BBQ salmon tacos are sweet, salty, tangy, crunchy and the ultimate weeknight meal. Ready in 15 minutes, these salmon tacos with bbq sauce have just 8 ingredients (all pantry/fridge staples). This is the recipe for people who don’t love the taste of salmon but know they should eat more.

After you try these barbeque salmon tacos, you should also make honey chipotle salmon (it’s sweet and spicy) and this simple salmon with mango salsa recipe. Both of these recipes are ready in 15 minutes and incredibly simple to make.

BBQ salmon taco highlights

• Easy to make
• 15 minutes
• 8 ingredients
• Great summer recipe
• Easy weeknight dinner

Ingredients spotlight

• Salmon – use skin on or skin off salmon. If the salmon has the skin on, cook it that way, then the skin will slide off after cooking.
• BBQ Sauce – be sure to use your favorite bbq sauce, it’s what gives this recipe all the flavor. I personally love the Organicville BBQ Sauce, it’s so sweet and pairs perfectly with the salmon.
• Greek yogurt (or dairy free plain yogurt) – this makes for a tangy, creamy slaw dressing. If you don’t love the idea of using Greek yogurt, you could also use mayo.

How to make salmon bbq tacos

Preheat the oven to 425F. Place salmon (skin side down) on parchment paper lined baking sheet. Coat with salt, garlic powder and 2 tablespoons of bbq sauce. Bake at 425F for 12 minutes.

While salmon is cooking, make the slaw.  Start by making the dressing in a large bowl (simply whisk together the Greek yogurt, apple cider vinegar, salt and garlic powder). Thinly slice the cabbage and add it to the yogurt mixture. Toss well with tongs until fully coated.

When salmon is done cooking, take it out of the oven and pour ¼ cup of bbq over the salmon. Flake it with a fork.

Tip: To ensure your soft taco tortillas are pliable, warm them up for 1-2 minutes in the oven or on the stove top over medium low heat.

Assemble your tacos: Add slaw, bbq salmon, sliced avocado and any other toppings you enjoy. I recommend pouring just a little more bbq sauce over top and serving.

Don’t feel like turning on the oven?

Use the air fryer! You can cook the salmon in the air fryer, be sure to add the bbq sauce to the salmon before cooking. You could also make air fryer salmon bites, which cook in just 6 minutes if you are short on time!

Other additions

• Sliced jalapeno (add to tacos or add to the slaw)
• Pickled red onions
• Thinly sliced radish
• Sliced green onion
• Mango salsa
• Cilantro

Other ways to enjoy this recipe

• Serve as a taco bowl instead of tacos with some black beans and rice
• Use bbq salmon on salad instead of in tacos
• Serve bbq salmon and slaw with sweet potato fries for a whole new meal

Best way to store leftovers

Store the salmon and slaw separately in airtight containers. Reheat the salmon in the oven, in a toaster oven or in a skillet over medium low heat until warmed through. Assemble the tacos (don’t forget to add some extra bbq sauce) and enjoy!

This baked salmon recipe is one I make for dinner every single week. Learning to make great baked salmon is a lot like baked chicken or learning how to cook a steak. It’s a staple in my book. There are SO many different ways to slightly alter this basic recipe so the meal never feels boring. Plus, baked salmon is healthy and delicious!

I like to make baked salmon with some kind of Asian fusion type glaze, served over rice often with cucumber salad. It’s basically a salmon rice bowl type situation. Another option is to use Italian flavors or simply lemon and serve with pasta. Or Tex Mex flavors and serve with tortillas for a tacos. Or Greek flavors and serve over a salad with olives and pita. And the list goes on! Baked salmon is super versatile.

Related: Next up learn how to make Air Fryer Salmon.

Ingredients

• Salmon – often called a ‘salmon portion’ at the meat counter (4-6 oz.)
• Oil
• Miso
• Soy sauce

This is all the basic ingredients I used for the salmon pictured. As you’ll see in the notes below there are many more options!

How to Bake Salmon

If you are using frozen salmon thaw it first. I usually buy fresh (unfrozen) salmon portions but frozen works well too!

Add aluminum foil to the baking sheet. Optional, but this make clean up easier. Lightly oil the foil before placing the salmon. Top with whatever spices, seasonings, or sauces you like.

Bake at 400°F for 10 minutes. Then turn the oven to broil and place the baking sheet on the top rack. Broil for 1-2 minutes.

Serve over rice, pasta, risotto, tortillas, pita, salad or whatever else you want to make this baked salmon a meal.

Tips & Notes

• Thaw frozen salmon by leaving it in the refrigerator the night before you plan to use it.
• I love to mix soy sauce with: miso, gochujang paste or black bean paste most often for my sauce. Sometimes I will mix BBQ sauce and soy sauce for a simple Korean BBQ type sauce.
• I also sometimes brush the salmon with a hot sauce before baking like: Frank’s, Sriracha or Cholula.
• Another option is to go heavy with a dry seasoning mix or rub like: Za’atar, taco seasoning, chili seasoning, or Italian seasoning. I especially like this option if I am planning to add the baked salmon to a salad.
• I also think keeping it super simple and topping the salmon with a little melted butter, lemon juice and salt and pepper is great too!

Salads & Sides to serve with Salmon