Grilled salmon tacos are not only delicious, they are dead simple and so quick to get on the table-only about fifteen minutes if you don’t count the time it takes the grill to heat. The jalapeño-ranch dressing that tops them is so amazing that you’ll have to resist eating it all straight from the bowl.
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Oh hey, hi.
Did I mention that I am currently obsessed with my grill. Maybe? MAYBE? Yes, yes, I think I did say that somewhere. Perhaps in my grilled naan bread pizza post?
I have an unnatural obsession with avoiding heating up my house in the summer. Because:
- I live in Tennessee and it isn’t even officially summer here but it has been summer-hot for at least a month now.
- Electric bill. No explanation needed.
So, starting in May I go on an oven strike that usually doesn’t end until late October. I use my countertop oven whenever possible. I have exactly two baking pans that don’t fit in it so the only time I have to use it is when I am using one of those pans. Needless to say they don’t get a lot of love for the hotter half of the year. I actually wrote a post a while back about my oven strike and how to keep your kitchen cool in the summer.
I’ve been looking for all sorts of things to grill on my new Weber Spirit E-210 grill (and yes, I ordered my grill from Amazon and they sent someone to put it together for me). Of course I’ve done burgers and chicken, but also pork chops, pizza, and nectarines (look for a recipe coming up soon). I have a smoker but I want to try some grill smoking and also grill roasting, which America’s Test Kitchen says is a game-changer in their book Master of the Grill, which I am currently reading like a novel.
I 100% used to think that I hated salmon until I made my friend Becky’s recipe for crispy honey butter salmon, which is pretty much sweet, savory, and crispy heaven on a plate in under 20 minutes. By the way, you don’t need skin-on salmon here but I have found that the easiest way to get wild-caught skin-on salmon here in a land-locked state is frozen. I usually buy Simply Balanced salmon at Target but Becky gets hers from Whole Foods.
So, here we are. I don’t hate salmon. Suddenly I decided that salmon needed to be grilled and put on tacos, and those tacos needed to be topped with jalapeñ0-ranch dressing a la Chuy’s. If you have a Chuy’s where you are, please go just to try the jalapeño-ranch dip (they bring a complimentary basket of chips with the dip to your table). If not, you are just going to have to take my word for it that this dip (which I adapted from a Modern Honey recipe is spot on.
A few tips to get the best grilled salmon tacos possible:
- If you are using frozen salmon, make sure it is completely thawed before you grill it.
- Brush the salmon with oil before seasoning. You can use a simple salt and pepper seasoning if you want or you can go a little bolder with the Tajin seasoning I’ve used for my grilled salmon tacos. You can order Tajin from the Amazon link above or you can find it in the Hispanic foods section of your grocery store (I have seen it at Walmart and Publix).
- Even though you brushed the salmon with oil, you are still going to need a little non-stick insurance. I accomplish this by cleaning the grill once it is hot, oiling the grill, and using a piece of foil under each piece of salmon.
- Let the flavors of your grilled fish tacos shine by not adding too many toppings. The fish has plenty of flavor and the jalapeño-ranch will take it over the top. I kept the rest of the toppings to a minimum – just enough for a little color and flavor!
I first wrote about fish tacos years ago, early in my blogging life. I got weird looks when I talked about fish tacos back then and still get them now (my dad looked at me like I had three heads when I mentioned grilled salmon tacos a few weeks ago) but I promise these are delicious and totally worth your time!
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Shared on Meal Plan Monday on Southern Bite!
Yield: 4-6 servings
2 tacos
15 minPrep Time:
12 minCook Time:
27 minTotal Time:
Save RecipeIngredients
- 3/4 cup mayonnaise
- 3/4 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 2-3 jalapenos, diced (2 if the peppers are large, 3 if they are small)
- 1/4 cup packed fresh cilantro
- 1 packet Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing mix
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- Vegetable or canola oil, for the grill
- 1 pound skinless salmon fillets (I use frozen)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon Tajin seasoning, or salt and pepper
- 4-8 corn tortillas (I like to use two tortillas per taco to make them more sturdy)
- Pre-made slaw mix (I used broccoli slaw here)
- Jalapeño-ranch dressing
- Garnishes: chopped tomatoes, cilantro, lime wedges, cotija cheese or queso fresco
Instructions
- To make the jalapeño-ranch dressing: Mix all the ingredients until smooth in a blender or food processor. Store in a covered bowl or a pint jar in the refrigerator until ready to use.
- Preheat the grill to medium high. While the grill is heating, pat the salmon dry. Brush both sides of each piece with olive oil and sprinkle evenly with Tajin seasoning or salt and pepper (season to taste; you may not use the whole tablespoon).
- When the grill is preheated, clean the grill with a brush. Hold a wad of paper towels using long tongs made for grilling. Dip the paper towels into the canola or vegetable oil and oil the grill grates.
- Lay a sheet of aluminum foil on the grill. Place the pieces of fish on the grill. Grill for four minutes, flip, and grill for another four minutes. Remove the fish from the grill.
- Lay the tortillas on the grill and grill for about 30 seconds per side. Remove from the grill and wrap in foil.
- Shred the salmon. Assemble tacos using tortillas, salmon, slaw mix, jalapeño-ranch dressing, and desired garnishes.
Garlic Butter Panko-Crusted Cod + Video
Garlic butter panko-crusted cod is ready from start to finish in less than half an hour, and it’s so easy and delicious! No frying required. (Scroll down for video.)
Fish is really something that I don’t cook enough, but I have a confession to make: I prefer my fish crispy. If garlic is involved, even better. Plus, I hate frying, so oven-frying is my jam. Garlic butter panko-crusted cod checks off all of those boxes…plus butter.
I never think that there is enough garlic in anything, so I put 4 cloves of garlic in this. There’s quite a bit of butter too, but remember: we aren’t frying, so I needed the butter to crisp up the panko. You really don’t end up getting that much of it on your fish. So worth it.
This literally comes together in less than ten minutes, and if you have a nice, hot pan (just preheat it in the oven), your fish will get crispy in less than 15 (I find that panko doesn’t get very brown when you oven fry, and I was afraid if I let it get brown the fish would be way overcooked). I served this panko-crusted cod with oven-fried potato wedges and homemade tartar sauce, and it was 💯.
Shared on Meal Plan Monday on Southern Bite!
Yield: 4 servings
10 minPrep Time:
15 minCook Time:
25 minTotal Time:
Save RecipeIngredients
- 1 egg
- 1 cup panko bread crumbs
- salt and pepper
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 1 pound cod, cut into strips
- parsley, lemon wedges, and tartar sauce for serving
Instructions
- Place a sheet pan in the oven and preheat to 450 degrees.
- Place the egg in a wide, shallow bowl and the panko in another wide, shallow bowl. Add salt and pepper to each bowl and whisk to combine. Add the garlic and butter to the panko and stir until all of the bread crumbs are coated with butter.
- Dip each piece of fish in egg then in the panko until completely coated. Place on the preheated baking sheet and bake, turning once, until crispy and just beginning to brown, about 12-15 minutes.
- If desired, sprinkle with parsley, a squeeze of lemon juice, and tartar sauce.
Shrimp and Corn Fritters
Shrimp and corn fritters are like a delicious hush puppy stuffed with shrimp and corn. They’re a great snack and a perfect dinner!
I love a hush puppy. Don’t you love a good hush puppy? A major comfort food meal for me is fried fish, fries, and hush puppies. When I was in college, my roommate and I would take a study break to go to Captain D’s during exam week so we could gorge ourselves on fried food (we called it “having food with our fat”) doused with malt vinegar. We even got an extra order of crispies (there was some special name for them that I can’t remember now). I haven’t eaten at Captain D’s in years, but I still remember those trips fondly.
The appeal of a hush puppy is not just in its deep-fried crispiness but also in all the flavors…the cornmeal, the onion, and sometimes a little bit of jalapeño. Everything works together so nicely in one little browned, crispy package and, well, if you aren’t eating your hush puppies I’ll gladly eat them for you. I married a man who doesn’t care for hush puppies, so that works out well for me in restaurants.
The problem is that when there are approximately two foods (hush puppies and peas on their own) that your husband just really doesn’t like it’s kind of difficult to justify making those things at home. He’s so not fussy that I would feel bad making something that I know he doesn’t want to eat. So….I have to get creative. Like, you know, putting peas in a soup or fried rice. Or making something that’s super-close to being a hush puppy without actually being a hush puppy.
Enter shrimp and corn fritters. Since I’ve become a fanatical follower of Smitten Kitchen, I have turned lots of things into fritters. I have not regretted any of it. Bonus is that I love food that can be dipped into condiments (ranch dressing and honey mustard are my old standbys, but I these days I love a great remoulade or tartar sauce or comeback sauce just as much). And you can totally dip a fritter. So to make these shrimp and corn fritters, I put the fish (well, shrimp) into the hush puppies, dialed back the cornmeal, added some plant life, and skipped the deep frying for a simple shallow fry. They’re perfect with a simple remoulade and some baked fries.
Honestly, I don’t think I’ve ever had a fried fish and hush puppy dinner that was more comforting than these shrimp and corn fritters!
Shared on Meal Plan Monday on Southern Bite!
Yield: 16 fritters
30 minPrep Time:
25 minCook Time:
Save RecipeIngredients
- 2/3 cup mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon capers, drained and chopped
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 3/4 teaspoon dried tarragon
- 3/4 teaspoon paprika
- 1/8-1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1 jalapeño, finely minced
- 2 cups corn kernels (fresh or frozen)
- 1 pound uncooked shrimp, peeled, deveined, and chopped into small pieces
- 2 beaten eggs
- 1/2 cup cornmeal
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- canola or vegetable oil
Instructions
- Stir together the remoulade ingredients in a small bowl. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
- Combine all of the fritter ingredients in a large bowl. Refrigerate for 15-20 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 200 degrees and place a baking sheet lined with paper towels in the oven. Pour enough oil into a 10-inch skillet to cover the bottom. Preheat over medium-high heat until shimmering.
- Measure 1/4 cup portions of the fritter mixture and flatten into a disc with your hands. Carefully place into the hot oil. Cook for 3 minutes per side, until golden brown. Drain on the paper towel lined baking sheet in the oven and repeat in batches of 4 or 5 fritters until all bater has been used. Serve while hot.
Notes
The prep time includes inactive prep time to refrigerate the batter.
Quick and Easy Shrimp Rolls
If you’ve ever been intimidated by the idea of cooking seafood, try these quick and easy shrimp rolls – you might just change your mind!
I don’t cook a lot of fish or seafood on here, and it really is a shame. Fish definitely has lots of roots in the South, and shrimp is not the least of these. Shrimp is definitely my favorite seafood to eat and to cook, so finding ways to feature it here is always fun for me.
I know that a lot of people don’t care for seafood, and to each his or her own. I don’t care too much for raw onions (as you guys well know), and I don’t want them forced on me for sure. However, I know that a lot of people don’t cook seafood even though they enjoy eating it because they find it intimidating to cook.
Honestly, I’m not sure what’s intimidating about cooking seafood, unless it’s the fact that it can be easy to over cook and that when it sticks, well, it can fall apart. All you need to know to avoid those mishaps is a few simple tricks, and if your fish falls apart, well, who really cares? You can eat it anyway, and it will still taste good.
You don’t have to worry about the shrimp in these shrimp rolls, though. It’s not going to fall apart, and as long as you’re paying attention, you aren’t going to overcook it. I don’t think that shrimp rolls are really a traditional Southern food, but shrimp is definitely traditional and any salad made with meat and mayonnaise is pretty darn Southern.
I’ve always wanted to try a Maine lobster roll, which is funny because I never cared for lobster. Actually, I don’t know that I’ve ever eaten lobster. My parents used to cook lobster at home all the time and I think I was very freaked out by the claws. One of these days, though, I will consume an authentic Maine lobster roll (we plan to visit some friends in Maine one of these days – I promise we will, guys!).
Anyway, the concept of these shrimp rolls is based on a lobster roll – lightly dressed seafood salad piled on a buttered hot dog bun along with some lettuce. In the name of recipe testing, we ate these shrimp rolls twice in a two-week period, and that was a good thing. The shrimp rolls come together with about 20 minutes of active prep and cook time and they’re a great, light, easy weeknight dinner.
These quick and easy shrimp rolls will convince you that seafood is not scary to cook – so if you aren’t convinced, try these out!
Shared on Meal Plan Monday on Southern Bite.
Yield: 4 rolls
15 minPrep Time:
5 minCook Time:
20 minTotal Time:
Save RecipeIngredients
- 1 pound uncooked shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 small shallot, finely minced
- 1 celery stalk, finely minced
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- juice of 1 lemon
- 1/4 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 4 hot dog buns (I like Martin's Potato long rolls)
- 2 tablespoons butter melted
- 4 lettuce leaves, washed (I used romaine leaves because that's what I had, but butter lettuce would be more traditional here)
Instructions
- Fill a 4-quart pot with water and bring to a boil. Add the salt and the shrimp. Cook for 2 minutes, until the shrimp is cooked through. Drain the shrimp and chop it into 1-inch pieces. Refrigerate until cool.
- Combine the shrimp with the shallots, celery, mayonnaise, lemon juice, and Old Bay. Add salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate until ready to use.
- Preheat the broiler and set an oven rack 8 inches from the broiler. Open the hot dog buns and brush the buns with butter. Broil until very lightly browned.
- Place a lettuce leaf inside each hot dog bun. Divide the shrimp mixture among the buns. Serve immediately.
Notes
Prep/cook time does not include time to chill the shrimp after cooking. This took about 20 minutes for me.
- Calories 217
- Total Fat: 9 g 13.85%
- Saturated Fat: g 0%
- Cholesterol: mg 0%
- Sodium: mg 0%
- Potassium: mg 0%
- Total Carbohydrate: 30 g %
- Sugar: g
- Protein: 5 g
- Vitamin A: 0%
- Calcium: mg 0%
- Iron: mg 0%
Click Here For Full Nutrition, Exchanges, and MyPlate Info
Barbecue Shrimp (Easy!)
Barbecue shrimp is (unbeknownst to me until recently) a traditional New Orleans food. I don’t claim to have any sort of corner on an “authentic” recipe, but this version (adapted from Cook’s Country), with its spicy, deep flavors, is pretty fantastically tasty!
Have you ever heard of barbecue shrimp? Until recently, I don’t think I had any idea that such a thing existed. I mean, around here, the word barbecue entails a meat that is smoked low and slow until it falls apart. At the very least, we think of barbecue as having some sort of barbecue sauce on it. This shrimp = neither of those things. I’m pretty opinionated about how the word “barbecue” is used (please do not call a cookout a barbecue in my presence) but I’ll allow it here, since this is, apparently, a traditional food in New Orleans. Who knew? Maybe everyone but me.
The funny thing is that I’ve been reading about barbecue shrimp in a lot of places lately. When Cook’s Country aired a recipe for it recently, it looked so good that I decided that I must try it. I cook a fair amount of shrimp and this barbecue shrimp seemed easy and delicious…like something that would pair perfectly with some creamy, cheesy grits like, oh, I don’t know, the ones on Cook’s Country. Man, I love those America’s Test Kitchen people (for any of you who aren’t familiar, Cook’s Country is by America’s Test Kitchen.
Philip loves shrimp and grits. When went to Hennen’s for our anniversary recently, he was immediately drawn to the shrimp and grits on the menu but decided not to order it because it had a tomato based sauce and he doesn’t love them that way. I thought I’d make it up to him by making shrimp and grits later in the week and this barbecue shrimp was a perfect way to do it. It was super-simple to make, just tossing the shrimp with some spices and cooking them, then making a sauce, letting it reduce, and tossing the shrimp in it. This barbecue shrimp was great with creamy grits, but it would have been just as good with a crusty baguette!
Ready to make this barbecue shrimp?
Yield: 4 servings
Barbecue Shrimp (adapted from Cook's Country)15 minPrep Time:
10 minCook Time:
Save Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound uncooked large shrimp (preferably shell-on)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 tablespoon canola or vegetable oil
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon tomato paste (the tubes of tomato paste are ideal for this!)
- 1 teaspoon finely minced fresh rosemary
- 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 large or 2 small garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons beer
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
Instructions
- Peel and devein the shrimp and pat dry with paper towls. Place in a bowl and toss with the salt and the cayenne.
- Preheat the oil in a 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Place the shrimp into the skillet and cook until just pink. Remove to a clean bowl.
- Reduce the heat to medium and add the butter to the skillet until melted. Whisk in the flour, tomato paste, rosemary, oregano, and garlic and cook for about 30 seconds, until fragrant. Add the beer and Worcestershire sauce and cook until slightly reduced and thickened.
- Add the shrimp back to the skillet. Cook and stir for about one minute, until completely cooked through and the shrimp is coated with the sauce. Serve with grits, rice, or crusty bread.
7.8.1.0101https://chattavore.com/barbecue-shrimp/
Click here to print the recipe for barbecue shrimp!
Yield: 4 servings
15 minPrep Time:
10 minCook Time:
Save RecipeIngredients
- 1 pound uncooked large shrimp (preferably shell-on)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 tablespoon canola or vegetable oil
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon tomato paste (the tubes of tomato paste are ideal for this!)
- 1 teaspoon finely minced fresh rosemary
- 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 large or 2 small garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons beer
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
Instructions
- Peel and devein the shrimp and pat dry with paper towls. Place in a bowl and toss with the salt and the cayenne.
- Preheat the oil in a 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Place the shrimp into the skillet and cook until just pink. Remove to a clean bowl.
- Reduce the heat to medium and add the butter to the skillet until melted. Whisk in the flour, tomato paste, rosemary, oregano, and garlic and cook for about 30 seconds, until fragrant. Add the beer and Worcestershire sauce and cook until slightly reduced and thickened.
- Add the shrimp back to the skillet. Cook and stir for about one minute, until completely cooked through and the shrimp is coated with the sauce. Serve with grits, rice, or crusty bread.
Click here to print the recipe for barbecue shrimp!
