Details: Created by:
Evelyn August | Prep: 15m | Cook: 8m | Ready: 23m | Feeds: 3 |
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Ingredients
1
pound salmon fillet
1
tablespoon avocado oil
1
teaspoon smoked paprika
1 / 2
teaspoons cumin
1 / 2
teaspoons garlic powder
1 / 4
teaspoons cayenne
1 / 2
teaspoons salt
1 / 2
teaspoons black pepper
1 / 2
small white onions
1
individual jalapeño
1
tablespoon cilantro
1
individual lime
2
large avocados
1 / 2
small limes
1
pinch salt
1
pinch garlic powder
Steps
Step 1
In a small bowl, mash the avocados with lime juice and salt. Keep it slightly chunky. Dice your onions and jalapeños and set them aside in small bowls so they are ready for "assembly line" serving.
Step 2
Toss the salmon cubes in a bowl with the oil and the dry rub spices until every piece is deeply red and well-coated.
Step 3
Heat a cast-iron or heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Once the pan is shimmering hot, add the salmon. Don’t crowd the pan. Let the salmon sit undisturbed for 2–3 minutes to get that "blackened" crust. Flip and cook for another 2 minutes. The inside should be just barely opaque (medium-rare to medium) so it stays juicy.
Step 4
Char your corn or flour tortillas directly over a gas flame for 5 seconds per side, or in a dry pan until soft and pliable.
Step 5
Spread a generous base of guacamole on the warm tortilla. Lay 3–4 cubes of blackened salmon on top. Sprinkle with the raw onions, jalapeños, and cilantro. Finish with a heavy squeeze of fresh lime juice.
Footnote
By cubing the salmon before cooking, you increase the surface area for the spices. This means every bite has that crispy, flavorful "bark."
Keep your diced onions and jalapeños in the fridge until the very second you serve. That ice-cold "snap" against the hot fish is what makes these refreshing.
Salmon continues to cook once pulled from the heat. Take it off the pan when it still looks a tiny bit pink in the very center.
What makes this dish special?
What makes this recipe special is the temperature and texture contrast. Instead of baking the salmon, we use a high-heat blackened sear. This creates a spicy, crusty exterior on the fish that plays beautifully against the buttery, cool richness of the hand-mashed guacamole and the sharp, cold crunch of raw onions and jalapeños.
It is a "clean" tasting taco all vibrant, zesty, and balanced, designed so that the fresh toppings highlight the richness of the salmon rather than masking it.
