Cedar Plank Salmon Tacos with Cucumber Slaw

Looking for the perfect summer meal after a long hot day at the pool? Try these Cedar Plank Salmon Tacos with Cucumber Slaw!

These tacos are topped with fresh diced Pure Flavor® Poco Bites® Cocktail Cucumbers, crisp white cabbage, roasted corn, and a little bit of lime crema. Packed full of fresh summery flavors, these tacos are sure to hit the spot!

If you’ve never added cucumbers to your fish taco slaw before – you must! These Poco Bites were perfect for this because of their crisp bite! Just the right kind of texture with a smoky grilled salmon underneath. Yum!

Have you ever grilled salmon on a cedar plank? It’s absolutely one of my favorite ways to prepare it! It gives the fish a nice smoky flavor and allows you to keep it tender on the inside and in-tact on the outside! (Salmon can be a little tricky on the grill grates!)

Read on to learn how to prepare this delicious smoky citrus glazed salmon on a cedar plank!

For these tacos you’ll need:

Cedar Plank Salmon

• Sockeye Salmon (We used a large fillet, skin on, about a pound and a half.)
• Brining Ingredients: water, coconut sugar, kosher salt, black peppercorns
• Seasoning Ingredients: 1 orange, chili garlic sauce, smoked paprika, garlic/salt/pepper mix, coconut sugar, cumin, citrus zest
• 1 Cedar Plank (a little larger than your salmon fillet)

Cucumber Slaw

• Pure Flavor® Poco Bites® Cucumbers
• White Cabbage
• Mayonnaise
• Sour Cream
• Chili Powder
• Agave Syrup
• 1 Lemon (You can use a lemon or a lime for this. Lemon will add a little sweetness, lime a little tartness. Both are delicious!)

Lime Crema

• Sour Cream
• 1 Lime
• Garlic Puree
• Salt

Additional Toppings:

• Roasted Corn (I like mine a little blackened for tacos!)
• Mashed Avocado

Preparing the Salmon

Take him for a swim!

I always like to brine my salmon before I grill it. I feel like it really helps lock in the moisture and allows you to infuse a little bit of flavor before you add any sauces or spices.

Brines are easy: salt + sugar + water, soak the fish, rinse it off. That’s it!

Brines differ a little bit from meat to meat, but for this recipe I used about 3/8 cup of Kosher Salt, 3/8 cup of Coconut Sugar, a few cracked black peppercorns, and about a quart of water.

Bring the water to a boil, add the salt and sugar, stir to dissolve, and let it cool to room temperature. While your brine is cooling, place the salmon into a shallow dish and add the cracked black peppercorns on top. When the brine has cooled, pour it over the salmon and let it soak in the fridge for at least 4 hours. (We took a trip to the pool while our brine was working it’s magic!)

Walk the plank!

About an hour before you’re ready to grill up, you MUST soak the cedar plank to properly prepare it for the fire! Soaking the cedar plank helps ensure it won’t burn when you place it on the grill. Soak it in a in a shallow bath of water for at least an hour prior to cooking. 

Prepare the Citrus Glaze and Lime Crema

I wanted a nice light flavor for this salmon since we we’re going to have so much goodness to throw on top of it! Nothing too fancy that would overpower the other flavors. A nice citrus glaze with fresh blood orange slices sounded perfect.

Add the juice of 1 orange, chili garlic sauce, smoked paprika, salt/pepper/garlic mix, cumin, coconut sugar, and citrus zest* to a small bowl and give it a whisk. You’re going to be using half of this directly on the fish and the other half you’ll be placing into a spray bottle.

To prepare the lime crema, just add the sour cream, lime juice and zest, purred garlic, and salt to a small bowl and sir to combine. Place into a squeezy bottle and chill until ready to serve. (To prepare extra for chips and dip, just double or triple the recipe depending on the size of your crowd!)

Prepare the Cucumber Slaw

I like to prepare cabbage slaw about 10 minutes before I start grilling when I make fish tacos. Cabbage can sometimes release a little bit of water when you add other ingredients to it, so while you want the flavors to have time to blend together, we’re not looking for a coleslaw situation for these tacos. A fresh, crisp bite is what we want!

Add the cabbage, sliced cucumbers, mayo, sour cream, chili powder, agave, and lemon juice to a large bowl and gently toss.

Time to grill up!

When you’re ready to grill,

I recommend charring the plank for about 4 – 5 minutes per side before adding your salmon. This just helps bring out those smoky flavors a little bit more.

Once you’re happy with your char, add the salmon skin side down on top of the plank. (You can do this on or off the grill. I recommend taking it off the grill to keep it a little cleaner, you’re going to pour a sauce over the salmon.)

Add the reserved citrus glaze, fresh orange, and blood orange slices on top of your salmon to give it that extra flavor!

Grill the salmon on the cedar plank at 400° for 10 – 12 minutes, or until you reach an internal temp of 145°. During the last 2 minutes the salmon is on the grill, spray it lightly with the remaining glaze.

Remove the salmon from the grill and allow it to cool slightly. You can lightly toast your tortillas while it cools, if you prefer. (We used some jalapeno corn tortillas we found at a local taqueria for this, they were awesome!)

Build the Tacos

I like to flake the salmon on the tray while I get everything else ready. If the skin bothers you, remove it before you flake it by sliding a long knife underneath the fish.

Grab the slaw, roasted corn, lime crema, and some mashed avocado and throw it all on a tortilla! No seriously, there is no method to the madness here – just do it up!

This was such a fun summer meal that showcased so many awesome, fresh flavors! I can’t wait to make it again!

If you try this recipe out, don’t forget to post a rating and comment!

I’d love to see your pictures on Instagram too! Tag @a_toastedcrumb and @pureflavor!

This post is sponsored by Pure Flavor®. Learn more about Pure Flavor and their commitment to supporting healthier lifestyles by visiting their website.

Cedar Plank Salmon Tacos with Cucumber Slaw

Recipe by Amber Bogardus

Course: SaladCuisine: American

Servings

4

servings

Prep time

4

hours 

30

minutes

Cooking time

15

minutes

Calorieskcal

Total time

4

hours 

45

minutes

Citrus glazed cedar plank salmon served in a warm corn tortilla with cucumber and cabbage slaw, roasted corn, mashed avocado and lime crema.

Cook Mode

Keep the screen of your device on

Ingredients

• Cedar Plank Salmon & Brine

• Sockeye Salmon Fillet large fillet, skin on, about 1.5 lbs.

• 1 qt Water

• 3/8 cup Coconut Sugar

• 3/8 cup Kosher Salt

• 1 tbsp Cracked Black Peppercorns

• 1 Cedar Plank soaked

• 1 Orange sliced

• 1 Blood Orange sliced

• Citrus Glaze

• Juice and Zest of 1 Orange

• Zest of 1 Lime

• 2 tsp Garlic/Salt/Pepper Seasoning Blend

• 2 tsp Chili Garlic Sauce

• 1 tsp Smoked Paprika

• 1 1/2 tsp Cumin

• 1 tsp Coconut Sugar

• Cucumber Slaw

• 1 lb. Pure Flavor® PocoBites® Cocktail Cucumbers halved and thinly sliced

• 2 cups White Cabbage shredded

• 1 1/2 tbsp Mayonnaise

• 1 tbsp Sour Cream

• 2 tsp Chili Powder

• 1 tsp Agave Syrup

• Juice from Half of a Lemon may substitute lime for a more tart flavor

• Lime Crema

• 1/2 cup Sour Cream

• Juice and Zest from 1 Lime

• 1 tsp Garlic Puree

• 1/4 – 1/2 tsp Salt

• Additional/Optional Toppings:

• Corn Tortillas

• Roasted Corn

• Mashed Avocado

• Lime Wedges

Directions

• Prepare the brine for the salmon by bringing water to a boil. Add the coconut sugar and salt, stir to dissolve, and allow to cool to room temperature.
• While the water is cooling, add the salmon fillet and black peppercorns to a casserole dish.
• Once cooled, pour the brining liquid over the salmon, cover it, and let it soak in the fridge for at least 4 hours to overnight.
• Soak the cedar plank in a shallow bathof water for at least one hour prior to cooking.
• Start preheating the grill to 400° while you prepare the citrus glaze, cabbage slaw, and crema.
• To prepare the citrus glaze, add the juice of 1 orange, chili garlic sauce, smoked paprika, garlic/salt/pepper seasoning blend, cumin, coconut sugar and citrus zest to a small bowl. Whisk to combine. Reserve half of the mixture and pour the other half into a spray bottle.
• To prepare the lime crema, add the sour cream, lime juice and zest, purred garlic, and salt to a small bowl and mix to combine. Place into a squeezy bottle and chill until ready to serve.
• Char the cedar plank on the grill for about 4 – 5 minutes on each side, just until you get a slight color.
• Prepare the cucumber slaw right before you’re ready to put the fish on the grill by combining the cabbage, sliced cucumbers, mayo, sour cream, chili powder, agave, and lemon juice to a large bowl and toss to combine.
• Remove the salmon from the brine, rinse it gently with water, and pat it dry.
• Place the salmon skin side down onto the charred plank and pour the reserved citrus glaze over the top. Add the orange and blood orange slices to the top of the fish.
• Grill the salmon on the cedar plan at 400° for about 10 – 12 minutes, or until you reach an internal temp of 145°.
• Flake the salmon using a fork on a clean tray. (Optional: Remove the skin from the bottom side of the salmon filet by sliding a long knife between the fish and the skin.)
• Warm corn tortillas on the grill while the salmon cools slightly.
• Top a warm corn tortilla with mashed avocado, salmon, roasted corn, cucumber slaw, and lime crema. Serve with fresh lime wedges.

• Cedar Plank
• Grill
• Spray Bottle

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