How to make the tastiest fish tacos! Cook the fish with a dry spice mix, then garnish with flavorful coleslaw and creamy sauce.
Tacos are always a win here, so may we share our new favorite? This baked fish tacos! We eat a Mediterranean diet (lots of veggies and some seafood), and these tacos hit the spot better treat! White fish is cooked with a dry spice blend until flaky, then topped with flavorful coleslaw and creamy fish taco sauce! It’s a take on Mexican Baja tacos that uses the flavors and style of that cuisine. They’re delicious, easy to make, and great for weekend nights or dinner parties. Let’s cook!
do you have a bbq Also try the grilled fish tacos.
What fish to use for fish tacos?
Are these authentic Mexican tacos? We have no Mexican heritage, but here we have studied and used flavors that are part of the traditions of Mexican cuisine. You can use any type of white fish for these healthy fish tacos. Here are some of the most common, easiest to find, and best taco fish varieties:
- Tilapia: has a great smooth taste and buttery texture
- Cod: the taste here is even sweeter! Cod is a very flavorless fish and an excellent choice (it’s surprisingly tasty: try baked cod, grilled cod, or fried cod, too).
- Job description: If you can’t find the first two, mahi mahi works too: it has a richer, meatier flavor
Other good options? snapper, grouper or halibut. Above all, try to find wild-caught fish if you can. Wild fish caught in your country is generally a sustainable choice. (There are also quality options from well-regulated farms; see Seafood Watch’s consumer guide.)
Fish Taco Seasoning Ingredients
What Makes These Easy Fish Tacos Flavorful? The dry rub for flavoring fish tacos! You can make a large batch of this seasoning ahead of time and store it for taco time (it will keep for about 1 year). Or just mix and match what you need each day, which is what we usually do.
Here’s the cool thing: They use it as a dry rub for fish. There are no breadcrumbs and no oil! Simply pat in the spices and cook at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for about 10 minutes! The spices form a nice crust full of spicy flavors. Here’s what’s in Fish Taco Seasoning:
- chili powder
- cumin
- smoked paprika
- garlic powder
- onion powder
Smoked paprika is a Spanish version of paprika that adds a hint of smoke to every bite. If you can’t find it, use sweet paprika. If you buy a jar, use it with these best smoked paprika recipes.
How to make the fastest taco salad: tips!
Essential for fish tacos: coleslaw Actually to do quickly. Many taco salad recipes take longer than expected: they require lots of ingredients to serve or lots of veggies to chop up. Not this one! We’ve stripped it down to the bare minimum, so it only takes about 5 minutes assemble. Here are a few tips:
- Red cabbage, carrots and green onions are all you need. This makes the quickest and easiest coleslaw: just a few veggies to cut up.
- Add lime and salt and voila! No need to make any fancy dressing: zesty lime juice will do! The celery salt adds a nice nuance to the overall flavor. If you don’t have any, just use kosher salt!
- Serve with a slotted spoon. This coleslaw will absorb moisture as it sits. Serving it immediately will avoid this. If you let it sit for a while, serve with a slotted spoon to avoid a watery taco.
5 Fish Taco Sauce Ideas
Once you’ve made your baked fish and quick coleslaw, all you need is the sauce! There are many great sauce ideas to use. Here are our favorite sauces for these quick fish tacos:
- Fish Taco Sauce This sauce makes fish tacos taste amazing! Lime, garlic and hot sauce are the perfect complement for flaky fish.
- Cilantro Lime Crema, Cilantro Lime Ranch, or Lime Crema You’ll want to bathe in these sauces! They are full of flavor and easy to prepare.
- Spicy Mayo Give this spicy mayonnaise a Mexican twist: there are only 2 ingredients, so you can prepare it in no time. *Dairy free option
- Chipotle Sauce This easy sauce is flavorful, smoky, and creamy—perfect for tacos and burritos! *Dairy free option
- Shrimp Taco Sauce This one works with fish tacos too! It’s like a creamy cilantro-based ranch: quick and easy!
Side dishes to serve with fish tacos!
Once you’ve made these epic fish tacos, you’ll need something to serve with them! For weeknight meals, we opt for quick and easy sides like canned bean puree. But for a dinner party, we make more side dishes to round out the meal. Here are some ideas for side dishes with the tacos:
This fish taco recipe is…
Gluten free and pescetarian.
The description
How to make the tastiest fish tacos! Cook the fish with a dry spice mix, then garnish with flavorful coleslaw and creamy sauce.
For the fish
- 1 Pound tilapia or cod* (preferably wild caught)
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- 1 teaspoon every Cumin and smoked paprika (or regular paprika)
- ½ teaspoon every garlic powder and onion powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt for seasoning
For the tacos
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. If necessary, defrost the fish.
- Prepare the fish: In a small bowl, combine the dry marinade: chili powder, cumin powder, smoked paprika powder, garlic powder, and onion powder. Dry the fish, then sprinkle with 1 teaspoon kosher salt and pat dry. Add spices and pat to coat the fish. Place the fish on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 10 minutes until soft. Then grill for 2 minutes until the top is lightly browned.
- Prepare the salad: Meanwhile, thinly slice the cabbage. Grate or grate the carrot (we used a julienne peeler). Finely chop the spring onion. Place the cabbage, carrots, and green onions in a bowl. Stir in the lime juice, salt, and celery salt. Serve immediately with a slotted spoon. Coleslaw absorbs moisture while it rests; If you plan on letting it sit, be sure to serve with the slotted spoon to filter out the moisture.
- Prepare sauce: Prepare the fish taco sauce.
- Warm up tortillas: Char the tortillas, if desired, by placing them over an open gas flame over medium-high heat for a few seconds on each side, turning with tongs until lightly charred and warmed through. Or heat them according to the instructions for reheating tortillas.
- Assemble the tacos by filling the tortillas with fish, coleslaw, and gravy. Garnish with chopped coriander and some lime.
Remarks
*If you’re serving 4 hungry eaters, you can increase the fish weight to 1.5 pounds and increase the spice amounts accordingly. Coleslaw and gravy should work for 12 tacos. Or, be sure to serve it with a hearty side dish like bean curd (store-bought or homemade).
- Category: main course
- Method: Cooked
- Kitchen: Mexican
- Diet: Gluten free
Keywords: Fish Tacos, Fish Taco Sauce, Fish Taco Salad
More taco recipes
Tacos are one of the dishes we eat the most around here! Here are some other taco recipes that we regularly feature:
