Salmon Fusion

Salmon Fusion is located near the corner of SW 3rd and Washington in downtown Portland, Oregon. At this cart, virtually every dish involves that amazing oily fish with the orange-pink flesh! Salmon Fusion is one of Portland's newest food carts, having opened on 1/5/12.

Opening weekend for Salmon Fusion
(January 2012)

A friend and I arrived on Salmon Fusion's third day of business, a Saturday. I love fish, so this was a welcome sight. Apparently, the cart owner told some of his friends to come on down; a flock of people had gathered in the area.

New food cart on the block!

What the...a dessert with salmon?! Good grief.

EDIT ON 4/14/13: Updated menu picture!

Menu as of April 13, 2013!

We sampled the salmon chowder, which normally goes for $7.50 and served in a bread bowl. It had some sweet tones to it, with the salmon present in color, flavor, and texture. The chowder we got was barely lukewarm and I think it needed some more time on the stove. Otherwise, I thought it was quite good.

Sample of Salmon Chowder
(Salmon Fusion)

Next up, the salmon tacos ($7.50). Two tacos (small double corn tortillas) with smoked salmon, veggies, and a sweet/spicy salsa. It came with a side of "Hawaiian slaw" and saffron rice.

Smoked Salmon Tacos w/slaw and rice
(Salmon Fusion)

The rice had a slight floral aura when eating it, but was otherwise bland. The saffron turned the rice a golden yellow, certainly not something I see every day.

The Hawaiian slaw was very tasty, my personal favorite on the plate. The fruity, sweet dried cranberries worked well with the cabbage, carrot, and mayo-based slaw dressing. However, I'm still unsure why it's deemed Hawaiian. I sure didn't sense any 808 vibes coming out of there. There must be something in the dressing itself that I'm missing. Maybe it's because I ate it too fast to even care.

The tacos included a decent portion of moist smoked salmon. The pliable tortillas were steamed well. Decent street food, I must say. The "salsa" on the tacos was apparently a cream-based concoction, instead of some relish-like topping. Not sure why it was deemed a salsa in the first place. At least on this trip, the salsa did not assert itself in any manner, staying in the shadows and getting lost in the eating experience.

These guys are new on the block, so I'll consider trying them out again. What really intrigues me is an apparent use for salmon in a DESSERT. My mouth is telling me no, but my eyes and stomach say yes. Therefore, I'll find a time to come back and try it.

I thought the cart owner was a real nice guy. According to other Yelpers, the owner was a salmon fisherman in Alaska. Pretty cool to have a healthy protein option like salmon in downtown Portland.  For now, a slightly above-average score, but I'll be back anyway. Dessert, anyone? 6/10
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EDIT (1/15/12): I received a message from the owner a few hours after my original post. He will address the chowder temperature issue. Regarding the slaw, it's Hawaiian because he was born in Hawaii and has his mother's influence. The salsa on his tacos is a sauce because, well, "salsa" is the Italian word for sauce.

Finally, the desserts are merely salmon-shaped, using dark or white chocolate. Just wanted to clear up confusion on that.

Learning something new every day!