Salmon Taco with an Avocado Cilantro Lime Sauce—An Easy, Healthy, Delicious Weeknight Meal, which Can be Whole30 Compatible

My husband has Type 2 Diabetes and high blood pressure, so we recently began eating a Whole30 diet. Although we both need to lose a few pounds, we did it to improve our health. Amazingly enough, Russ was able to wean himself off insulin and has drastically reduced his blood pressure medication in only a few weeks. An additional benefit, Russ has lost 13 pounds. I’ve only lost seven. UGH!

Our daughter, Jenny, introduced us to Whole30, which was recommended to her by a functional medicine doctor. Now, I am not going to go into great detail. Whole30 is a 30-day elimination diet that focuses on eating whole, unprocessed foods, and eliminating grains, dairy, legumes, alcohol, and added sugar. The main purpose of this diet is to help identify potential food sensitivities and establish healthier eating habits. If you want more information, you can purchase Melissa Hartwig’s book, The Whole30: The 30-Day Guide to Total Health and Food Freedom.

Over the last month, our cooking style had changed dramatically. Full disclosure, I had to give up my wine and martinis; but Whole30 does not ban coffee. I will not be altering my recipes to be strictly Whole30 but will sometimes offer alternatives. To make the following recipe Whole 30 compliant, use almond yogurt to make the Avocado Cilantro Lime Sauce, purchase Siete® Frozen Almond Flour Tortillas, and eliminate the cheese. As of today, we are not eating Whole30 every day, only about 75 percent of the time. I made this recipe with the ingredients listed but am offering alternatives to make it Whole30 compliant. Even when not Whole30 compliant, this is a healthy, easy, delicious weeknight meal.

Salmon Tacos with an Avocado Cilantro Lime Sauce

Makes 8 to 10 tacos

For the avocado cilantro lime sauce:

1 avocado, peeled and pitted

½ cup plain Greek yogurt (For Whole30, use plain almond yogurt. Add additional seasoning if needed.)

3 teaspoons fresh lime juice

1 teaspoon minced garlic

¼ cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon large grind black pepper

In a small bowl, place avocado and mash with a fork. Add yogurt, lime juice, garlic, cilantro, salt, and pepper and stir to combine. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve.

For the salmon:

1 teaspoon paprika

½ teaspoon dried oregano leaves

½ teaspoon onion powder

½ teaspoon garlic powder

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon large grind black pepper

1 pound salmon

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a small bowl, place paprika, oregano, onion and garlic powders, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper and stir to combine. Rub the spice mixture evenly over salmon. Cook for 30 minutes, or until salmon flakes easily when pierced with a fork.

For the tortillas:

Taco-size flour tortillas (For Whole30, use Siete® Almond Flour Tortillas)

Preheat the oven to 170 degrees F. While salmon is cooking, wrap 3 tortillas per serving in aluminum foil and place in the oven to warm. (Siete® tortillas are heated in the microwave according to package directions.)

To assemble tacos:

Romaine lettuce, washed and dried

Cooked salmon

Red onion, chopped

Avocado slices

Cojita cheese, crumbled (For Whole30, eliminate cheese.)

Avocado Cilantro Lime Sauce

Lay romaine lettuce on flour tortillas. Top with salmon, chopped red onion, avocado slices, and cojita cheese. Drizzle with Avocado Cilantro Lime Sauce.

Tips on selecting avocados: If you want to use your avocado immediately, select one that yields to gentle pressure. If you are shopping ahead and plan to use the avocado in a few days, pick one that is firm to the touch. Pass up avocados that are bright green and feel rock-hard. They are difficult to ripen. Also, don’t buy this vegetable if it is sunken, shriveled, or feels mushy.

Tips on storing avocados: Avocados should be stored at room temperature until they are ready to eat. To speed up the ripening process, place them in a paper bag with an apple. Once ripe, avocados will keep up to 2 days in the refrigerator. If you only use half of an avocado, leave the pit in, brush the flesh with lemon juice, place it in a reusable or plastic bag or wrap it tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate.

Tips on selecting lettuce: Any type of lettuce should be free of blemishes. Its leaves should be an even green in color with little browning on the outside edges. Romaine with rust, oversized butts, or large, strong, milky ribs is not good quality. Select romaine that is cut close to the leaf stems and is free of browning. Good romaine lettuce will have deep green leaves all the way down to its center. If you are buying boxed or bagged lettuce, check the date. Buy boxed or bagged lettuces with at least 5 days remaining before the “Sell-By” date. Check the packaging and avoid ones that contain lettuce that is wilted or shows signs of spoilage. Avoid packages that contain lettuce with yellowing leaves or brown edges.

Tips on storing lettuce: Do not wash lettuce until ready to use. Store whole heads in reusable, paper, or plastic bags. This helps them retain their natural moisture and stay crisp. Romaine and iceberg lettuce will keep up to 1 week in the refrigerator. Do not store lettuce with apples, bananas, or pears, as these fruits emit ethylene gas that will turn lettuce brown.

Carol Ann

Carol Ann Kates is the award-winning author of cookbook, Secret Recipes from the Corner Market, and international Amazon best-selling and award-winning author of Grocery Shopping Secrets. She’s an expert in how to shop, select, and store produce for maximizing home cooking outcomes and minimizing time and money spent. As a former supermarket and deli operator, Carol Ann shares grocery-insider wisdom—the same expertise you used to receive when patronizing a mom-and-pop establishment. Contact her at CarolAnn@CarolAnnKates.com and explore her website, www.CarolAnnKates.com.

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