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These easy blackened salmon tacos make the ultimate fish tacos! Topped with pineapple salsa & spicy lime aioli, this tacos and salsa recipe is one you won’t forget!
What Makes This Recipe Great
You know how much I love salmon right? It’s so fun to switch things up sometimes, and these Blackened Salmon Tacos are EVERYTHING! Paired with a delicious spicy lime aioli (the best sauce for fish tacos!) and homemade pineapple salsa, these salmon tacos are an easy, fun, and tasty meal for any night of the week! Tacos and salsa for the win!
Pair these blackened salmon tacos with my Skinny Spicy Margarita for the ultimate Taco Tuesday!
How to Make this Recipe
Ingredient Notes
Salmon Fillets: With skin or without- your choice! I get wild-caught salmon when possible.
Tortillas of choice: I love Siete tortillas, but use your favorite gluten-free taco shell (Scroll down for more ideas!).
Avocado Oil: Avocado oil has a high smoke point, so it is perfect for this blackened salmon tacos recipe.
Spices: Paprika, Salt, Onion powder, Garlic Powder, Cayenne, Oregano, Thyme
Step by Step
- Make the Spice Rub: Mix the paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, cayenne, oregano, and thyme in a small bowl. Brush the salmon fillets with avocado oil so they are completely coated. Sprinkle each filet with an equal amount of the cajun spice rub, then pat the spices down to make them stick.
- Cook the Salmon: Heat a cast-iron pan over medium heat. Add the salmon filets flesh side down (no need to spray the pan with oil first) and cook, untouched, for 4 minutes. Carefully a thin spatula to flip them and cook for an additional 5 minutes until the salmon reaches at least 145 degrees internal temp. This fish spatula works well!
- Assemble the tacos: Heat the tortillas over an open flame on your gas stove (or this can be done in a hot cast iron pan for 5-10 seconds on each side). Use a fork to flake off sections of the fish. Add some of the salmon to each taco along with the pineapple salsa and a drizzle of aioli. Top with additional chopped cilantro, if desired. Enjoy!
The Best Sauce for Fish Tacos
Spicy Lime Aioli
- Mayo: I like Sir Kensington’s or Primal Kitchen mayo.
- Lime juice: Juice from about ½ of a lime. Use the other half for garnish.
- Minced garlic: Mince a garlic clove or use a jar of minced garlic.
- Hot sauce: Use your favorite! Cholula, Tapatio, Tabasco, and Valentina are popular hot sauce brands that are gluten-free. Be sure to check the labels!
- Salt
- Mix together the aioli ingredients in a small bowl with a whisk and store in the fridge until ready to serve.
Pineapple Salsa
This delicious pineapple salsa makes tacos and salsa the perfect pairing. Simply combine diced pineapple, diced red onion, fresh cilantro, lime juice, jalapeno, red bell pepper, avocado, and salt and chill in the refrigerator before serving.
Top your tacos generously with the salsa and enjoy! Or grab your favorite gluten-free tortilla chips and dip away!
Delicious Gluten-Free Taco Shells
There are some amazing gluten-free taco shells out there! Here's a list of easy gluten free tortillas, as well as other wraps and taco shells that make gluten-free tacos super easy!
Corn Tortillas: Pick your favorite brand of corn tortillas, just make sure to always read the labels to make sure they’re gluten-free!
Siete Tortillas or Taco Shells: My favorite brand of paleo and gluten free tortillas. They’re also grain-free!
Trader Joe's Jicama Tortilla Wraps: Ditch the tortilla altogether and go for the veggie tortilla! These wraps are taco-sized, super crunchy, and make excellent tortilla replacements!
Sides to Serve with Tacos
These tacos and salsa go great with so many different sides! Depending on your hunger level, make one or two, or even three sides to serve with your tacos!
Black Beans or Pinto Beans
Paleo Pineapple Guacamole or Easy Pomegranate Guacamole
Instant Pot Mexican “Cheesy” Rice
Mexican Street Corn & Tomato Salad
Coconut Cilantro Cauliflower Rice
Honey Lime Poppyseed Fruit Salad
Mary’s Tips & Tricks
Storage: Store leftovers in separate containers (salsa, aioli, salmon) in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Heat your fish in a pan and assemble tacos and salsa as directed!
Blackened Salmon Tacos with Pineapple Salsa
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 6-oz salmon fillets, with skin or without – your choice!
- 8 tortillas of choice, I prefer siete brand to keep these paleo!
- 2 tbsp avocado oil
- 2 tsp paprika
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp cayenne
- ½ tsp oregano
- ½ tsp thyme
Aioli
- ½ cup mayo
- 1 tbsp lime juice, juice from about ½ of a limee
- 1 clove minced garlic
- 1 tbsp hot sauce
- ¼ tsp salt
Pineapple Salsa
- 2 cups diced pineapple
- ½ cup diced red onion
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- 2 tbsp lime juice
- 1 jalapeno , seeded and diced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- ½ avocado, diced
- ¼ tsp salt
Instructions
- Make the pineapple salsa first by combining all of the ingredients in a bowl and stirring well. Store in the fridge until ready to serve.
- Mix the paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, cayenne, oregano, and thyme in a small bowl. Brush the salmon filets with the avocado oil so they are completely coated. Sprinkle each filet with an equal amount of the cajun spice rub, then pat the spices down to make them stick.
- Heat a cast iron pan over medium heat. Add the salmon filets flesh side down (no need to spray the pan with oil first) and cook, untouched, for 4 minutes. Carefully a thin spatula to flip them and cook for an additional 5 minutes until the salmon reaches at least 145 degrees internal temp.
- While the salmon is cooking, mix together the aioli ingredients and store in the fridge until ready to serve.
- Assemble the tacos: Heat the tortillas over an open flame on your gas stove (or this can be done in a hot cast iron pan for 5-10 seconds each side). Use a fork to flake off sections of the fish. Add some of the salmon to each taco along with the pineapple salsa and a drizzle of aioli. Top with additional chopped cilantro, if desired. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
All nutrition facts are an estimate and automatically calculated. While I fact check them using My Fitness Pal, please note that they may not always be 100% accurate and depend on ingredients used. Weigh your total and divide by the number of servings for the most accurate grams per serving size.
This is my go to pineapple salsa recipe now!! And the tacos are amazing!
Thank you! So glad you liked them!
This recipe is delicious. My husband loves it. I am adding the recipe to a Christmas gift of recipes to give to someone.
Love it! Thanks Heather!
This recipe was incredible! So easy to make and the taste was out of this world!! Thanks Mary for another winner!!
Thanks Laura!!
These were AMAZING! Holy moly. I was looking for something “different” with salmon and we LOVED it. (And I’ve never had salmon tacos before.) make sure to make the pineapple salsa and the sauce! So so good. My hubby was very happy haha
So glad you all loved it! Thanks Krissy!