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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.
Made these the other day and my family raved about them!! However I still have some leftover jalapeño cream and I’m wondering how I can use it up? I was thinking maybe using it in jalapeño poppers but wanted to get your opinion. 🙂 Thanks, T!!
Hey Shelley,
Happy Friday! ☃️ So glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, I appreciate you making it! Ohh yum, that would be a great idea! xT
This is still my Favorite recipe. It is soooo good. Even if I don’t use the taco shells the salmon and salsa together are wonderful
Hi Jenny,
Happy Sunday!!🎃 I am delighted to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for making it and sharing your feedback! xx
Delicious! So many wonderful flavors that compliment each other with out being over powering. My husband had no idea it was salmon as the meat! He’s not a fan of salmon but asked to have these again.
Hey Brittani,
Happy Wednesday!👻 I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed and appreciate you giving it a try and sharing your feedback! xx
This was delightful Tieghan! I love fish but I’ve been getting tired of salmon lately. The spices for the bbq salmon were great and a good change up for how I usually season fish. I also made my own hard shells and love the pics you provided, agreed better than store bought! The only thing I changed was using red bell pepper instead of avocado for the salsa as I’m burnt out with avocados at the moment haha
Thanks again for another great recipe and all the great flavor combos ?
Hi Courtney,
Amazing!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! Have a great weekend! xTieghan
I want to be more of a salmon fan but usually can’t get past the “fishy”
Taste. My family loves all salmon. This is the ONLY way I can eat it. I have done it as tacos, bowls, bowls with coconut rice, and just an entree. So good and covers up the “fishy”
Hi Catherine,
Happy Wednesday! Thanks a bunch for trying this recipe out, I love to hear that it was a winner! xx
Made these for the second time last night and they are so delicious!! I’m from Texas so I’ve made my fair share of tacos and just love how unique these are! The flavors are great and the cream cheese totally works! A keeper in the rotation! Thank you for a happy recipe! 🙂
Hi Laura,
Awesome!! I am so glad to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks for making it! Hope you’re off to a great Saturday! xT
I’ve made this a few times. It’s great when I have left over fish from the week, but not enough for a fill meal. Both times I had Steelhead and cod and they were both amazing!
Hey Brandi,
Happy Friday!! Thanks a lot for trying this recipe out, I am so glad to hear it was enjoyed! Have a great weekend:)
As Delicious as it looks! I prepped the sauces ahead of time so it made dinner time a breeze. I was a little skeptical of all the spiciness and cream cheese but this was SO tasty!! It came together in no time. I will definitely be making this again.
Hi Lauren,
Happy Friday!! Thanks a lot for trying this recipe out, I am so glad to hear it was enjoyed! Have a great weekend:)
This is an amazing recipe! I am not a huge fan of fish tacos but these are unique and delicious.
Hi Regina,
Happy Sunday!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for sharing your review and making it! xxT
Keep forgetting to “rate” these
Thanks again Tammie:)
So yeah this is absolutely insane with flavor!! ?? You’ve done it again Tieghan!! My family wants them again tomorrow! ? Delish ?
Hi Tammie,
I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your review, I am so glad it was enjoyed! Have a great day:)
Great combo of flavors but my shells were very tough/hard to eat. Will make again with soft tortillas or store bought… the oven baked method did not work for me. I wonder if it was the brand of tortillas (used WF). Loved the cream cheese salmon combo though!
Hi Arielle,
Wonderful!! I love to hear that this recipe was a winner and really appreciate you making it:) Sorry to hear about your tortillas, did you coat them with oil? xTieghan
These are amazing and look impressive, but aren’t very difficult. It’s my new go to when having friends over for dinner. Thank you!!
Hey Emily,
Thanks a lot for trying this recipe out and sharing your feedback, I love to hear that it was a winner! xTieghan
Made these, Awesome!! Full of flavors. ❤️ The salsa. Definitely make again. Thanks ?
Shannon
Hey Shannon,
Thanks so much for your feedback and trying this recipe out! I love to hear that it was a hit:) Have the best weekend?
Quote from my husband during dinner: “these are really good.” We’ll be making these again for sure!
Hey Tianna!
Amazing! Thanks for sharing your feedback and making this recipe, I am so glad it was enjoyed:)