Get ready for mess-free fish tacos! Salmon tocos have never been easier or tastier, mark my words. I am about to walk you through every step of the way so that your dinner is a total hit. Pro tip: don’t sleep on that pineapple salsa. It’s worth the cutting board quality time.
The Best Fish Tacos with Salmon
If you’ve ever made fish tacos, you know that the fish is usually fried, either in a pot of oil or on a skillet. Either way, there’s usually a lot of extra cooking fat and (more important to me) a MESS left behind. That’s why I love these so much. Get a nice big piece of salmon, dust it in this no-fail dry rub, and then BAKE the salmon by following our instructions.
Once the salmon is out of the oven, just use a fork to flake the fish into bite-sized pieces.
Load that tasty salmon into a toasted tortilla, top liberally with pineapple salsa, and enjoy!
Ingredients for Salmon Tacos
Below, you’ll find everything you’ll need to season and bake your salmon, make your delicious pineapple salsa, and assemble your ready-to-devour tacos.
For the Tacos
- 1 ½ pounds of salmon
- 1 tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- 1 teaspoon of paprika
- 1 teaspoon of garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon of onion powder
- ½ teaspoon of ancho chili powder
- ½ teaspoon of cumin
- ¼ teaspoon of black pepper
- Corn tortillas, for serving
- Pineapple salsa, for garnish (recipe below)
- Sliced jalapeno, for garnish
- Cilantro, for garnish
For the Pineapple Salsa
- 2 cups of pineapple, diced
- 1 large avocado, diced
- 2 tablespoons of lime juice (about 1 lime)
- â…“ cup of fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
- ¼ of a red onion, diced
- 1 small jalapeño, seeds removed, diced (optional)
- ½ teaspoon of salt
Ingredient Modifications and Substitutions
These tacos are incredible as-is, but if you’re looking for some ways to mix them up, our best ideas are below.
- Use mango salsa – if pineapple isn’t your thing, try swapping the pineapple salsa for mango salsa! They’re both really delicious.
- Use steelhead trout – if you can’t find salmon, steelhead trout is a GREAT option.
- Skip the spice – to keep things mild, ditch both the jalapeno in the pineapple salsa and the one used for garnish.
How to Make Salmon Tacos
These salmon tacos are a breeze to whip up (the oven actually does most of the work for you!). Here’s how it’s done:
- Prep – preheat the oven to 400°F, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Season the salmon – add the salt, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, ancho chili powder, cumin, and black pepper to a small bowl and mix to combine. Place the salmon on the parchment paper-lined sheet pan, brush the it with olive oil, and sprinkle the seasoning over the top of the olive oil.
- Bake – bake for 15 minutes or until easily flaked with a fork.
- Make the pineapple salsa – while the salmon is baking, add the chopped ingredients for the pineapple salsa to a bowl and mix to combine.
- Flake the salmon – after 15 minutes, remove the salmon from the oven and use a fork to flake the salmon into chunks.
- Assemble the tacos, serve, and enjoy – add the salmon to charred corn tortillas, and top with a scoop of pineapple salsa, sliced jalapeno, and cilantro. Enjoy!
Salmon Taco Toppings
The salmon taco topping possibilities are endless! Stick with recipe and use pineapple salsa, sliced jalapeno, and cilantro as garnish, or choose your own adventure! Some of our best (delicious) topping ideas:
- Cotija cheese
- Mexican Street Corn and Kale Slaw
- Mexican Coleslaw with Creamy Avocado Dressing
- Black Bean and Corn Salsa
- Paleo Cilantro Lime Cream Sauce
- Avocado Dressing
- Jalapeno Ranch Dressing
- Creamy Salsa Verde
- Paleo Salsa Verde
- Guacamole
What to Serve with Salmon Tacos
These salmon tacos are a delicious complete meal all on they’re own, but if you’re looking for a simple side, beans and/or rice would be really delicious. If you REALLY want to impress, this Mexican Corn Salad is my side dish recommendation!
Salmon Tacos FAQs
Just for You
Seafood Recipes
Want more recipe ideas like this?
Salmon Tacos Recipe
Ingredients
For the Tacos
- 1½ pounds salmon
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon ancho chili powder
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- Corn tortillas for serving
- Pineapple salsa for serving (ingredients below)
- Sliced jalapeno for serving
- Cilantro for serving
For the Pineapple Salsa
- 2 cups pineapple diced
- 1 large avocado diced
- 2 tablespoons lime juice about 1 lime
- â…“ cup fresh cilantro roughly chopped
- ¼ red onion diced
- 1 small jalapeno seeds removed, diced (optional)
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Add the salt, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, ancho chili powder, cumin, and black pepper to a small bowl and mix to combine. Place the salmon on the parchment paper-lined sheet pan, brush the it with olive oil, and sprinkle the seasoning over the top of the olive oil.
- Bake for 15 minutes or until easily flaked with a fork.
- While the salmon is baking, add the chopped ingredients for the pineapple salsa to a bowl and mix to combine.
- After 15 minutes, remove the salmon from the oven and use a fork to flake the salmon into chunks.
- Add the salmon to charred corn tortillas, and top with a scoop of pineapple salsa, sliced jalapeno, and cilantro. Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
- Use mango salsa – if pineapple isn’t your thing, try swapping the pineapple salsa for mango salsa! They’re both really delicious.
- Use steelhead trout – if you can’t find salmon, steelhead trout is a GREAT option.
- Skip the spice – to keep things mild, ditch both the jalapeno in the pineapple salsa and the one used for garnish.
Nutrition
Made these tonight for dinner and they were a hit with my family. I loved that they were delicious, but also that everything came together so easily! Thank you so much!
We’re so glad your family loved them, Julie! Thank you for sharing this with us!
These tacos were INCREDIBLE. The salmon is super easy to prepare and the salsa is so delicious and refreshing. My kids gobbled this up (I left out the jalapeño for them). My daughter had 3 helpings! We are planning to make this again for our extended family for July 4th. Yum!!!
Wahooo! We’re so glad everyone loved them, Whitney!!
Holy moly! Do not wait until a Tuesday; make these tacos tonight! You will be licking your fingers between each taco, to get every ounce of flavor into your mouth! So. Darn. Good!!!!
Love that, Casey!! We’re so glad you enjoyed them!
Sweet and spicy and full of flavor!
Wahoo! So glad you loved it!
Yummy and quick summer dinner! We did the fish on the grill, will definitely be making again!
Grilling it was a great idea, Adrienne! We’re so glad you enjoyed it!
Wonderful tacos! The salmon spice has the perfect balance of salt and spice. The pineapple salsa really balances the taco with sweet and tang. I love the charred corn tortillas.
We’re so glad you enjoyed them, Renee!
These are a must make! As a born and raised Alaskan, I can honestly say Casey’s fish recipes never disappoint. I’m looking forward to the left overs over rice tomorrow.
We’re so glad you loved this recipe, Kali! Thank you so much for sharing this with us!!
Made these for taco Tuesday this week – served with jasmine rice & black beans. The spice rub for salmon made a LOT more than I wanted to use, so I stirred the rest into the black beans; it added so much flavor! We made salmon taco bowls using the leftovers for next day’s lunch. Quick. Delicious. Versatile to accommodate various dietary restrictions.
We’re so glad you loved this recipe, Julie Ann! Adding the seasoning to the beans was a great idea!
Absolutely delicious! My entire family (including my 3 and 4 yr old) loves this recipe every time I have made it. The combination of seasonings on the salmon with the pineapple pineapple salsa is restaurant quality in your own home. Definitely going to keep this on my list of options to make when having dinner guests.
Thanks for another great recipe!
That’s amazing, Kate! We’re so glad the whole family loves this recipe. Thank you so much for sharing this with us!!
Thanks for a new spin on fish tacos. I never would have thought of using salmon!
The spice mixture looks like a lot, going onto the salmon, but it was just flavorful, not overwhelming.
For the salsa, I absolutely used canned pineapple and will not leave out the jalapeño next time!
We’re so glad you loved this recipe, Lauren!!
YUM! I can’t wait to make this – even my 7 year old will enjoy if i leave out the jalapeno 🙂
We hope y’all love it!
My husband and I loved this quick easy dinner! I made a cilantro rice to go with it and it was tasty.
We’re so glad you both enjoyed it, Megan!
These were delicious! The seasoning for the salmon was perfect in combination with the pineapple salsa. I left the jalapeño out, but will probably add next time.
Wahoo! We’re so glad you enjoyed these tacos, Kelley!!
Loved this! Super easy and tasty. Will be making for summer bbqs.
Great idea, Cat!
Oooooh these are so good! I saw they were the June recipe of the month, and I got excited because I’ve made these several times and enjoy them tremendously each time. One of my favorite restaurants in town has a salmon with pineapple salsa that I crave, and this recipe gives me the opportunity to make something similar and easy at home!
Keep up the good work Cassy! I have all your books and subscribe to your newsletter and YouTube channel. You’ve really made my life easier.
Maurna! This is so sweet – your kind comments mean more than you know! We’re so glad you love the tacos!