Fresh Alaskan Salmon Tacos with Cucumber Relish & Chipotle Sour Cream

Since everyone in this household is a BIG fan of fish tacos--I thought I'd try to come up with a recipe that used salmon instead of halibut or ling cod or bass (what we usually use).  These tacos were awesome!  I seared the salmon with a few spices on top then topped it off with a cool cucumber relish and a spicy chipotle sour cream.  Oh so good.....

 Cucumber & Cilantro Relish

1 English cucumber (no seeds), peeled and finely diced (about 1 cup)

1/2 c loosely packed fresh cilantro leaves, roughly chopped

1 tsp red wine vinegar

1 tsp olive oil

1/8 tsp kosher salt

1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Place all ingredients in a bowl.  Stir to combine.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Chipotle Sour Cream

This sour cream is pretty spicy but works well along side the cool, cucumber relish.  If you prefer a little less spice, you can leave out the extra tablespoon of adobo sauce. 

1c sour cream

1 chipotle pepper (packed in adobo sauce) + 1 tbsp adobo sauce

2 tsp fresh lime juice

1/4tsp kosher salt

Combine all ingredients in the bowl of a food processor.  Pureé until smooth.  Transfer to a serving bowl and refrigerate until ready to serve.

 Fresh Alaskan King Salmon from Yakutat, Alaska (caught this one myself!)

Pepper & Cumin Crusted Salmon

1.5-2lbs fresh Alaskan King Salmon, skin on

Pat the salmon dry with a clean paper towel.  Lightly sprinkle with kosher salt and then evenly coat with the spice rub.

Spice Rub

1 tsp ground coriander seed

1 tsp ground cumin

1 1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper

Heat 2 tbsp of vegetable oil in a medium sized fry pan on medium-high heat until VERY hot.  Place fish in the pan, flesh side down to sear.  Turn the fish only once and cook until it's just barely done in the center (about 4 minutes on each side, depending on the thickness of the filet).  Remove the fish from the heat and set aside.

12 corn tortillas

vegetable oil for frying

kosher salt

4-6 fresh, clean lettuce leaves, shredded

Place enough vegetable oil in a medium sized fry pan to cover the bottom of the pan by about 1/4 inch.  Heat on medium-high heat until shimmering but not smoking.  Fry tortillas, one at a time, until crispy and golden brown, but still pliable.  Remove tortillas from the pan, fold into a taco shape and sprinkle lightly with kosher salt.  Set fried tortilla on a plate lined with a paper towel to drain off excess oil.  Repeat until all tortillas are fried.

To assemble the tacos, place a bit of lettuce in the bottom of each taco shell.  Flake apart the salmon (remove skin and be careful to watch for and remove any bones) and evenly distribute between the 12 tacos.  Garnish each taco with a bit of the cucumber relish and chipotle sour cream.  Serve with the excess sour cream and a fresh lime wedge.  Enjoy!

The finished product--fresh and delicious!