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Summery and delicious, these Crispy BBQ Salmon Tacos with Avocado Mango Salsa and Jalapeño Cream are a new warm-weather favorite. Smoky BBQ seasoned salmon, stuffed into hard shell tacos, with a roasted jalapeño cream, and a yummy mango-avocado salsa. These spicy BBQ seasoned fish tacos are made all on one sheet pan and in no time at all. They’re quick, vibrant, and so delicious!
Taco Tuesday, but seafood style. It’s no secret that we love tacos around here, but lately, I’ve really been enjoying making more fish tacos. My family is a little picky when it comes to fish, but fish tacos are always a crowd-pleaser.
Well…aside from Asher and my mom, who steer clear of fish. I guess you just can’t win them all over.
With Memorial Day weekend only a few days away, I thought it would be fun to share a few summery recipes this week. Grilled chicken wraps yesterday – seafood tacos today. Funny, I ended up roasting the fish for these tacos, but you can easily grill them up too!
Way, way back when I first started cooking, my brother, Brendan told me about a salmon taco he really enjoyed. He said it was made with a little cream cheese smeared inside a hard taco shell.
At first, the concept seemed so weird to me. But then I gave it a try. And wow, I’ve loved doing seafood tacos with a little cream cheese smear inside ever since. They’re delicious and different, and everyone always loves them.
The steps
As I mentioned, I like to roast the fish, but grilling is a wonderful option too. Season up the fish with my favorite “BBQ” style seasoning blend. It’s a mix of Tajin or chili powder, smoked paprika, garlic powder, and onion powder. Hopefully all spices you have in your pantry.
The next step is to roast or grill the fish, along with some jalapeños. The jalapeños are going to be used for the cream cheese.
The Jalepeño Cream is just cream cheese, pickled jalapeños, a little garlic powder, and a pinch of sea salt. Trust me, it’s better than using cheese or a crema.
While the fish is cooking, I usually mix up the salsa. It’s a fresh mix of mango, avocado, lots of lime, cilantro, and a few jalapeños.
Now for those shells, I made mine, which I do recommend, because, wow, so delicious! But of course, using store-bought works too. I will say, hard shells are the secret to these tacos. They’re really what sets them apart, and they’re a little more untraditional for fish tacos.
If you want to make the shells, it’s pretty easy. Just warm corn tortillas in the microwave, then place them on top of a sheet pan and rub them with olive oil. Then use some tin foil to make a “mold” for the shell to sit on. Simply mold the foil into a cylinder shape and drape the tortillas over the foil. Use my photos for reference, promise it’s not hard. Then can bake until crispy. I usually bake them at 425° for 12-15 minutes.
Again, store-bought shells work well too!
When you have everything ready, the last step is to spread the cream cheese into your shells. Then layer everything else inside.
As I like to say, nothing fancy, but totally delicious. And to be honest, better than anything you’d order out. Nothing beats a homemade taco. You can customize them more to your liking, and the spicy cream cheese is a game-changer.
Looking for other toco recipes? Here are a few…
Slow Cooker Braised Hawaiian Pineapple Chicken Tacos
Bang Bang Shrimp Tacos with Fried Avocado
Crispy Cauliflower Tinga Tacos with Honey Lime Avocado Crema
Crispy Cheese Chicken Tacos with Avocado Cilantro Sauce
Sheet Pan Chipotle Salmon Tacos
Lastly, if you make these Crispy BBQ Salmon Tacos with Avocado Mango Salsa and Jalapeño Cream, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Crispy BBQ Salmon Tacos with Avocado Mango Salsa and Jalapeño Cream
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 684 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 4 (4-6 ounce) salmon or white fish filets, cut into bite-size chunks
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 2 teaspoon tajin or chili powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- kosher salt
- 12 hard shell tacos
- shredded lettuce/cabbage, for serving
Jalapeño Cream
- 6 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
- 1-2 tablespoons chopped pickled jalapeños
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- sea salt
Mango Salsa
- 1 1/2 cups diced mango
- 1 avocado cubed
- 1-2 jalapeños seeded, if desired and chopped
- 1/2 cup cilantro roughly, chopped
- 1 tablespoon lime zest, plus 1/4 cup lime juice
- 1/3 cup salsa verde
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 450° F. 2. On a baking sheet, toss the fish pieces with olive oil, honey, Tajin, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, and a pinch of salt. Arrange in a single layer. Roast 10-15 minutes or until the fish is cooked to your liking. During the last minute, switch the oven to broil and broil until lightly charred. Set the fish aside.3. To make the jalapeño cream. Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Season with salt. 4. To make the salsa. Combine all ingredients in a bowl. 5. Spread the cream cheese on the bottom of your shells. Layer in the lettuce, fish, and salsa.
These were SO GOOD. I was honestly a little skeptical about the combination of flavors, but it was perfect. (I think it being called “bbq salmon” was part of the reason I was confused, lol!) These were so easy to make and we actually did the salmon in our air fryer, which worked perfectly. So fresh and delicious and a unique take on tacos!! Easy enough for regular weeknight dinner but unique and fabulous enough for a party or company. We didn’t do the make-your-own hard shells, just steamed the corn tortillas we had, but next time I’ll try the crispy shells. Delicious either way, I’m sure.
Hi Meghan,
Thanks for your review and trying this recipe out, I love to hear that it was a winner! Have the best Thursday! ?xTieghan
Hi!! I’m making these tonight! When you make your own shells do you season the shells with anything? In the picture it looks like yo might use a little tajin and lime zest? Please let me know! Thanks!
Hey Jen,
Yes, I did add a little lime zest and tajin, totally not necessary but it adds a nice little something to the shells:) Let me know how the recipe turns out! xTieghan
Cant wait to try these! Any recommendations on side dish or salad ?
Hi Alexandra,
My family likes these on their own, but sometimes I will do rice and beans on the side;) Let me know if you give the recipe a try! xx
Wow! Sooo good and my new favorite way to cook salmon in the oven. My husband isn’t a huge salmon fan but absolutely loved these! Doing the tortillas your way was well with the little extra effort. Thank you!!
Hi there,
Wonderful!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for making it and sharing your feedback! Hope you’re off to a great weekend:)
Delish! I made it with salmon and red snapper plus made the crispy corn tortillas as suggested. This is the only way to do it going forward.
Hey Kathy,
Wonderful!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for making it and sharing your feedback! Hope you’re off to a great weekend:)
Im confused in your write up you mentioned grilled jalapeños in the cream cheese but the recipe addithise to the salsa and pickled jalapeños to the cream cheese.
Hi Brooke,
So sorry for any confusion, you are going to use the pickled jalapeños in the cream cheese. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
These were out of this world delicious! Definitely will be a staple in our home! The cream cheese spread is truly what makes it unique and a game changer! 10/10!!!
Hi Taylor,
Amazing!! I am thrilled that this dish was a hit, thanks a lot for trying it out! xTieghan
Made this last night and it was a hit! Added more spices, cumin, coriander, smoked paprika and cayenne and marinated for a couple hours with sesame and canola oil. Loved the tropical flavors of the salsa. Thanks!
Hey there,
Amazing!! I am thrilled that this dish was a hit, thanks a lot for trying it out! xTieghan
This was one of my favorite dishes we have ever made!!! Came out just like the picture. The spicy salmon and sweet salsa was a perfect combo.
Hi Kyndal,
Perfect!! I am so glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for trying it out! Have a great holiday weekend!?? xxT
My husband and I try new recipes weekly and we both rate on a scale from 1 – 10 (10 being great). Made these last night and we both agree 10+++ We used grain free taco shells (low carb) and they were fabulous. Easy to prepare, fresh and yummy. Making again for my son’s birthday.
Hey Lisa,
Awesome!! Love to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks for making it and sharing your feedback!! 🙂
Hi! This looks amazing! Which brand of tortillas do you recommend if you are making the shells in the oven like you did?
Hey there,
I really like Whole Foods 365 brand of corn tortillas. Please let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope you love it! xx
Now these were delicious! The jalapeño cream essential and balanced by the honey on the salmon. We used nectarines in place of mango and that was a real success. For us, no need for additional jalapeños in the salsa.
Hey Kimberly,
Happy Wednesday!! Thanks a bunch for making this recipe, I love to hear that it was enjoyed!!? xTieghan
So yum! Just a question, do you use the roasted jalapeños that are cooked with the fish for the jalapeño cream? Or do you use separate pickled jalapeños? I’ve made these tacos are few times but next time I will be making the jalapeño cream cheese ?
Hey Chelsea,
Awesome!! Thanks so much for your review:) Love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for giving it a try! I use the pickled jalapeños for the cream cheese. xx
Are you suppose to put the hard shells in the oven to warm, or did you just layer everything into them and serve?
Hi Jennifer,
If you are already using store bought hard shells, you do not need to do anything to them:) Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love this recipe! xTieghan
I’ve already made this recipe two weeks in a row, and it’s definitely earned a place in our dinner rotation. Such a great combination of flavors (the jalapeño cream cheese!), easy to make, and decently healthy. To be honest, both times I went with soft corn shells, and they’re still amazing. Thanks for sharing this one, Tieghan!
Hey Vanessa,
Happy Sunday!! I love to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks a lot for trying it out and sharing your review! xxT