Asian Salmon Tacos {& A Dinner Planning Tip}
*Tip: On Sunday mornings, I usually make an inventory of what we have in our refrigerator/freezer. And I am not talking about every single thing. I am talking meats, chicken, fish, pastas, etc. I jot them down on my chalkboard next to the fridge and that way I can visualize what I am making during the week and if I come across a recipe on Pinterest or on someone's blog, I can maybe try it.
On my inventory for this week, I had salmon. I will eat salmon when done right, but I wouldn't go as far as saying it's my favorite fish. Anyway, I had two salmon fillets in the freezer, and then I came across Heather Christo's Asian Salmon Tacos on Pinterest. They looked delicious, but I was worried that the flavors would not be good on my palate, but I was in the mood to try something different. So I quickly scanned our fridge, and we had most of what the recipe called for. So I improvised a bit, something I just recently started doing. I used to be a "by the book" cook for a long time, but with trial and error we all learn right? The flavors ended up being delicious and so fresh. The hubby and I kept going for more even after the salmon was all gone. But, if you are not into fusion foods I wouldn't try this.
As some of you requested this recipe via instagram, I am featuring my version on the blog.
So here's how I adapted Heather's recipe.
Pickled Sweet & Spicy Red Onions
+1 large red onion, thinly sliced
+1/2 cup rice vinegar
+1/2 cup Champagne vinegar
(or substitute the vinegars with 1 cup of rice wine vinegar)
+1/2 cup sugar
+1 jalapeño, thinly sliced
In a small saucepan, mix vinegars with sugar and bring to a simmer. In a medium bowl, place the red onion and jalapeño and add the hot vinegar mixture. I pickled this mixture for at least 6 hours in the refrigerator.
Asian Slaw
+3 small carrots, peeled and sliced thin.
+1 cup of cilantro, chopped
+1 garlic clove, minced
+1 bunch green onions, chopped
+3 tbsp. sesame oil
+1/8 cup rice vinegar
+1/8 cup Champagne vinegar
(or substitute with 1/4 rice wine vinegar)
+zest of 1 lime
Mix all ingredients together in a bowl and place in the refrigerator. I made this slaw early in the day, so all the flavors were combined for at least 6 hours.
Salmon
+2 salmon fillets with skin on
+1 tbsp. sesame oil
+1 tbsp. Champagne vinegar
+1 tsp. soy sauce
+2 tsp. vegetable oil
+corn tortillas
+avocado, diced
+fresh limes
+kosher salt
Place the salmon in a ziploc bag and add the sesame oil, vinegar, and soy sauce. You could easily double the amount of salmon and the marinade. Let marinate for about 1 hour in the refrigerator. Heat a non-stick pan and add the oil. Place the salmon flesh side down and cook, covered, on medium-high heat for about 3 minutes. Flip them and cook skin side down for about 5 more minutes, covered. Set aside and let sit for a couple of minutes.
Meanwhile, heat your tortillas in a preheated pan and heat them through until they are more on the crispy side. You could also put them in a cookie sheet and heat them in the oven.
To assemble the tacos: Place some of the salmon on a tortilla, top with pickled onions, slaw, diced avocado, a squeeze of lime juice, and a sprinkle of kosher salt. The salt makes all the flavors pop. And I opted not to do the pico de gallo.
*As you can see, I didn't have rice wine vinegar, ginger, red chili, sambal, or the cabbage, but they were so good that we didn't miss them. Instead of the rice wine vinegar I combined equal parts of rice vinegar and Champagne vinegar, or I used Champagne vinegar instead of the rice wine vinegar. I usually have Champagne vinegar in my pantry for salads or making salad dressings.
And tomorrow, I am featuring my absolute favorite pizza, so come back to get the pizza recipe which includes my dough recipe, and my favorite homemade pizza sauce.
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