What a fun change of pace!! We had a blast with these! I’m not a big fan of fish from the sea, a bit too “fishy tasting” for me, so I wanted a punch of flavor to do a balancing act and this turned out really well!
The salmon was a little too strong for me, but the bright, refreshing lime from the slaw gave it a nice little smack-down and kept it in check for me! 😉 Along with my additions of tomatoes, jalapeños, red onion, cucumber, and bacon; the Greek yogurt married them all together smoothly and kept the calories in check as well! 😉 🙂
The bit of sour cream and my cool and creamy brussels sprout slaw on top, along with some crumbled queso blanco, (and guacamole for my hubby), made for some pretty tasty little mini salmon tacos!
My hubby loved them so much that he used parts of them this morning for some breakfast tacos! He added scrambled eggs, omitted the slaw, and added the Mexican Rice & Beans in their place.
Topped with sour cream and guacamole made him one happy, happy señor! Such an extra-bonus, super-fun, unsuspecting breakfast on a bitter cold Saturday morning! (I love when dishes can do double-duty!!)
I did make mini ones, though, instead of regular “taco-sized” to use up some white corn tortillas that I’d been hoarding in the freezer! 😉
Though I love their flavor, corn tortillas always seem to want to break and fall apart! Arg. So I simply placed them on top (inside) mini/small fajita-sized flour tortillas, doubling them, and they worked perfectly!
They held up beautifully to hold everything without falling apart one single bit! *Good to make note of! 😉 Topping a flour tortilla with a corn tortilla = in the tummy and not on the floor. 😉
The salmon was a no-brainer. I simply sprinkled it lightly with a little chili powder and cumin, and then topped the filet with sliced limes and onions and popped that ruby-red beauty into the oven!
It took literally 5 minutes to get it ready!
Don’t you wish that that’s all it took to get ready in the morning, too?!! Seriously!!
Not being a seafood fish lover, I knew I wanted a cool, creamy topping of some sorts to help me out with this, and being on the brussels sprouts band wagon … hello — brussels sprout slaw was an adventure I just couldn’t resist!
*If you don’t want to mess with them, though they’re just like cute little tiny baby cabbages, you can always use regular cabbage or even lettuce.
(*If wanting to use lettuce, fold freshly shredded lettuce into wet mixture just before serving so it doesn’t get too wet and soggy.)
Otherwise, you’ll want to make the slaw from either of the cabbage family suggestions several hours to overnight ahead of time so that it can absorb the flavors, mellow and soften a bit.
*Just a note to help you choose what to use, I’ve found that brussels sprouts pack a stronger punch raw than regular cabbage if sensitive to the flavor. They definitely need some mellowing and marinating time.
And part two of the show! We enjoyed these immensely with my authentic-tasting Mexican Black Beans & Rice on the side! What a wonderful, warm-me-up-I’ve-had-it-with-winter meal!! 😀 *Recipe coming next!! Stay tuned! 😉
Lightly spiced, sockeye salmon, double-shelled mini tacos topped with tangy brussels sprout slaw, a dab of sour cream, guacamole and crumbled queso blanco sure sounds like a fiesta to me!
Served along with my Mexican Black Beans and Rice…c’mon over to mi casa! Have a seat in my cocina filled with fun and love and I’ll fill the blender with some frozen Key Lime Margaritas! 😉 😀
Best grab a stool quick, though! My kitchen’s filling up fast!! 😀
Have a beautiful day all! 🙂
*Mexican Black Beans & Rice recipe coming tomorrow! 😉
RED SOCKEYE SALMON BAJA MINI TACOS
*Including CREAMY LIME BRUSSELS SPROUT SLAW with GREEK YOGURT, TOMATO, CUCUMBER, JALAPEÑO, RED ONION & BACON
Makes 12-15 mini tacos
For Slaw:
8 whole fresh brussels sprouts, finely shredded and fluffed, (*can sub fresh cabbage or lettuce, 2 1/2 – 3 cups)
2 ( 5.3 oz.) containers plain Greek yogurt, we like Chobani
1 Tbl. sugar, or to taste (*if using the juice of half a lime – you’ll need the full Tbl., *less juice – less sugar)
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. coarse ground black pepper
zest of 1 lime
juice of 1/4 – 1/2 of a lime, to taste (*half a lime makes it very tangy!)
4-5 strips quality lean bacon, crisp cooked and crumbled
3-4 vine-ripened tomatoes, chopped, (depending on size)
1 small cucumber, peeled and chopped, (or half to three-fourths of a large cucumber)
1/4 of a red onion, chopped
8 pickled jalapeño rings, chopped, or more for extra heat
For Salmon:
2 lbs. red sockeye salmon
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/4 tsp. cumin
pinch each salt and coarse ground black pepper
2 fresh limes, sliced
1 small sweet onion, thinly sliced
12-15 small fajita-sized flour tortillas
12-15 small fajita-sized white or yellow corn soft tortillas
Additional Toppings:
sour cream
guacamole
fresh slices avocado
fresh slices tomato
thinly sliced green onions
crumbled queso blanco or fresco
sriracha or hot sauce
pickled jalapeño rings
DIRECTIONS:
Make slaw first:
In medium bowl, toss, and stir well to mix, all of slaw ingredients. (*For brussels sprouts, peel off outer yellow leaves and slice off root/stem end. Slice in half lengthwise through core. Lay halves flat/cut side-down, and very thinly slice crossways. Add to bowl and fluff to separate. Add rest of ingredients, stir well, and let sit in fridge for several hours to overnight to soften a bit and flavors to marry and mellow.) *If using lettuce, mix and serve immediately, or fork shredded lettuce in just before serving. Does not need to rest in fridge or it will get soggy.
When slaw is ready, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place salmon into sprayed 13×9 glass baking dish. Top evenly with ingredients in order above. (*Except for tortilla shells.) Bake for 35-40 minutes until done and fish flakes easily with a fork.
While salmon is baking, prepare any additional toppings that you’d like. Warm tortillas on a plate, a few at a time, in microwave until hot placing a corn tortilla on top of each flour tortilla.
Top warmed, double-shelled tortillas with broken salmon pieces, a few spoons of slaw, crumbled queso blanco, and any additional toppings of choice as listed above.
(*Extra ingredients are provided in toppings list in case slaw is not desired or not being made.)
