Salmon, please, to go

SALMON as fast food? It seems too highfalutin to order in a mall food court, yet from now until Feb. 12, Chipotle-Lime Grilled Salmon is being offered at Rubio’s Fresh Mexican Grill.

The fish is served three ways -- in a salmon salad, in salmon tacos or, our favorite, in a salmon burrito. The burrito places the marinated grilled salmon alongside fresh guacamole, black beans, rice and a poblano chile salsa, then it’s topped with a creamy tomato-tomatillo sauce and wrapped in a whole wheat tortilla. It comes with a side salad with a creamy poblano dressing.

Will a salmon burrito be part of your perhaps floundering New Year’s resolution for a healthier diet?

weekend@latimes.com

*

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX)

Rubio’s Chipotle-Lime Grilled Salmon Burrito

Taste***

Man, this is one tasty burrito. All the ingredients work together and complement one another, though the lime-drenched salmon steals the show. A couple of quibbles though. One: Any dish boasting chipotle (smoked red jalapeno) should have a smoky-spicy-hot kick. These salmon dishes are all extremely mild; fortunately Rubio’s has a hard-hitting chipotle salsa at its salsa bar. Two: The side salad is boring.

---

Diet Watch**

The Salmon Burrito has 750 calories, and the side salad adds 70 more. If you’re looking to cut some calories, the Salmon Tacos are only 270 each, so two tacos plus the side salad weighs in at only 610 calories. And if you’re really calorie-conscious, check out the Salmon Salad, which has only 360 calories total. All are chock-full of those Omega-3 fatty acids, so you can probably skip taking salmon oil caplets for a day or two.

---

Portability **

When ordering to go, the burrito comes in a large, lidded foam container along with the side salad, which makes transporting it home easy, but in-the-car consumption is awkward. But then, when a burrito/salad combo costs $7.49, you probably don’t want to wolf it down at a red light anyway.

---

Hype-o-meter**

If this is the first you’ve heard of Rubio’s Salmon Burrito, don’t be surprised. Marketing for it is almost nonexistent. With no radio ads for it airing in Los Angeles and most in-store posters featuring the salmon tacos, the poor burrito is being practically ignored.

--

* Ratings are on a scale of one (lowest) to four (best).