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Blackened Salmon Tacos with Corn Salsa

Blackened Salmon Tacos are one of my favorite dishes. And nope, you don’t always have to make them as tacos!

Blackened Salmon Tacos - Karyl's Kulinary Krusade

My parents never cooked salmon when I was growing up, so I never ate it. And since I never ate it, I concluded that I didn’t like it. Yes, I realize that’s completely flawed logic, but it made sense in my brain. About 15 years ago I was visiting Denise at her beach house. I spent pretty much every other weekend there for numerous summers. Thank goodness there was no social media or cell phone cameras back then! When she told me we were having salmon for dinner I got that “look”. She promised it would be good, seasoned it with McCormick steak seasoning, and threw it on the grill. I took a tiny bite…and fell in love. Clearly I missed out for most of my life.

When I moved to Oklahoma, I refused to eat seafood for the first year I lived here. I mean seriously, how could I eat seafood in a landlocked state?! I eventually gave in and bought the vacuum-sealed packages at Sam’s Club because those were as close as I could get to fresh. Then I discovered White River Fish Market, which flies in fresh fish daily.

Now I cook salmon all the time. For a while I was buying the blackened salmon from Sam’s, but then started buying plain so I could season it how I wanted. Besides, making your own blackening is a lot better since you know what you’re doing. I had taken out some salmon for dinner, but when I heard Jerri Beth was making tacos for dinner, I couldn’t resist. So, the salmon became my lunch. I wanted something a little more creative than a boring salmon sandwich. A few minutes later, thanks to Pinterest I found my first new recipe…Blackened Salmon Tacos with Corn Salsa and Cilantro Lime Ranch.

After a quick stop at Wal Mart to pick up a few items I needed, I set off to make this dish. BTW, don’t go there on a weekday around lunchtime. They have 30 registers, but only 4 were open and the cashiers were slower than molasses.

The picture below is from the official recipe…

blackenedsalmontacos7-3

And here is my version…

Blackened Salmon Tacos - Karyl's Kulinary Krusade

Yes, I realize these look very sad. However, it’s all about the taste. And these tacos were awesome!! The ranch dressing (which I made, instead of buying the high-fat version) had tons of flavor and the corn salsa added the perfect additional texture. Note to self: salmon doesn’t blacken very well on the grill. Next time I’ll follow the recipe and sear it instead.

UPDATE:

This is one of my favorite recipes to make. I almost always do it without the tortillas, to save carbs and calories. I eliminated the ranch dressing as well. It’s delicious, but since I’ve gone away from the taco aspect I don’t need a dressing.

Blackened Salmon Tacos - Karyl's Kulinary Krusade

I would say that this looks a million times better than my pitiful first attempt. The picture, the blackening on the salmon, cooking it according to the recipe…everything is so much better.

This Blackened Salmon Tacos recipe will definitely make it into my go-to list.

[ultimate-recipe id=”14684″ template=”default”]

Recipe Found on: Cooking Classy

Blackened Salmon Tacos - Karyl's Kulinary Krusade

 

Blackened Salmon Tacos with Corn Salsa

Recipe Type: Main Course
Cuisine: Asian
Author: Karyl’s Kulinary Krusade
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 2 servings
Blackened Salmon Tacos with Corn Salsa
Ingredients
  • Marinade
  • 1 Tablespoon Soy Sauce
  • 1 Tablespoon Lucero Balsamic Vinegar (or other high-quality balsamic vinegar)
  • 1 Tablespoon Hoisin Sauce
  • 1 teaspoon Canola or Vegetable Oil
  • 2 teaspoons Cornstarch
  • Sauce
  • 2 teaspoons Lucero Balsamic Vinegar (or other high-quality balsamic vinegar)
  • 1 Tablespoon Soy Sauce
  • 1 Tablespoon Hoisin Sauce
  • 1 teaspoon Canola or vegetable oil
  • 2 teaspoon cornstarch
  • Chicken
  • 1 Tablespoon Canola or Vegetable Oil
  • ½ teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper Flakes (or more, to taste)
  • 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
  • 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
  • ½ cup green bell pepper, chopped
  • ½ cup red bell pepper, chopped
  • ½ cup yellow bell pepper, chopped
  • Handful of snow peas, sliced diagonally in thirds
  • 2 boneless, skinless, chicken thighs, cut into bite size pieces
  • ¼ cup roasted peanuts
  • 4 green onions, chopped
Instructions
  1. Add soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, Canola oil, and cornstarch to medium bowl, and stir until the cornstarch is dissolved
  2. Add chicken and toss to coat. Marinate for at least 20 minutes, up to 24 hours. If marinating longer than 30 minutes, put into fridge
  3. Remove chicken from fridge (if necessary) and let it come to room temperature
  4. In another bowl, combine the balsamic vinegar, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, Canola oil, and cornstarch. Stir until the cornstarch is dissolved. Set aside
  5. Drain marinade from chicken, and discard marinade
  6. In a wok or large skillet over medium heat, toast peanuts until they are golden brown. Remove and set aside
  7. In same wok or skillet, add Canola oil. Stir in the crushed red pepper flakes and raw garlic, and cook until garlic just begins to turn golden. Do not allow garlic to burn, or it will turn rancid
  8. Turn heat to medium high. Add in the yellow onion and bell peppers. Saute for about 5 minutes until they are slightly softened
  9. Add in snow peas and saute for another 3-4 minutes
  10. Stir in grated ginger and cook for approximately 1 minute
  11. Move onion and pepper mix to the sides of the skillet, and add a little more oil, if necessary
  12. Add chicken to the center of the skillet, and allow to cook for about 5 minutes
  13. Mix onions and pepper with chicken, and continue cooking until chicken is no longer pink
  14. Pour in the sauce and mix to coat the chicken and vegetables
  15. Stir in the peanuts, and sprinkle the green onions on top
  16. Serve over white rice

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Helen at the Lazy Gastronome

Tuesday 27th of September 2016

Just started a new link up - all tacos!! Would love it if you shared this there! http://www.lazygastronome.com/taco-tuesday-no-2/

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