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My Favorite Fish Tacos Recipe

Name: Fish Tacos Recipe
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 5 min
Ingredients: 1/4 small head red cabbage (shredded); 1/4 head small green cabbage (shredded); 1 roasted jalapeno (peeled and chopped); 1/2 cup chopped cilantro; Juice from 1 large lime; 2 tablespoons champagne vinegar (use white vinegar as a substitute); 1 tablespoon honey; Sea salt to taste; ½ cup mayo; ½ cup Mexican crema (or use sour cream); 1 tablespoon lime juice (about ½ a small lime); 1 teaspoon of your favorite hot sauce (sriracha is great here); 1 teaspoon garlic powder or 1-2 fresh cloves (minced); Pinch of salt; 1-1/4 pounds red snapper (sub in your favorite white fish); 1 teaspoon garlic powder; 1 teaspoon sweet paprika; 1 teaspoon onion powder; 1/4 teaspoon white pepper; Salt to taste; 1 tablespoon olive oil; 6 flour tortillas (warmed); 1 avocado (sliced); EXTRA TOPPINGS: Sliced roasted jalapeno peppers or chiles toreados (fresh squeezed lime, your favorite hot sauce)

by Mike Hultquist · Jan 28, 2022 · 30 Comments · Jump to Recipe

This is my favorite fish tacos recipe, with seasoned pan seared white fish, crunchy ribbons of slaw, avocado and creamy homemade fish taco sauce. Huge on flavor and easy to make!

Easy to Make Fish Tacos

Who's in the mood for Fish Tacos? I know I am. I'm always up for delicious fish tacos, so light and delicious, perfect for all sorts of wonderful toppings.

Fish tacos are perfect for the spicy food lover, as we can use whatever seasonings we prefer and serve them up with our favorite spicy toppings. And hot sauce! What's a fish taco without a few dashes of hot sauce?

There are many fish taco recipes out there, but this particular version is my very favorite.

It's made with red snapper (though you can use any fish) that is lightly seasoned with garlic, onion, sweet paprika and white pepper with just a touch of sea salt. It is pan seared to keep it nice and delicate.

I serve mine over warmed flour tortillas, as flour tortillas hold them better than corn tortillas, though I do love them with corn tortillas as well.

They are topped with a crunchy slaw made with lots of shredded cabbage, roasted jalapeno, cilantro and lime juice with a touch of honey for sweetness.

I also serve them with fresh sliced avocado and a few dollops of my homemade fish taco sauce recipe, which is super creamy and very easy to make with mayo, crema, lime juice and hot sauce with seasonings.

They are seriously huge on flavor and done very quickly. Cooking the fish is quick and easy and you can have these on the table in about 15 minutes - 20 minutes if you're a slow cook like I am.

I hope you enjoy them.

Let's talk about how to make fish tacos, shall we?

Fish Tacos Ingredients

The full ingredient list with measurements is listed in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.

FOR THE CRUNCHY CABBAGE SLAW
Red Cabbage
Green Cabbage
Roasted Jalapeno - see my post for how to roast peppers
Cilantro
Fresh Lime Juice
Champagne Vinegar - or use your favorite white vinegar or apple cider vinegar
Honey
Salt
FOR THE FISH TACO SAUCE
Mayonnaise
Mexican Crema - or use Sour Cream
Lime Juice
Hot Sauce - Use your favorite, or use sriracha
Garlic Powder or Fresh Garlic
Kosher Salt
FOR THE FISH TACOS
Red Snapper - or use your favorite white fish
Garlic Powder
Sweet Paprika
Onion Powder
White Pepper - or use black pepper as a substitute
Salt
Olive Oil
Flour Tortillas - you can use corn tortillas
Avocado
Extras for Topping. Sliced roasted jalapeno peppers or chiles toreados, fresh squeezed lime, your favorite hot sauce

How to Make Fish Tacos - the Recipe Method

MAKE THE FISH TACO SLAW

Toss together the shredded red cabbage, shredded green cabbage, roasted jalapeno, cilantro, lime juice, vinegar, honey and salt in a large bowl. Make sure everything is evenly coated. Refrigerate until ready to use.

MAKE THE FISH TACO SAUCE

Whisk together the mayo, crema, lime juice, hot sauce, garlic and salt in a medium bowl. Refrigerate the cream sauce until ready to use. This is a huge flavor builder. So good.

MAKE THE FISH TACOS

Season the Fish. Remove the skin from the fish and slice the fish into strips. Mix together the seasonings in a small bowl and sprinkle it over the sliced fish.

Cook the Fish. Heat the oil in a pan to medium high heat and add the fish. Cook gently for 5 minutes, turning the fish every minute, until it is cooked through. Remove from heat.

Cooking the fish in a pan to make fish tacos

Assemble the Tacos and Serve. Serve the pieces of fish onto warmed tortillas, then top with sliced avocado, crunchy cabbage slaw and dollops of creamy fish taco sauce, maybe a lime wedge or two on the side.

Toss in some diced red onion if you'd like. Don't forget the hot sauce!

3 Fish tacos with crunchy slaw, avocado and creamy fish taco sauce

Boom! Done! Your delectable fish tacos are recipe to serve! Don't they look amazing? So easy to make and always satisfying. I'm not kidding when I say this is the best fish tacos recipe around. Perfect every time.

Recipe Tips & Notes

Best Fish for Fish Tacos

This works with any white fish. Some of my very favorites are red snapper, halibut, grouper and monkfish. I also enjoy swordfish, mullet, mahi mahi, wahoo, cod. Tilapia is a good inexpensive alternative.

So many to choose from!

The Seasonings

You can use your favorite seasonings for this recipe. I like to keep it simple in order to highlight the flavor of the delicate whitefish. It's perfectly fine with chili powder, salt and pepper.

I love my mix of garlic, onion, paprika, white pepper, which is more subtle than black pepper, and a bit of salt.

Grilled Fish Tacos

You can also prepare the fish on the grill for that extra grill flavor. I love it when chefs grill the fish on the beach until golden brown and served it right up on warmed tortillas with the cream sauce and lots of fixing.

So good!

Air Fryer Fish Tacos

Bust out your air fryer and make fish tacos any night of the week. To air fry, simply preheat your air fryer to 350 degrees F. Place your strips of fish into the lightly oiled basket and air fry them for 4-5 minutes, or until they are cooked through.

Then, serve the up!

That's it, my friends. I hope you enjoy my fish tacos recipe. So good! Let me know if you make it and what fish you've chosen. I'd love to hear how it turned out for you. Keep it spicy!

Try Some of My Other Popular Recipes

Grab yourself a fish taco!

Mike grabbing a fish taco from the serving platter

Got any questions? Ask away! I’m happy to help. If you and your family loved this recipe, I hope you’ll leave a comment with some STARS. Also, please share it on social media. Don’t forget to tag us at #ChiliPepperMadness. I’ll be sure to share! Thanks! — Mike H.

Fish Tacos Recipe

This is my favorite fish tacos recipe, with seasoned pan seared white fish, crunchy ribbons of slaw, avocado and creamy homemade fish taco sauce. Huge on flavor and easy to make!

Save Recipe

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: fish, fish tacos, spicy

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 5

Calories: 385kcal

Author: Mike Hultquist

Servings: tacos

Tap or hover to scale

5 from 7 votes

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Ingredients

FOR THE SLAW

1/4 small head red cabbage shredded
1/4 head small green cabbage shredded
1 roasted jalapeno peeled and chopped
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
Juice from 1 large lime
2 tablespoons champagne vinegar use white vinegar as a substitute
1 tablespoon honey
Sea salt to taste

FOR THE FISH TACO SAUCE

½ cup mayo
½ cup Mexican crema or use sour cream
1 tablespoon lime juice about ½ a small lime
1 teaspoon of your favorite hot sauce sriracha is great here
1 teaspoon garlic powder or 1-2 fresh cloves minced
Pinch of salt

FOR THE FISH TACOS

1-1/4 pounds red snapper sub in your favorite white fish
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
Salt to taste
1 tablespoon olive oil
6 flour tortillas warmed
1 avocado sliced
EXTRA TOPPINGS: Sliced roasted jalapeno peppers or chiles toreados fresh squeezed lime, your favorite hot sauce

Instructions

MAKE THE SLAW

Toss together the shredded red cabbage, shredded green cabbage, roasted jalapeno, cilantro, lime juice, vinegar, honey and salt in a large bowl. Refrigerate until ready to use.

MAKE THE FISH TACO SAUCE

Whisk together the mayo, crema, lime juice, hot sauce, garlic and salt in a small bowl. Refrigerate until ready to use.

MAKE THE FISH TACOS

Remove the skin from the fish and slice the fish into strips. Mix together the seasonings in a small bowl and sprinkle it over the sliced fish.
Heat the oil in a pan to medium heat and add the fish. Cook gently for 5 minutes, turning the fish every minute, until it is cooked through. Remove from heat.
Serve the pieces of fish onto warmed tortillas, then top with sliced avocado, crunchy cabbage slaw and dollops of creamy fish taco sauce. Don't forget the hot sauce!

Video

Notes

Store any extra fish tacos sauce in the fridge in a sealed container. Will last several weeks.

This works with any white fish. Some of my very favorites are red snapper, halibut, grouper and monkfish.

Nutrition Information

Calories: 385kcal Carbohydrates: 29g Protein: 9g Fat: 27g Saturated Fat: 4g Trans Fat: 1g Cholesterol: 25mg Sodium: 456mg Potassium: 483mg Fiber: 5g Sugar: 8g Vitamin A: 878IU Vitamin C: 42mg Calcium: 111mg Iron: 2mg

Did You Enjoy This Recipe?I love hearing how you like it and how you made it your own. Leave a comment below and tag @ChiliPepperMadness on social media.

NOTE: This recipe was updated on 1/28/22 to include new information and video. It was originally published on 3/24/21.

My Favorite Fish Tacos Recipe

Easy to Make Fish Tacos

Fish Tacos Ingredients

How to Make Fish Tacos - the Recipe Method