Salmon tacos with roasted corn and chile adobo cream are an easy, casual dinner that’s perfect with grilled onions, peppers, and all your favorite fixin’s. We hear they’re terrific with anything from avocado to cabbage to cilantro.
Adapted from Maggie Foard | Goat Cheese | Gibbs Smith, 2009
I never get tired of having salmon for dinner. Sometimes we serve these soft salmon tacos when we want a really informal company meal. Roast the corn kernels alone or with red bell pepper and onions, and add cooked baby green limas for quick succotash-style corn. The chile adobe cream adds some heat to these simple-to-make salmon tacos.–Maggie Foard
☞ Contents
Wild Salmon Tacos with Roasted Corn and Chile Adobo Cream
Ingredients
For the chile adobo cream
- 4 ounces chèvre or fromage blanc
- 1/2 cup buttermilk (either low-fat or full-fat)
- 2 to 3 tablespoons canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce*
For the salmon tacos
- 3 cups corn kernels cut fresh from the cob or frozen
- 1/2 red onion diced
- 1 red or orange bell pepper diced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil divided
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 1/2 pounds wild salmon fillet
- 8 small flour tortillas
Garnish
- Sliced avocado, cilantro, cucumber, crumbled cotija cheese, shredded cabbage, and cherry tomatoes (optional)
Directions
Make the chile adobo cream
- You can adjust the heat on this sauce by adding a little more or a little less of the chiles and adobe.
- Whisk together the chèvre or fromage, buttermilk, and chipotles in a bowl or in the blender. Pour into a small serving dish.
Make the salmon tacos
- Heat a charcoal, gas, or stove top grill for the salmon.
- Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C) for the corn. Toss the corn, onion, and bell pepper in 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Roast the corn in an ovenproof dish for 20 to 25 minutes until the corn is lightly brown and fragrant.
- While the corn is roasting, brush the salmon with the remaining olive oil and place it on the hot grill, about 5 minutes per side. Once the fish is off the grill, let it rest a few minutes, keeping it warm, wrapped in foil, until you’re ready to assemble the salmon tacos.
- Warm the tortillas briefly on the grill. Wrap in a kitchen towel to keep warm.
- Place the fish, tacos, roasted corn, and desired garnishes on the table and let everyone assemble their own salmon tacos. Pass the chile adobo cream.
Notes
*What is the difference between chipotle and adobo?
A pretty common ingredient that adds a smoky, pleasant heat, chipotle peppers in adobo are a versatile pantry staple for adding a bit of Mexican flavor to whatever you’re cooking. Chipotle peppers are dried and smoked jalpeños—a fairly mild pepper on its own. Adobo is a red sauce that’s generally made from paprika, oregano, salt, vinegar, and garlic; it has an unmistakable zesty and tangy flavor. The addition of the chipotle peppers gives it a smoky and spicy kick that the sauce itself doesn’t have.Show Nutrition
If you make this recipe, snap a photo and hashtag it #LeitesCulinaria. We’d love to see your creations on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
Recipe Testers’ Reviews
I love this salmon recipe; it’s as easy as it sounds. The chile adobo cream can be made (way) ahead of time, and all you have to do is stick the corn in the oven and you can prepare the rest on the spot. The recipe doesn’t instruct you to salt and pepper the salmon before grilling—trust it.
My fish came with skin, and I didn’t bother removing it. If you prefer not to have the skin, you can simply scoop the flesh of the fish from the skin as you prepare the tacos. Wild salmon is flavorful, and with the sweet roasted corn and the tangy chile adobo cream, the tacos aren’t missing a thing. If your taste buds crave more familiar flavors, serve lime wedges and chopped cilantro as additional fixings.
Note: For lots of reasons, make sure you get the wild-caught, not farm-raised salmon.
When I first read this recipe, I thought the adobo cream sauce sounded delicious but that the salmon and veggies would need more seasoning than the recipe called for. I was wrong. I seasoned the vegetables and salmon with just salt and pepper and a little fresh cilantro at the end. The adobo cream has such a powerful flavor that just a little on the tortilla shell was all the extra flavor that was needed.
My outdoor grill is under a foot of snow so I cooked the salmon on a cast iron griddle which gave it a nice crust. I used 2 bell peppers, a red and orange (my peppers were on the small side), and garnished with tomatoes and avocado which made it very colorful and appetizing. This is a simple dish with a lot of great flavors. The cream sauce makes more than we needed but I’m sure the leftover won’t go to waste, it would be good on a sandwich, burger, or just a tortilla chip.
HUNGRY FOR MORE?
If you make this recipe, snap a photo and hashtag it #LeitesCulinaria. We'd love to see your creations on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
So good! Too hungry to remember pictures, but excellent.
Thanks, Carlin!