After your first bite, you will find out why I am obsessed with these fish tacos. They are so fresh and flavorful! They’re perfect as an easy weeknight dinner recipe for your family but are also great for get-togethers as its easy to scale this recipe up. They are so satisfying and filling but still light enough that you have room for dessert.
Another reason I love making these fish tacos is just how easy they are to customize. You can use a variety of white fish and load them up with whatever your favorite toppings are. You can set everything out so your family can build their own tacos, and everyone’s happy. Want to make this into a taco bar? Make my shrimp taco recipe and lobster tacos recipe as well!
What You Need to Make This Recipe
Homemade taco sauce — I recommend making your own sauce. All you need is sour cream, mayo, lime juice, garlic, and sriracha. However, if you prefer a store-bought one, you are welcome to go that route!
Fish — choose your favorite white fish for these fish tacos. Some options include cod, halibut, tilapia or mahi mahi. To make prepping this recipe easier, buy fish with the skin removed.
Seasoning — I use cumin, chili powder, salt, and pepper to season the fish. Make sure you are using American chili powder and not chile powder which is made of ground chile peppers.
Cabbage — I use purple cabbage, but you can also use green cabbage. Keep in mind that purple cabbage is a bit sweeter and softer than green cabbage.
Corn tortillas — I love using corn tortillas for my fish tacos but if you prefer flour tortillas, feel free to swap them in.
How to Make Fish Tacos
1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the sour cream, mayo, lime juice, garlic, and sriracha. Cover and chill until ready to use.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together 2 tablespoons of olive oil, lime juice, cumin, chili powder, salt, and pepper. Add the fish and turn to coat. Let stand for at least 15 minutes.
3. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil and swirl to coat. Add the fish, discarding any remaining marinade. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes until browned. Flip and continue cooking until browned, and the fish flakes easily with a fork. Remove from the heat and keep warm.
4. Warm the tortillas by either charring them over the flame of a gas burner or heating a skillet over high heat and cooking on both sides until blistered.
5. Place the red cabbage in a large bowl. Toss with 3 tablespoons of the fish taco sauce. Flake the fish into large chunks and place them in the center of each tortilla. Top each taco with cabbage, tomato, avocado, onion, and cilantro.
6. Drizzle the fish tacos with additional sauce and serve with a lime wedge.
Pro Tips for Making This Recipe
- Careful not to overcook the fish as it’ll become dry instead of tender and flaky. If you have an instant-read thermometer, the fish’s internal temperature should be 145F.
- White fish tend to be more sweet and mild in flavor, so do not skimp on the seasoning.
- Set a timer to avoid over-marinating the fish as the lime will start to break the fish down.
- Patting the fish dry before adding it to the bowl of seasoning helps it adhere better to the fish.
- If you’re not a fan of cilantro in your fish tacos, you can swap in parsley or chives.
- If you have a mandolin, you can easily use that to slice your cabbage thinly. Use a slicing guard to protect your fingers.
- For the best flavor in your fish tacos, use fresh limes and not bottled lime juice.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use frozen fish?
Yes, you can use frozen fish. Make sure you fully thaw the fish before using it for these fish tacos. As frozen fish tend to have a lot of moisture, make sure to pat it dry as the moisture makes it hard for the seasoning to stick.
What can I serve with fish tacos?
Fish tacos go with everything! Try serving them with chips and salsa or homemade queso, guacamole, sweet potato fries, pineapple salsa, mango salsa, or my pico de gallo. Want to make this into a party? Serve the tacos with my chicken enchiladas, birria tacos, nachos, and churros.
Can I make this ahead of time?
You can make the sauce 2 days ahead of time and keep it in an airtight container in the fridge. The fish can also be pan-seared a day ahead of time and gently reheated before shredding and assembling the tacos. You can shred the cabbage a few days ahead of time as well.
If you love this recipe try these out!
If you’ve tried this Fish Tacos recipe, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!
Fish Tacos
Video
Equipment
- mixing bowl
- Skillet
Ingredients
For the Fish Taco Sauce:
- ½ cup sour cream
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon sriracha or to taste
For the Fish:
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons lime juice about 1 lime
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cayenne pepper optional
- 1 pound white fish like tilapia, cod, halibut
Assembly and Toppings:
- 12 6-inch corn tortillas
- ½ head purple cabbage shredded (3 to 4 cups)
- 1 tomato diced
- 1 avocado thinly sliced
- ¼ red onion diced
- ½ cup cilantro leaves chopped
- 1 lime cut into wedges
Instructions
For the Fish Taco Sauce:
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the sour cream mayo, lime juice, garlic, and sriracha. Cover and chill until ready to use. (If you want a thinner sauce, add a tablespoon of water or milk.)
For the Fish:
- In a medium bowl, whisk together 2 tablespoons of olive oil, lime juice, cumin, chili powder, salt, and pepper. Add the fish and turn to coat. Let stand for at least 15 minutes.
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil and swirl to coat. Add the fish, discarding any remaining marinade. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes until browned. Flip and continue cooking until browned and the fish flakes easily with a fork. Remove from the heat and keep warm.
For the Assembly and Toppings:
- Warm the tortillas by either charring them over the flame of a gas burner or heating a skillet over high heat and cooking on both sides until blistered.
- Place the red cabbage in a large bowl. Toss with 3 tablespoons of the fish taco sauce.
- Flake the fish into large chunks and place in the center of each tortilla. Top with the cabbage, tomato, avocado, onion, cilantro, and additional sauce. Serve with a lime wedge.
Notes
- Careful not to overcook the fish as it’ll become dry instead of tender and flaky. If you have an instant-read thermometer, the fish’s internal temperature should be 145F.
- White fish tend to be more sweet and mild in flavor, so do not skimp on the seasoning.
- Set a timer to avoid over-marinating the fish as the lime will start to break the fish down.
- Patting the fish dry before adding it to the bowl of seasoning helps it adhere better to the fish.
- If you’re not a fan of cilantro, you can swap in parsley or chives.
- If you have a mandolin, you can easily use that to slice your cabbage thinly. Use a slicing guard to protect your fingers.
- For the best flavor, use fresh limes and not bottled lime juice.
Nutrition
Hey John,
Great videos and recipes.
What brand of tortillas do you suggest?
Big family special celebration this week and making fish tacos etc…
Thank you for your time
Valarie
I don’t remember the brand I like, always looking for the package by the colors on the label…
I can’t wait to try these!! ❤️ I absolutely love fish tacos ? and will travel far for good ones! Now I don’t have to!! Thank you, John!
Thanks so much Renee!
YES YES YES!!
These taste AMAZING!!!!