Salmon Tacos with Cucumber Dill Sauce

Summer Taco and Salsa Party  Cooking Class Part III…

I’ve said it before – I have a fear of cooking fish and I hope to overcome that through this blog. People always tell me how easy it is, especially to grill or cook in foil pouches. I really am going to attempt to cook fish this Summer – seeing as seared ahi is my favorite – My girlfriend Jess makes it often and I know it’s super easy – just need to find good fish and do it!

Chef Gigi showed us how to make Salmon Tacos with a Creamy Cucumber Dill Sauce. She chose to cook the salmon in a pan, but I will definitely be grilling it when I attempt to re-create this recipe at home.

Ingredients:

1 Pound Salmon Fillet  – Make sure the bones have been removed – she realized the butcher hadn’t removed all of them and struggled to pull them out before serving.
Shredded Lettuce
Tomatoes or Pico de Gallo
Cilantro for garnish (Optional)
Cucumber Dill Cream (Recipe below)
Flour Tortillas

Instructions:
Prep salmon into 1-3 pieces depending on size/shape.

Marinate salmon using the following marinade recipe – It smelled fabulous! She passed a bowl of the marinade around to all of the tables.

Salmon Marinade:
1 Cup Italian Dressing – any brand will do.
1/4 Cup White Wine
3 Tablespoons Tequilla – she said “optional”  – the one we used had it in there.
3 Tablespoons Chopped Fresh Dill – she made a point to say, use fresh, not dried.

Instructions:
Mix all ingredients, place salmon and marinade in a ziploc bag and marinate for 1-2 hours in the fridge.

Grill salmon on the BBQ or in a frying pan. When cooked – divide into 4 portions. Place in tortillas and serve with lettuce, tomatoes and cucumber dilled cream sauce.

Cucumber Dilled Cream Sauce:
1/2 Cup Sour Cream
1/4 Cup Mayonnaise
1 Cup Cucumber – peeled, seeded and diced – She likes to stripe peel and slice in 1/2 before dicing.
1/2 Teaspoon Garlic – Chopped
3 Tablespoons Onion – Minced – Sweet onion works best.
Juice of 1/2 Lemon
1 Teaspoon Dijon Mustard
Splash of Tabasco
2 Tablespoons Fresh Chopped Dill
Salt and Pepper to taste

Sauce Instructions:
Dice cucumber into small cubes and place on a plate – sprinkle with a little salt to extract moisture and bitterness. After the cucumbers have sat for 15 minutes, mix all ingredients together in a medium-sized bowl. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper as needed – refrigerate for an hour before serving.  She mentioned that she also uses this as a veggie dip in her catering business – she adds a few shakes of wing sauce to it when using as a dip.

The tacos tasted great! I’m looking forward to seeing the difference between the pan method vs. grilling. The assistants got a little heavy-handed on the sauce, I’d go lighter next time to get more of the salmon flavor.

I saved the best for last. Tomorrow I will be posting the last in my Summer Taco and Salsa Party series.

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3 comments

    • kristen on July 2, 2010 at 10:15 am

    I agree that the salmon would be better on the grill…and on decent tortillas! You will be tackling all kinds of seafood this summer and I look forward to hearing of your adventures! Have a great 4th! 🙂

    • Susi on July 2, 2010 at 11:31 am

    That was my first thought too, to make the salmon on the grill. I think the little bit of smokiness would go so well. Otherwise this one sounds mouthwatering perfect. I’m getting so many fantastic ideas from your blog! Can’t wait for the final installment tomorrow!

    • Paul on July 3, 2010 at 9:59 am

    Okay, this looks like the cover of a food magazine. Kudos on the great photography and yummy looking dish!

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