If you are lucky enough to have leftover grilled salmon from some fabulous soirée, or if you want to impress the socks off your guests by grilling up a whole side of beautiful, crimson fish, then make these flatbread tacos this summer. Salmon lends itself well to tacos (as does shrimp!) and I can’t think of a better way to eat them than with spicy flatbread shells, homemade lime mayo, and a fresh mango salsa.

The first time I ever had fish tacos was at a little Caribbean themed restaurant in the Outer Banks of North Carolina. I was vacationing there when it was still reasonable, staying in a quaint little cluster of vintage 1950s beach cottages, each cottage facing the central swimming pool, right across the road from the ocean. Don’t ask me why all the places had swimming pools, so close to the ocean, but they all did. I guess this would be a good thing if you wanted assurances against sharks and jellyfish…

One night we decided we were tired of trying to catch the local blue crabs, who were playing hard to get and refused to hold on to our bait long enough to allow us to net them. Such horrible luck. We were sunburned, sweaty, and hungry, but definitely not for crab. So we hopped on our bikes and rode until we found this little shack called La Tortuga, bursting with colorful artwork and surf memorabilia. Despite our grubbiness, we were made to feel immediately welcomed.

I could have scarfed down everything on the menu, but I settled on the fish tacos, and I couldn’t have been happier, and it wasn’t just the dark rum, either. Every time I make this salmon version, I think back to that lucky night, when the dinner we didn’t catch led to unexpected deliciousness.

Amy at Flatout