Salmon Tacos are a front-runner for the most universally beloved way to enjoy fish. Tender, chipotle-spiced salmon topped off with a cool, creamy avocado taco slaw, all wrapped up in a warm tortilla—and it’s on the table ready to eat in just 30 minutes!
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5 Star Review
“You are my hero! These are incredible. So easy and the flavor is remarkable.”
— Lorna —
Why You’ll Love This Easy Salmon Tacos Recipe
- Easy Weeknight Meal. These simple salmon tacos are a cinch to make! For ease, I baked the salmon in the oven, just like I do with Baked Salmon. Want to grill? You can totally make Grilled Salmon tacos instead!
- The BEST Way to Eat Fish. For many of us, fish isn’t the first protein our families rally around (unless it’s Fish and Chips). This recipe is here to change that! From the smoky salmon to the creamy slaw to the warm tortilla, the texture variety makes these the best salmon tacos. (The slaw is based on my top-rated Shrimp Tacos, which many of you have told me you make every week!)
- Endlessly Customizable. While I love the toppings listed below, this is a recipe where you can get creative. Top your salmon tacos with mango salsa, chimichurri, guacamole—whatever!
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Salmon. Flavorful, flaky, and healthy salmon is one of the best fish for tacos! Using my foolproof tips for baking salmon, it turns out moist, tender, and perfectly cooked every time.
- Chipotle Chili Powder. Chipotle chili powder is fairly spicy, so a little goes a long way. The cool slaw balances the spice of the salmon nicely, but if you are sensitive to spice, scale back to 3/4 to 1 teaspoon.
- Lime Zest + Juice. For brightness and acidity.
- Avocado. Creamy avocado gives the slaw buttery richness.
- Greek Yogurt. Another creamy element that gives the slaw body and a slight tanginess.
- Broccoli Slaw. Pre-packaged broccoli slaw is one of my favorite easy shortcuts.
- Hot Sauce. For a subtle kick of heat. Add more if you like your tacos extra spicy. (Spicy salmon fans, don’t miss this Blackened Salmon and this Spicy Salmon Recipe.)
- Tortillas. Both flour and corn tortillas make an excellent vessel for serving the salmon and slaw.
- Cheese. Finish off your salmon tacos with delicious feta or queso fresco. I think cotija cheese would work well too.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Make the Slaw Dressing. Combine the avocado, yogurt, and oil in a bowl.
- Make It Flavorful. Stir in the salt, zest, juice, and hot sauce.
- Finish the Slaw. Add the slaw and cilantro. Cover the bowl and refrigerate it.
- Combine the Seasoning. Stir the salmon spices together.
- Season the Fish. Sprinkle the spices over the salmon on the pan.
- Bake and Assemble. Bake salmon for tacos for 12 to 15 minutes at 425 degrees F. Squeeze lime juice over the salmon. Flake the salmon into the warmed tortillas with a fork, then top with the slaw and cheese. If desired, serve the tacos with lime wedges. ENJOY!
What to Serve with Salmon Tacos
- Beans. Crock Pot Pinto Beans and Instant Pot Black Beans go well with salmon tacos.
- Salad. Both Mexican Street Corn Quinoa Salad and Black Bean Corn Salad would pair well with fish tacos.
- Rice. Cilantro lime rice is a good side dish to have with salmon tacos. Use this Instant Pot Brown Rice as a base.
Salmon Tacos Video
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Salmon Tacos
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 15 minutes
Total: 30 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Video
Salmon tacos are the tastiest 30-minute dinner for busy weeknights! An easy fish taco recipe with smoky baked salmon and creamy avocado slaw.
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Ingredients
FOR THE SALMON:
- 1 pound center-cut salmon fillet
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 ¼ teaspoons chipotle chile powder this has a kick. Use less according to your tastes.
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 small lime zest and juice, divided (about 1 teaspoon zest and 1 1/2 tablespoons juice)
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- Corn or flour tortillas for serving
- Crumbled feta cheese or queso fresco for serving
FOR THE SLAW:
- 1 medium ripe Hass avocado
- ½ cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 small limes zest and juice, about 2 teaspoons zest and 3 tablespoons juice
- ½ teaspoon Sriracha or hot sauce of choice plus additional to taste
- 3 cups broccoli slaw mix or shredded cabbage
- ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
Instructions
- Prepare the slaw: In a mixing bowl, mash the avocado, Greek yogurt, and olive oil together until mostly smooth.
- Stir in the salt, lime zest and juice, and hot sauce.
- Stir in the slaw and cilantro. Taste and adjust hot sauce and salt as desired. Cover with plastic, pressing the plastic against the top of the mixture to deter the avocado from browning, and refrigerate until ready to serve. (The slaw can sit for several hours and will taste better if it rests for at least 1 hour; if you don’t have time, the resting while you prep the salmon will still give you good results.)
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking dish or rimmed baking sheet large enough to hold the salmon with parchment paper or foil. Place the salmon in the center and pat dry. Brush the top of the salmon with the oil.
- In a small bowl, stir together the chipotle powder, garlic powder, lime zest, and salt.
- With a small spoon, sprinkle it evenly over the top of the salmon. (Reserve the zested lime for serving).
- Transfer the dish to the oven and bake the salmon for 12 to 15 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fish (a 1-inch fillet will take around 12 minutes), until the salmon is just cooked through and reaches 140 to 145 degrees F on an instant read thermometer (fish is done at 145; once mine hits 140, I remove it to a plate, cover it, and let it rest for several minutes; the carryover cooking will finish the rest).
- Cut the zested lime in half or into quarters and squeeze the juice over the top of the salmon. To serve, pile the salmon and slaw into the warmed tortillas. Top with cheese. Enjoy warm, with a dash of extra hot sauce as desired.
Notes
- This salmon on its own has a definite kick and is on the salty side. Don’t skip the slaw, which helps to cool it. If you don’t have time to make the slaw, try topping the salmon with sliced fresh avocado, a dollop of Greek yogurt, and an extra squeeze of lime juice and a pinch of kosher salt.
- TO STORE: Refrigerate leftover salmon in an airtight storage container for up to 2 days. Refrigerate leftover slaw separately in an airtight storage container for up to 3 days.
- TO REHEAT: Very gently rewarm leftover salmon on a baking sheet in the oven at 350 degrees F.
Nutrition
Serving: 1(of 4)Calories: 361kcalCarbohydrates: 16gProtein: 29gFat: 22gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 64mgPotassium: 1189mgFiber: 5gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 737IUVitamin C: 99mgCalcium: 108mgIron: 2mg
will be making this soon can i use mushrooms vegan cheese coconut yogurt as am a vegan i never had tacos before perfect for my office snacks i just subscribed to your channel will dm you if i make this and let you know how it goes Thanks Ramya
Hi Ramya! I think you could experiment with it. I hope you enjoy the recipe!
Made this for dinner, and it was soooooo good!!! Tons of flavor and super simple to make (even after the exhaustion of getting off a 4 night stretch of night shifts as an RN). We love your recipes.
I’m SO happy that you enjoyed it, Heather! Thank you for sharing this kind review!
You are my hero! These are incredible. So easy and the flavor is remarkable.
So so happy to hear this Lorna, thank you!
These were such a breeze to make, and they had wonderful flavor! We opted for the grilled salmon route, which was so tasty. I’ll definitely be making these a part of my regular dinner rotation!
I’m so happy that you enjoyed them, Taylor! Thank you for sharing this kind review!
I wouldn’t change anything about this recipe. I used broccoli slaw. Amazing!
Thank you for taking the time to share this kind review, Nicole! I’m so happy to hear that you enjoyed this recipe!
This was so good and easy. I will definitely make this again and again
Hi Laura! So glad you enjoyed the tacos! Thank you for this kind review!
It was super easy and it came out great! I personalized the avocado/broccoli recipe a bit, but pretty much stayed the course. Quick, easy and gourmet; my family loved it!
Hi! So glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for this kind review!
Fun to try, not a repeat recipe. We didn’t try the slaw, but he followed the salmon seasoning carefully. It was fun, but flavors were bitter and overpowering. It’s easy and fast, so it had that bonus.
I’m sorry to hear the recipe wasn’t to your taste, Jennifer. I know it’s disappointing to try a new recipe and not enjoy it. I (and many other readers) have enjoyed it, so I really wish they would’ve been a hit for you too!
So delicious and so easy! We were a little suspicious of broccoli slaw but it turned out great. Thank you!
Hi Jill! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
My first try at making fish tacos. These weee great my whole family loved them!!! Healthy ingredients and my kids loved the broccoli slaw.
Hi Fernando! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Amazing my family loved them Ty for sharing
Hi Mindy! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Made this tonight and wow! So yummy. I used regular chili powder for the salmon and it was delicious.
Hi Madeline! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review.
Absolutely delicious! Super quick and easy
Hi Kathy! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
I really liked the seasoning mix for the salmon; has a definite “bite” to it. The slaw is nice but the avocado flavor gets lost in the lime juice so next time I’ll make this with 2 avocados!
Hi Samantha! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
I do not like plain yogurt. I’m not on any kind of restricted diet, so can I sub sour cream for the yogurt? Can’t wait to try this recipe!
Hi Karen! I use yogurt for lots of my recipes just as a preference not because of any diet so you can definitely substitute it for sour cream. Hope you enjoy it!
Delicious and easy, are very forgiving! My husband doesn’t do a lot of spice so I made the salmon with paprika and a bit of cayenne, and it worked out very well! The slaw was amazing, we all loved it! Definitely a repeat!
Hi Marie! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Although mine didn’t look exactly like the picture, they were outstanding! We loved the spice mix on the salmon, and the recipe was really easy. The avocado salad is AMAZING. Thanks, Erin!
We also tried the Mexican Street Corn Salad, which was a great side. I’m sure I’ll be making both dishes again soon.
Hi Marnie! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Delicious! So, so good. I searched for salmon tacos recipe and picked this one! My husband commented the slaw was the best part! I loved it all, especially the salmon:). Will make it again and again! Served with cilantro lime quinoa and cantaloupe. Yummmmm!
So glad to hear you enjoyed it, Darcy! Thank you!
Yummy! This was the perfect recipe for me today. I bought salmon but wanted something more interesting than broiled, as I often do. Plus I had leftover corn tortillas. It was easy and quick, but next time I’ll plan ahead and make the slaw. It was delicious!
So great to hear! Thank you Victoria!
This was a great recipe for salmon, so tonight I am trying it with barramundi!
So glad to hear, Theresa! Thank you!