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Grilled Salmon Tacos with Corn Salsa will be your new favorite fish tacos! Mexican spiced salmon fillets are grilled until flaky, topped with a grilled corn and poblano salsa, and finished off with a dollop of chipotle crema. You’ll love these fresh, healthy and flavorful tacos!
One of my favorite kinds of tacos to make are fish tacos. They’re most commonly made with either a white fleshed fish such as mahi mahi, halibut or cod or with salmon. Since I always have sockeye salmon in my freezer I generally make salmon tacos.
These grilled salmon tacos with strawberry avocado salsa are a summer favorite of mine and today I’m adding these Grilled Salmon Tacos with Corn Salsa to the list of summer favorites. Not only is the salmon grilled, but the ingredients used to make the corn salsa are as well.
Ingredients For Grilled Salmon Tacos with Corn Salsa
- sockeye salmon or other wild caught salmon
- chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, chipotle chile powder
- limes
- corn
- poblano peppers
- jalapeño
- red onion
- cilantro
- plain Greek yogurt
- honey
- corn tortillas
How to Make Corn Salsa
Thanks to grilling the corn and peppers, this salsa has a ton of smoky, delicious flavor! To grill the corn, poblanos and jalapeño, all you need to do is remove the corn from the husk and then rub it and the peppers with a little olive oil.
The vegetables go onto a grill that is heated to about 400° F. You’ll want to turn them a few times as they cook. In total, the corn and jalapeño will need approximately 10 minutes, the poblanos will need 12-15 minutes.
Once they’re cooked remove them from the grill. Let the corn rest until it’s cool enough to cut the kernels off of the cob. Take the peppers and put them in a bowl and cover it with plastic wrap. Once the peppers are cool enough to handle peel off the skins. Remove the core and seeds and then dice them.
Add the corn kernels and peppers to a serving bowl and then add in the diced red onion, cilantro, lime juice and salt to taste. This recipe makes a good amount, so feel free to serve some as an appetizer with tortilla chips.
How to Make Grilled Salmon Tacos
Combine the chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika and salt and then sprinkle it evenly over the salmon fillets. Add the salmon to the pre-heated grill at the same time you grill the vegetables for the corn salsa. If you’re using sockeye salmon fillets like I did, they won’t take long at all to cook.
Since sockeye salmon is leaner than Atlantic salmon if won’t need to cook as long. Depending on the thickness it may only need a few minutes per side. The best way to make sure you don’t overcook it is to use a meat thermometer.
The FDA says to cook salmon to 145° F. In my opinion and in the research I’ve done about cooking salmon that will result in a very dry piece of fish. I cook wild caught salmon to 120° F. and let it rest for at least 5 minutes, which should bring the internal temperature to 125° F. This results in tender flaky fish.
After the salmon has rested, remove the skin and flake it into pieces with a fork. The final step to these tacos is the chipotle crema. In a small bowl combine the Greek yogurt, chipotle chile powder, honey, lime juice, salt and pepper and whisk it together.
Heat the corn tortillas in the microwave wrapped in damp paper towels until they’re warm. If you have a gas stove, place them directly on over the burner and heat them until the edges are lightly charred. Warming the tortillas keeps your tacos from falling apart.
Add some of the salmon to the tortillas and top with your desired amount of corn salsa, a couple dollops of the chipotle crema and serve.
Frequently Asked Questions
No, but it does add a good amount of flavor. If you don’t want to grill the salsa, use a bag of defrosted frozen corn and add the diced peppers in raw. The salmon can be pan fried or baked in the oven.
Chipotle chile powder can be replaced with some of the adobo sauce from a can of chipotle chile peppers or you can use regular chili powder.
Poblano peppers can be substituted with green chiles or Anaheim chiles.
More Taco Recipes
- shrimp tacos with avocado salsa verde
- black bean tacos with avocado corn salsa
- sweet potato, bacon and egg breakfast tacos
- cheesy taco stuffed zucchini boats
- cauliflower rice fish taco bowls
Grilled Salmon Tacos with Corn Salsa
Ingredients
- 8 corn tortillas
Salmon
- 1 pound sockeye salmon fillets
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1/2 of a lime squeezed over the salmon after grilling
Corn Salsa
- 3 ears of corn shucked
- 2 poblano peppers
- 1 jalapeño
- 1/3 cup diced red onion
- 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
- 1 lime juiced
- Salt and pepper to taste
Chipotle Crema
- 1/2 cup plain non fat Greek yogurt
- 1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon chipotle chile powder
- 1/2 of a lime
- 1 teaspoon honey
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a small bowl whisk together the ingredients for the chipotle crema. Taste for seasoning, then cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
- Combine the spices for the salmon then sprinkle them evenly over the fillets. Rub the corn, poblanos and jalapeño with olive oil and place them on a sheet pan or plate.
- Preheat grill to 400° F. and oil the grates. When the grill is hot place the corn, poblanos, jalapeño and salmon fillets on the grates then cover with the lid.
- Grill the salmon fillets for 3-4 minutes then flip them over and grill another 3 minutes or until the internal temperature is 120-125° F. Remove from the grill and rest for at least 5 minutes before removing the skin and flaking them.
- Grill the poblanos for 10-15 minutes, turning them occasionally. The skins should be nice and charred.
- Grill the corn and jalapeño for about 10 minutes total turning them occasionally so that all the sides get a little char.
- Take the peppers and place them in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let them cool until you’re able to handle them, about 10 minutes. Once they’ve cooled, rub or peel the skins off. Remove the core and seeds and dice.
- Cut the corn kernels off of the cobs and put them in a serving bowl along with the diced peppers.
- Add the diced red onion, cilantro, lime, salt and pepper to the corn mixture. Stir everything together and taste for seasoning.
- Warm the corn tortillas in the microwave or over the flame on a gas stove. Add some of the salmon to the tortillas and top with the corn salsa and chipotle crema.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This was amazing, so fresh and the whole family loved it!
I’m so happy to hear you and the family enjoyed the tacos! Thanks for trying them out.