Smoked Fish Tacos
PUBLISHED JUNE/JULY 2018 on Cook’s Country
This curious combination of smoked fish and sweet slaw had us skeptical—until we tasted it.
SERVES 4 to 6
SEASON 12 Fish Tacos and Steak Fajitas
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS
The smoked salmon taco at Ruddell’s Smokehouse in Cayucos, California, immediately won us over with its unbeatable combination of smoky fish, creamy mayonnaise-mustard sauce, and crunchy, fresh slaw all neatly packed in a tortilla. To prepare the salmon for smoking, we used a cure of brown sugar, salt, and garlic powder, which firms up the flesh and adds deep seasoning. We then smoked the salmon over indirect heat with a packet of wood chips. The result: sweet, smoky, and tender salmon. Adding an apricot glaze gave the salmon a sticky, faintly sweet coating that clung well, even after flaking the salmon into a taco. Mimicking Ruddell’s unique slaw, we tossed together chopped apple, chopped celery, and shredded carrot. We took the same tack with the sauce—a combination of 1 part spicy brown mustard to 2 parts mayonnaise. The resulting taco was a smash hit.
GET THE RECIPE AT COOK’S COUNTRY
1 comment