Our absolute favorite fully loaded Fish Tacos! These tacos start with charred tortillas and are loaded up with deliciously seasoned, flaky fish. They’re topped with a quick pico and creamy seasoned cilantro-lime sauce.
Love tacos as much as we do? Stick around for some other favorites! Try these chicken tacos, steak tacos, and healthy tacos.
The Best Fish Tacos
I adapted the most popular fish taco recipe from the restaurant I worked at for years, making it healthier by pan-searing the fish. It includes charred corn tortillas, tasty slaw, cilantro-lime rice, seasoned fish, fresh pico de gallo, and a spiced sauce.
These tacos are quick to make, delicious, and efficient with ingredients, similar to my shrimp tacos.
Ingredients
FISH:
- These Fish Tacos feature a choice of Mahi-mahi, Cod, or Tilapia as the main protein, marinated in olive oil, lime juice, soy sauce, and brown sugar for a balance of umami and sweetness, seasoned with paprika, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, and salt to enhance flavor.
SAUCE:
- A blend of lime juice and zest for tang, garlic for flavor enhancement, cilantro for herby freshness, jalapeño for spice, mayonnaise and sour cream for a creamy texture, and a mix of seasonings including salt, pepper, paprika, chili powder, cumin, and garlic powder for added depth and spice.
TACO TOPPINGS:
- Include crunchy shredded cabbage, creamy sliced avocado, optional basmati rice for a filling base, a fresh mix of cherry tomatoes, cilantro, and jalapeño for pico de gallo, served in charred corn tortillas, and topped with salty Queso Cotija cheese.
How To Make Fish Tacos
- Prepare the Sauce: Blend lime juice and zest, garlic, cilantro, jalapeño, mayo, sour cream, and seasonings until smooth.
- Make the Slaw: Toss cabbage with half of the sauce and refrigerate for topping the fish tacos.
- Marinate the Fish: Mix olive oil, lime juice, soy sauce, brown sugar, and seasonings. Coat the fish and marinate briefly.
- Cook the Fish: Fry the marinated fish in olive oil until it’s flaky.
- Create Cheater Pico: Combine diced tomatoes, cilantro, jalapeño, salt, pepper, and lime.
- Assemble Tacos: Char tortillas, add slaw, optional rice, fish, pico, avocado, and queso cotija. Drizzle with extra sauce and serve.
Quick Tip
To check if fish is fully cooked in these fish tacos, pierce it with a fork at the thickest part and gently twist. It’s done when it easily flakes and loses its translucent look. Aim for an internal temperature of 140-145 degrees.
Storage
Storing Fish Tacos
- Sauce & Slaw: Refrigerate in airtight containers for up to 3 days. You can make the sauce ahead of time for the fish tacos.
- Cooked Fish: Store separately in the fridge, consume within 2 days.
- Pico de Gallo: Best fresh, but can be refrigerated for a day.
- Assembled Tacos: Fish Tacos are best enjoyed immediately; not recommended for storage.
- Extras (Tortillas, Avocado, Cheese): Store tortillas in a cool, dry place; refrigerate avocado and cheese.
More Favorite Taco Recipes
Fish Tacos
Our absolute favorite fully loaded Fish Tacos! These tacos start with charred tortillas and are loaded up with deliciously seasoned, flaky fish. They're topped with a quick pico and creamy seasoned cilantro-lime sauce.
Ingredients
Sauce
- 1 large lime (3 tablespoons juice + 1/2 teaspoon zest)
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1/2 of 1 large bunch of cilantro
- 1 tablespoon minced jalapeño pepper (See Note 1)
- 1/2 cup EACH: mayonnaise and sour cream (fat-free or lite works great)
- 1/4 teaspoon EACH: fine sea salt and pepper
- 1 teaspoon EACH: paprika, ground chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon EACH: ground cumin, garlic powder
Fish
- 12 ounces Mahi-mahi (or cod or tilapia)
- 4 tablespoons olive oil separated
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons light brown sugar not packed
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoon EACH: paprika, ground chili powder
- 1 teaspoon EACH: ground cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, salt
Taco Toppings
- 3 cups shredded green cabbage
- 1 large avocado thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup basmati rice (+ 1 large lime) optional
- 1 cup diced cherry tomatoes + 2 tablespoons minced cilantro and any leftover jalapeño from the sauce if desired
- 10-12 small extra thin corn tortillas (Mission makes these)
- Queso cotija cheese
- Optional: olive oil cooking spray, additional lime wedges, additional cilantro
Instructions
- SAUCE: Add the lime juice and zest to a small blender or mini food processor along with the minced garlic, cilantro, jalapeño, mayo, sour cream, salt pepper, paprika, chili powder, cumin, and garlic powder (see note 1). Pulse or blend until smooth. Give it a quick taste test and adjust as desired (extra jalapeño, extra salt/pepper, etc.)
- SLAW: Add the thinly sliced cabbage to a bowl. Toss with half of the sauce and refrigerate to soften. Place the remaining sauce in the fridge to chill while preparing the rest of this dish.
- (OPTIONAL) RICE: Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Once boiling, salt the water (I add 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt). Add the basmati rice and boil for 6 minutes (only basmati rice works well for this cooking method). Drain and transfer to a bowl. Add in the juice and zest of a lime and set aside.
- MARINATE FISH: While the rice cooks, add all of the marinade ingredients (3 tablespoons olive oil, lime juice, soy sauce, brown sugar, and seasonings) to a large bowl and whisk to combine. Add fish (completely thawed if frozen) to a shallow dish in a single layer. Spoon marinade evenly over all the fish. Marinate at room temperature for no more than 15-20 minutes.
- COOK FISH: Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, gently add fish, spooning any leftover marinade over the fish, and cook for about 3 – 4 minutes per side (6-8 minutes total) or until cooked to desired doneness (cook time will vary based on thickness of fish). The fish is done when it flakes easily. Remove fish to a cutting board and let cool slightly before slicing for the tacos.
- CHEATER PICO: Dice the cherry tomatoes and add to a bowl. Add the minced cilantro and any leftover jalapeño from the sauce (if desired). Add a pinch of salt and pepper and a squeeze of lime. Toss and set aside.
- ASSEMBLY: Char the corn tortillas (See Note 2). Add the slaw and then a spoonful of rice. Add the fish next and pico on top. Top with thinly sliced avocado, extra cilantro if desired and a sprinkle of queso cotija if desired. If not adding the cheese, you may want an extra sprinkle of salt. Drizzle more sauce on top of the tacos and enjoy immediately.
Video
Recipe Notes
Note 1: Add more of the jalapeño for a spicier sauce, and it add slowly if you're concerned about the heat. Overall, I'd rate the sauce as mild with a tiny kick. If you're worried about heat, reduce or omit the jalapeño and be sure to use McCormick® seasonings (we find them very mild). Alternatively, amp up the heat by adding in more jalapeño. You could also add in 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper to increase the heat.
Note 2: Spray both sides of the tortillas with olive oil cooking spray and char the tortillas directly over the gas flames for a few seconds. Use tongs to flip until tortillas are lightly charred and soft. Immediately fold the tortilla in half (so it will fold into a taco nicely later) and set aside.
Nutrition
Calories: 780kcal | Carbohydrates: 78g | Protein: 27g | Fat: 40g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 72mg | Sodium: 1159mg | Potassium: 1043mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 1915IU | Vitamin C: 42mg | Calcium: 155mg | Iron: 6mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Hot day in Los Angeles and I made this recipe for my family. The fish is perfectly seasoned, sauce is scrumptious, and the slaw come together beautifully. Definitely a keeper and making it again! Thanks Chelsea!
I am so thrilled to hear this! Thanks! 🙂
These are by far the best fish tacos I’ve ever had! Thank you!
I am so thrilled to hear this! Thanks Lindsay! 🙂
I love fish tacos and this is the best recipe I have tried! The flavors mix together really well and I like that the fish and the slaw have the same flavors. I don’t have a gas stove so I just used authentic thin corn shells and it was perfect. I used orange roughy since that fish doesn’t have much flavor. Definitely a keeper! Thanks Chelsea
I am so beyond happy to hear this! Thanks so much Lori! 🙂
I made these today and they are as wonderful to eat as they look. These will be a staple recipe at our house now. Thank you!
I am thrilled to hear this! Thanks Jay! 🙂
This is a great fish taco recipe! It has more of a Mexican flavor than other fish tacos I’ve had. There is a lot to go into the taco and all the flavors mix nicely. Two tacos really filled me up. The fish alone is fantastic! I’ll cook the fish in its marinade again as a main dish with sides and not in tacos just for something different to have the fish more often. Whether you have this dish as tacos or cook the fish in its marinade again, it’s a fantastic recipe!
Thank you so much Louise! 🙂
This is a great fish taco recipe! It has more of a Mexican flavor than other fish tacos I’ve had. There is a lot to go into the taco and all the flavors mix nicely. Two tacos really filled me up. The fish alone is fantastic! I’ll cook the fish in its marinade again as a main dish with sides and not in tacos just for something different to have the fish more often. Whether you have this dish as tacos or cook the fish in its marinade again, it’s a fantastic recipe! I’d cook both ways for family or company.
Would this recipe blend well with shrimp instead of fish?
Absolutely! I also have a really awesome shrimp taco recipe as well you might want look at! https://www.chelseasmessyapron.com/shrimp-tacos/
This looks amazing! It will definitely be tried out in the next day or so!
Thanks so much Angela! 🙂 You’ll have to let me know what you think 🙂