At Alaska King Salmon Adventures, we get a lot of anglers taking home a lot of Alaskan salmon. Between the king salmon, sockeye salmon, fresh chum salmon and coho salmon, sometimes anglers are taking home 100 pounds of fresh caught Alaska Salmon from the Nushagak River.
When taking home this much fresh Alaskan salmon to eat, variety can be the key to enjoying it throughout the year. This means stepping away from that favorite recipe and trying different things.
Fish tacos are a great way to prepare salmon that’s tasty and failsafe. Combine the deep, rich flavors of smoked salmon with a street taco punch and you get a meal everyone will enjoy. Toppings can range from a few chopped vegetables or a ready made salsa to pulling out all the stops with a taco bar that includes guacamole, queso fresco and an assortment of taco sauces.
If you end up with leftovers, crumble the fish and make a tasty salmon cake to top with sliced avocado and fresh salsa. This recipe is also great with steelhead, trout and any bottom fish.
1 pound salmon fillet
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
1/2 teaspoon granulated onion
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon coriander
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Juice of 1/2 of a lime
Corn tortillas, warmed
Fresh Salsa or diced tomato, onion, jalapeño peppers and greens
Preheat smoker to 250º-300º without chips. In a small bowl, mix chili powder, garlic, onion, cumin, salt coriander and black pepper. Remove pin bones from fish. Squeeze lime juice over fish and generously sprinkle with seasonings.
Place wood chips in smoker tray or box and spray with water until moist. Place seasoned fish on racks and put smoker tray or box into place. Turn smoker on medium heat (try to keep temperature between 250º-300º). Hot smoke fish 30-45 minutes or until fish reaches an internal temperature of 135º or desired doneness. To cook fish faster simply increase the heat, but don’t let temperature exceed 400º and check on chips to be sure they don’t catch fire. If chips flare up, spray with water and decrease smoker temperature.
