It's Taco Time!
Taco Tuesday was yesterday here in AFB's house. More specifically blackened salmon tacos served with a delicious pineapple and avocado salsa. This beauty of a meal is really simple to make. You can be all “fancy” and present them all pretty and dainty. Or like me, get all the ingredients for these blackened salmon tacos, mix it all together in a bowl and wedge it in between a delish warm tortilla. Dinner sorted!!!
BLACKENED SALMON TACOS SEASONING
BLACKENED SALMON TACOS SPICES
Smoked Paprika - made from pimento peppers that have been dried, smoked and then crushed into a fine powder. Very popular in Spain and in BBQ'ing
Cayenne Pepper - this is another very popular spice in BBQ'ing. Always be wary of this fella as a little bit goes along way!
Garlic Powder - it's in the name with this one. Dried garlic turned into powder. Very common in spice rubs!
Cumin Powder - we use TONS of this in our house. Hummus is always on the menu and this is one of the key ingredients. Very popular in Middle Eastern and Asian cooking
Salt - is a necessity in cooking. A pinch here and there can completely transform a dish. Be generous when salting meats before cooking
Ground Coriander - VERY different from actual coriander, you know that hate it or love it herb? This is made by grinding the seeds of the plant
Ground Ginger - WAY more concentrated than regular ginger. Commonly used in spice rubs and a great one to have in the pantry
Dried Oregano - oregano is probably the most common form of oregano used in most households. Great with most meats and vegetables.
WINE PAIRING
By now you have probably guessed I'm partial to a glass of wine or two! Yes, I do drink other drinks but wine with dinner after a day of parenting is, well ESSENTIAL!! I have visited many wineries and am part of quite a few wine clubs, along with visiting local independent bottle shops I pick up some GREAT bargains online. A good chunk of those come from winedirect.com.au and my mate Dan who is the business development manager there!
So with that being said, I have used another one of their great drops to pair with these delicious blackened salmon tacos - a chalk hill Vermentino from Mclaren Vale. The Vermentino grape is primarily an Italian grape although we are seeing more planted in Australia each year. Style-wise it would be described as having similar characteristics as sauvignon blanc, pinot grigio and/or riesling. This doesn't mean it tastes the same as those guys but more in its body and weight.
The Chalk Hill Vermentino is light, dry & refreshing. Tons of citrus notes, nice minerality and in my opinion a wine that goes great with food and company. Why not grab an ice-cold bottle, whip up some delicious blackened salmon tacos and enjoy the evening with your loved one!
FURTHER TACO INSPIRATION
If you like this blackened salmon tacos recipe and are looking for other taco ideas or recipes using blackened seasoning than check out these ones.....
Ingredients
Blackened Spices
- 2 tbsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1 pinch oregano
Tacos
- 12 flour tortillas
- 600 g salmon
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 knob butter
- kewpie mayo
- 100 g red cabbage sliced
Salsa
- 1 handful coriander
- 1 avocado chopped
- 150 g pineapple 3 evenly cut slices is sufficient
- 1/2 red onion diced
- 1/2 lime
- 1 tsp olive oil
Instructions
Salsa
- Dice all the ingredients into equal siced pieces and place in mixing bowl and combin
- Alternatively, you can rub the pineapple in a little oil and grill them first before dicing and mixing in a bowl with remaining ingredients
Salmon
- Mix all the spices together, rub salmon in a little oil and rub spices into salmon
- Add a little oil to a hot cast iron pan and sear the salmon for 3 mins on one side, add butter and turn salmon over basting with the butter for a further 2 - 3 mins. Remove from heat and set aside
Plating
- Warm tortillas in oven or dry frying pan
- Add red cabbage to bottom of tortilla and at this point you can be "fancy" and add salsa first followed by salmon OR do what I do and toss the salmon with the salsa and pile it all in. Doesn't look as attractive but boy is it good!
Notes
Essential Tools
- chopping board
- chef knives
- cast iron pan
- grill pan
- mixing bowl x 2
- measuring utensils
- tongs
Tips/Tricks
- make up a larger quantity of the blackened spices and keep it in your pantry - makes it quicker for next time and also for a few other recipes coming your way soon
- if you don't have a cast iron pan then you can use a regular frying pan - the crust won't be as good but it works just fine
- make sure your extractor fan is working as the blackened spices will give off plenty smoke
- don't worry about the blackening - many people think it's burning but it's supposed to blacken up. Just make sure you only add the butter 1/2 way through so you don't have burnt butter!
- you can substitute regular mayo for kewpie mayo - I just like kewpie in particular
It is the smoked paprika, and garlic powder, that do the job for me :3
Great way to complement salmon. You can't go wrong with an avocado lime salsa!
Damn straight!! Glad you enjoyed them 😉