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Hot Smoked Salmon Tacos with Avocado Crema

Shanna
Taco night just got an upgrade with chile spiced hot smoked salmon and a crazy delicious tangy lime avocado crema sauce. Don't forget the chips and margaritas!
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Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 1 hour
Additional Time 8 hours
Total Time 10 hours
Servings 10 -12 Tacos

Ingredients
  

  • 2 pounds wild Sockeye salmon fillet uncut

For the brine:

  • 4 Tablespoons brown sugar
  • 2 Tablespoons kosher salt I use Diamond

For the seasoning rub:

  • 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 2 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon ancho chili powder

For the tacos:

  • 8-10 8 inch flour or corn tortilla shells
  • ½ large green cabbage thinly sliced or shredded
  • 1-2 avocados sliced
  • ½ bunch Cilantro around 1 cup - loose, not packed in
  • 2-3 Limes
  • Hot sauce of choice I like Cholula and Tapatio
  • Lime Avocado Crema sauce see blog post
  • Chips

Equipment needed:

  • Wire rack
  • Baking sheet
  • Electric smoker
  • Digital thermometer

Instructions
 

For the smoked salmon:

  • Prepare your salmon fillet by rinsing and patting dry with paper towels. Remove any pin bones with small tweezers. 
  • Set the salmon fillet skin side down on a wire rack set over a baking sheet. Mix the brine ingredients together then spoon over the top side of the fillet (don’t rub brine into the skin side).
  • Set the brined salmon in your refrigerator, uncovered, for 4 hours up to overnight. This will depend on the thickness of the salmon fillet, the thicker it is the longer the brine. Don’t let it sit with the brine longer than 48 hours. 
  • Remove the salmon on the tray from your refrigerator and leave on your counter at cool room temperature for 2-4 hours or until the surface is shiny and only slightly tacky to the touch. 
  • While the salmon is resting before smoking, preheat your smoker to 225 Deg f and soak some wood chips. The amount will depend upon your smoker and how much it holds. I used apple wood and pecan chips. Alder also work well. You don’t want anything too overpowering. 
  • When the smoker is ready, set the salmon on a rack towards the top and set a tray of water on the rack below it. This will help regulate the smoker’s temperature as well as evenly distribute the smoke. 
  • Check after 30 minutes and keep an eye on the smoker’s internal temperature with a digital thermometer to make sure it is maintaining heat. Check the fish’s internal. Temperature as well and keep checking the fish every 10 minutes until the thickest part reaches 140 Deg f. This will take around an hour total. 
  • Once the salmon has reached temperature, transfer the salmon to a wire rack set on a baking tray or a foil lined tray and let rest for at least 30 minutes. You can rest in a cool oven or on the counter with the fish lightly tented with foil.

Prepare tortillas and taco ingredients:

  • While the salmon is resting prepare the rest of the taco ingredients. 
  • Make the lime avocado cream sauce now, unless you make it while the salmon was in the brine stage. 
  • Char the tortillas over an open flame on our stove or grill, or soften in the oven or in a pan if using an electric or induction stove top. 
  • Slice the green cabbage thinly as well as chop the cilantro, Cut the limes into slices. 

Assemble the tacos:

  • Remove the salmon skin and flake the salmon into large chunks and place in a serving bowl.
  • Take one charred tortilla and add a small handful of the shredded cabbage, top with 2-3 ounces of the smoked salmon. Tuck in 2-3 slices of avocado next to the salmon along with a few sprigs of cilantro. Drizzle the lime avocado crema sauce and and extra squeeze of lime. Add a few dashes of hot sauce if you like. 
  • This recipe makes 8-12 tacos depending on how full you fill them. 
  • Serve with chips, salsa, guacamole, and of course margaritas. 

Notes

If it’s your first time making this recipe then make sure you read all of the information in the main post as it includes lots of additional tips, as well as the answers to some common questions.
If you have any further questions then do let me know in the comments and or email me [email protected] and I’ll do my best to help.
If you choose to make substitutions to the recipe or use a cooking method that I have not tested yet please do so at your own risk, if they are successful I would love to hear about it and will add to my recipe notes for other readers to try as well. 
The smoked salmon will last up to 10 days in the refrigerator kept in an airtight container or up to three months in the freezer. Reheat in a low oven being careful not to dry it out. It is also excellent served cold.