Salmon Tamales Recipe

Make delicious tamales with wild Alaskan salmon!

Pico De Gallo Salsa:

Filling:

1 ½ cups (about 1 lb) of raw sockeye/red salmon fillet, skinless, cubed/cut into ¾ to 1” pieces
1 cup red onion, diced
2 TB canned diced green chiles, fire roasted or plain
2 TB chopped cilantro
¼ tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp lime juice
½ cup pico de gallo salsa (see recipe below)

Broth:

Make your own broth: Heat 1 ¾ cup water with ¼ tsp salt, ¼ tsp pepper, ½ tsp dried basil, and ½ tsp dried oregano

Dough:

2 ½ cups corn masa harina flour (not plain corn flour, use masa harina flour w/hydrated lime)
½ tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
¾ cup vegetable oil (avocado oil works well)

Tamale Wrap:

Place corn husks in a large pot with warm water. (This will help to soften the husks so that you can wrap the tamales in the husks.) Let sit in warm water while you are making the salsa, filling, and dough.

To make the pico de gallo salsa, mix all of the salsa ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.

To make the filling, mix all of the filling ingredients in a medium size mixing bowl, including the salsa, and set aside.

Make your own broth by adding all broth ingredients into a pot and heat until warm.

To make the tamale dough, mix the dry ingredients together in a large mixing bowl (the masa harina flour, baking powder and salt). Then stir in wet ingredients (vegetable oil, and broth). The dough should become a rough creamy texture that you can form into a dough with your hands. If needed, add 2-3 TB water to get this consistency. Place a damp paper towel or cloth over the dough so it does not dry out.

Drain the water out of the pot that holds your corn husks. The corn husks should be softened and pliable.

Take one large corn husk, pat it dry with a paper towel or cloth towel, and lay it on a cutting board or workable surface. Add about ¼ cup tamale dough onto the upper half of the corn husk. With your hand, gently pat down the dough onto the corn husk, making a circle that is about 3 to 4 inches diameter.

Place about 3 TB (or a little less than ¼ cup) of salmon filling in the middle of the dough circle.

Fold the left side of the corn husk towards the right side, resulting in the dough folding halfway over the filling. Then fold the right side of the husk towards the left side, folding the other half of the dough onto itself. Then on the outside of the corn husk, gently press the dough down to seal the dough onto itself. Then take the bottom of the corn husk and fold it upward, to seal the bottom part of the dough. Then at the top of the corn husk, gently press the husk together, which should seal the dough at the top of the tamale.

Repeat the above instructions for each tamale. After each tamale is wrapped, place it in a 9x13 casserole dish. Try to leave a little space in between each tamale. You may need to place each tamale on its side instead of flat down, so that all the tamales will fit in the dish.

With all the wrapped tamales in the casserole dish, place 2 TB of water on the bottom of the dish and sprinkle some additional water on top of the tamales.

Cover dish with aluminum foil and seal tight. Bake at 350 degrees Farenheit for 25-30 minutes. Then remove aluminum foil and continue cooking for another 5 minutes. The tamales are done when you can peel back the corn husk without the dough sticking to the husk.

Remove tamales from oven and let sit about 5-10 minutes. The tamales will continue to firm up while cooling. Then unwrap the corn husks. Top the tamales with sour cream, cilantro, and the remaining pico de gallo salsa, or any of your favorite toppings and enjoy!