We've all likely had fish tacos, however, not as commonly served is the salmon taco. These Air Fryer Salmon tacos will hit the spot for the seafood taco aficionados. They are sweet, spicy and smoky in all the best ways and will have you wanting to come back for more.
Better yet, they are foolproof to cook in the air fryer, which, so happens to be my preferred method to cook almost all of my favorite salmon dishes. With an air fryer I can get a nice crispy outside with a perfectly flaky inside.
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Ingredients
We are making air fryer salmon tacos, so lets taco'bout the star of the show here, the salmon! I typically go for Atlantic salmon as opposed to sockeye out of personal preference. I find the Atlantic salmon to be more moist (due to fat content) as well as a considerable bit less fishy than sockeye. For air fryer recipes I usually look for a filet with skin on to help regulate the cook, with an added bonus of making cleanup a bit easier.
- Salmon
- Pineapple
- Chipotle Peppers in Adobo Sauce
- Red Onion
- Garlic
- Tortillas
- Cilantro (for garnish)
- Lime (for garnish)
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
- Step 1: Slice the salmon into thin filets (keeping the skin on) and marinate in adobo
- Step 2: Make your pineapple chipotle salsa
- Step 3: Cook in the air fryer for 10 minutes at 400 degrees
- Step 4: Garnish with pineapple chipotle salsa, pineapple, onions, cilantro & arugula
Hint: Leave the skin on the full salmon filet even after slicing into ½-3/4 in pieces. This will make it easier to maneuver in the air fryer, contains the marinade flavor, makes for easier cleanup, as well as helps regulate the temperature.
Substitutions
- Lettuce Wrap- If you are being carb conscious, feel free to assemble these tacos in a lettuce wrap
- Tortilla - Being from Texas, I fully understand a tortilla can make or break a taco, so use your favorite, be it corn, flour or mixed.
- Fish - If you really don't enjoy salmon 1) you probably aren't reading this right now, but if you are...2) you can make this recipe work for most other common fish used for fish tacos, though the cooking times will vary
Equipment
For this recipe, as the title entails, you will need an air fryer! I have, and do recommend my Cosori air fryer. Additionally, you will need a food processor or blender. For this recipe I just needed a small batch of salsa so I used my Cuisinart hand blender with the small food processor attachment.
Storage
If you have leftover salmon, store the salmon separate from other ingredients in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. I love to use leftover (cold) salmon from the fridge on salads for lunch, but you could also reheat on the stove top in a little olive oil and garlic to warm it back up. I would not suggest a microwave but that's a personal preference.
Top Tip
I know I mentioned above in the Substitutions section that a tortilla can make or break a taco, as such I will explain why a flour tortilla may be the best for this taco. I found when testing this recipe that the meatiness of the salmon was much more dense than a typical fish you would eat on a corn tortilla, it was also a tad more bulky.
A flour tortilla, in my opinion, stands up a little better to the salmon than corn and allows you to complete the flavor profile with the requisite garnishes.
Air Fryer Salmon Tacos with Chipotle Pineapple Salsa
Equipment
- 1 Food Processor or Blender
- 1 Spatula
Ingredients
- 1 lb. center cut Atlantic salmon filet skin on
- 6 flour tortillas
Pineapple Chipotle Salsa
- 1 can chipotle peppers in adobo sauce 7oz.
- ½ lb. fresh pineapple cubed
- 3 cloves garlic
- ¼ red onion chopped
Garnishes (optional)
- 1 bunch cilantro chopped
- 2 cups arugula chopped
- 1 lime
- ¼ red onion fine chopped
- ¼ lb. fresh pineapple diced
Instructions
- Leaving the skin on your salmon (if possible), cut the whole filet into ½ - ¾ inch thick filets. Leaving the skin on helps regulate the doneness and minimize the mess in the air fryer.
- Drain most (but not all) of the adobo sauce from the chipotle pepper can into a shallow dish or bowl, this will be your marinade for the salmon. Rub the salmon around flesh side down into the adobo, and let rest for 10-15 minutes.
- Meanwhile we will make the pineapple chipotle salsa. Add 3 whole chipotle peppers and any remaining adobo sauce into a food processor or blender, add ¼ of the red onion (set aside the other ¼ for garnish), as well as the garlic, and about ½ pound of pineapple (about 1-2 large handfulls). Blend or process. The chipotles and adobo should have enough salt, but if you find the salsa too spicy you can add a little more pineapple, or too sweet, you can add a little more chipotle. I tend to lean spicier for the salsa since we do garnish later with more pineapple.
- Set your air fryer to 400 degrees for 10 minutes, add the marinated salmon. At the end of the 10 minutes check the innermost cuts of the filet for doneness, add 1-2 minutes, if needed.
- Using the spatula you should now be able to easily slide off the thin filets of salmon for each taco. Garnish with the pineapple chipotle salsa, arugula, cilantro, chopped red onion, and extra pineapple.
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