoked paprika, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, ¾ teaspoon onion powder, ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper, ½ teaspoon dried oregano, ½ teaspoon dried thyme, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper, 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- Cook Salmon: Heat the oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Once the pan is very hot, add the salmon fillets, skin side up, to the pan. Cook on the first side for 3-4 minutes. The salmon is ready to flip when it has a nice golden brown crust and releases easily from the pan. Use a thin spatula to flip the fillets over so that they are skin side down. Cook on the second side for 2-3 minutes, until the salmon reaches your desired doneness. (130-135°F in the center for medium, 145°F in the center is fully cooked. If it's not cooked to your liking after 3 minutes on the second side, finish cooking it in the oven until it reaches your desired doneness.)1 ½ tablespoons avocado oil
- Warm Tortillas: Warm the tortillas, one at a time, in a hot skillet on the stove. Alternatively, you can warm the tortillas all at once in the microwave.8 small corn tortillas
- Assemble Tacos: To serve, fill each tortilla with some of the slaw, flaked salmon (removed from the skin), sliced avocado and some of the lemon-dill sauce. Enjoy!1 avocado
Notes
- The cayenne pepper makes the fish seasoning moderately spicy. For less spice, reduce or omit the cayenne.
- Cooking the blackened salmon can create some smoke, so ventilate your area by turning on the stove hood fan and opening a window.
- If you don’t want the bold, spicy flavors of the blackened salmon swap it for this Pan Seared Salmon.
- Recipe Variation: Skip the slaw and sauce and top the flaked salmon in the tacos with my Mango Salsa instead, plus diced avocado. I was torn between these two versions of the recipe, both are so good!
