• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to footer navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

RecipeTin Eats

Fast Prep, Big Flavours

Small book

My cookbook "Dinner" now available!

  • My RecipeTin
  • My cookbook!
  • Recipes
  • Recipes By Category
    • Cookbook recipes
    • Iconic + cult classics
    • Mains
      • Chicken
        • Chicken mince
      • Beef Recipes
        • Ground Beef (Mince)
      • Pork
      • Lamb
      • Turkey
      • Shrimp / Prawns
      • Salmon
      • Fish
      • Salad Meals
    • Quick and Easy
    • Soups
    • One Pot
    • Stews
    • Slow Cooker
    • Sides
      • All
      • Salads & veg
      • Show Off Salads
      • Rice (all)
      • Fried rice recipes
      • Rice (plain)
      • Potato
    • Pasta
      • All
      • Pasta bakes
      • Pasta salads
    • Sweet
      • Cakes
      • Cheesecakes
      • Cupcakes & Muffins
      • Cookies
      • Puddings & Cosy Desserts
      • Bite Size
      • Pies
      • Slices & Bars
      • Frosting & Icing
      • Ice cream
    • Cuisine
      • Asian
        • All
        • Stir fries
        • Noodles
        • Soups
        • Chinese
        • Japanese
        • Korean
        • Thai
        • Vietnamese
      • French
      • Greek
      • Indian
      • Italian
      • Mediterranean
      • Mexican
      • Middle Eastern
      • South American
    • Dietary
      • Gluten Free
      • Low Calorie
      • Vegetarian
    • Other Categories
      • BBQ
      • Breakfast
      • Burgers
      • Cocktails
      • Easter
      • Party Foods
      • Rice Recipes
      • Roasts
      • Sandwiches & Sliders
  • Collections
  • About
    • Me
    • RecipeTin Meals
    • Free Recipe Books
    • Contact
    • Nitty Gritty
      • Policy: Use of Recipes & Images
      • Privacy & Disclosure
Home Fish

Fish Tacos

By:Nagi
Published:15 Jan '20Updated:30 Mar '21
296 Comments
Recipe v Video v Dozer v

You don’t need to deep fry to make terrific Fish Tacos. You just need a really great marinade! A seriously delicious way to serve up white fish fillets, this recipe can be cooked on the BBQ or stove. Either way, they’re healthy, fresh and bursting with serious taco goodness!

Bonus: they happen to be HEALTHY 💪🏼

Close up of Fish Tacos on a plate, ready to be eaten

Fish Tacos

A bad fish taco is worse than a bad chicken taco.

And while most people would be turned off after multiple dismal experiences, I persevered, believing there to be better.

I mean, tacos. They have always been one of my favourite foods, ever since the first time I tried them.

And I’m thankful I didn’t give up. Because it just got better and better. Went to Mexico, tasted the real deal, then used that as my benchmark to make my own.

And now I’ve got The Fish Taco recipe. Well, at least, what I think is the BEST Fish Taco recipe. 🙂

What I like to do is load the fish with flavour with a chipotle lime marinade. You just know by looking at it that it’s gonna be good, right??!

Cooking marinated fish for Fish Tacos

Will you LOOK AT THAT!!! Tender and juicy on the inside, deep golden brown on the outside, flavoured all the way through with just a quick 20 minute marinade!!

Close up of two forks flaking fish for tacos

What to serve with Fish Tacos

Here’s what I serve with Fish Tacos:

  • The chipotle marinated fish;

  • “Pink Taco Sauce” – 2 ingredient, mildly spicy sour cream or yogurt sauce, goes very well with the fish;

  • Quick pickled cabbage; and

  • lime wedges and coriander/cilantro leaves.

Fish Tacos with sides and toppings - pickled cabbage and fish taco sauce

What you need for Fish Tacos

Here’s what you need to make fish tacos.

What goes in Fish Tacos

Any firm white fish fillets will work fine here, especially if they are fleshy.

My favourites are snapper and barramundi. They have “meaty” flesh which I particularly enjoy in tacos.

Other common fish that are ideal include: tilapia, basa, cod, John Dory and Silver Dory, ling, bream, haddock, pollack, monkfish.

I recommend avoiding:

  • really lean fish – like swordfish, tuna and kingfish

  • very delicate fish – like dover sole and flounder


Quick Pickled Cabbage for Tacos

I serve these tacos with a quick pickled cabbage. Pickling it makes the cabbage floppy so it kind of melds together better with the fish (raw cabbage would be too pokey and crunchy for tender fish), and the slight tang is a classic pairing with seafood.

Here’s what you need for the pickled cabbage:

Pickled cabbage for fish tacos

Don’t restrict yourself to using this pickled cabbage just for Fish Tacos! It will go with any type of tacos – chicken, old school beef tacos, shredded beef, beef barbacoa, or pork carnitas.


How to make it

I think I’ve pretty much talked through the making part, but here’s a visual anyway!

  • 20 minute fish marinade – no longer, because otherwise the lime juice in the marinade will “cook” the fish;

  • cook it, flake it;

  • quick taco sauce – sour cream and sriracha. I call it my Pink Taco Sauce;

  • pickle the cabbage – 20 minutes to become floppy (same as the fish marinating time, nice and convenient!);

  • stuff and devour.

How to make the BEST easy Fish Tacos

Close up of Fish Tacos, ready to be eaten

I typically cook Fish Tacos on the stove for midweek meals. But this is fantastic food for a barbecue with friends! It cooks so quickly so it doesn’t take you away from your guests and you can throw the tortillas onto the BBQ to warm up.

It also scales up easily, and you can lay everything out on the table and let everyone help themselves. Definitely my preferred method of entertaining!! – Nagi x


Watch how to make it

Hungry for more? Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for all of the latest updates.

Close up of Fish Tacos on a plate, ready to be eaten

Fish Tacos

Author: Nagi | RecipeTin Eats
Prep: 15 mins
Cook: 10 mins
Marinating & pickling: 20 mins
Total: 45 mins
Dinner
Mexican
4.91 from 93 votes
Servings4
Tap or hover to scale
Print
  • 324
Recipe video above. Fish marinated in classic Mexican fresh flavours, seared until golden, are perfect for tacos. The lightly pickled red cabbage is a perfect accompanied for the soft fish, a great texture contrast. A wonderful recipe for white fish fillets, you will NOT miss deep fried fish!

Ingredients

Fish Marinade

  • 1.2 lb / 600g firm white fish fillets (Note 1)
  • Zest of 1 lime
  • 3 tbsp lime juice
  • 1 tbsp chipotle powder (Note 2)
  • 1 tbsp canned jalapeno , finely chopped
  • 1/4 cup cilantro / coriander , finely chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves , minced
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • Salt and pepper

Quick Pickled cabbage

  • 4 cups red cabbage , finely shredded
  • 3 green onion stems , finely sliced on the diagonal
  • 2 tbsp red wine vinegar (or white wine vinegar, cider vinegar)
  • 1/2 tsp salt

Pink Taco Sauce

  • 3/4 cup sour cream (or yogurt)
  • 2 - 3 tbsp sriracha , adjust to taste (Note 3)

To Cook & Serve

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 12 small tortillas (corn or flour), warmed
  • lime wedges
  • coriander/cilantro leaves

Instructions

  • Marinade fish: Combine Fish Marinade ingredients in a ziplock bag. Set aside for 20 minutes to marinate - no longer than 1 hour.
  • Pickled Cabbage: Place Pickled Cabbage ingredients in a bowl. Toss to combine and set aside for 30 minutes. Drain excess liquid, scrunch cabbage with your hands (to help soften). Set aside.
  • Pink Sauce: Mix to combine.
  • Cook fish: Heat oil in a skillet over high heat. Cook fish for 2 minutes on each side, or until golden and cooked.
  • Remove fish onto plate then flake into large pieces.
  • To assemble tacos, top with cabbage then fish, a dollop of sour cream and a squeeze of lime juice. Fold tortilla over and enjoy!

Recipe Notes:

1. Fish - my favourites are snapper and barramundi. They have "meaty" flesh which I particularly enjoy in tacos. Other good fish include: tilapia, basa, cod, John Dory and Silver Dory, ling, bream, haddock, pollack, monkfish.
Recommend avoiding:
  • lean fish - like swordfish, tuna, kingfish (unless you can get fatty kingfish)
  • very delicate fish - like dover sole and flounder
2. Chipotle powder - can still be irritatingly difficult to find in Australia! Not sold in all major supermarkets (yet) but you can find it in fruit & veg stores (eg Harris Farms), delis and gourmet/speciality stores (e.g. Thomas Dux). It does not cost much more than ordinary spices. It can be ordered online from Firework Foods (Aus only).
If you can't track it down, I think the best substitute is ½ tbsp each SMOKED paprika, cumin and 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper.
3. Sriracha - Asian chilli sauce that's very common nowadays (sold alongside chilli sauces and in Asian section). Great "cheat" ingredient to quickly add flavour into things as it's made with more than just chilli. To reduce spiciness of sauce, sub with some (or all) ketchup instead.
4. Nutrition for 3 tacos (tortilla + fish + pickled cabbage), assumes 2 of the 3 tbsp of oil in the marinade is discarded.

Nutrition Information:

Serving: 309gCalories: 410cal (21%)Carbohydrates: 38.8g (13%)Protein: 28.3g (57%)Fat: 17.3g (27%)Saturated Fat: 2.9g (18%)Cholesterol: 61mg (20%)Sodium: 378mg (16%)Potassium: 278mg (8%)Fiber: 6.1g (25%)Sugar: 3g (3%)Vitamin A: 100IU (2%)Vitamin C: 41.3mg (50%)Calcium: 110mg (11%)Iron: 2.5mg (14%)
Keywords: fish tacos, healthy tacos, mexican fish, white fish fillets recipe
Did you make this recipe?I love hearing how you went with my recipes! Tag me on Instagram at @recipe_tin.

Originally published May 2016. Updated with new photos and video, and most importantly, new Life of Dozer section added!


Life of Dozer

Helping shop for new appliances!! Need an industrial strength washing machine that can cope with all this darn FUR.

Dozer the golden retriever buying washing machine

Previous Post
Pad Thai
Next Post
Truly Crispy Oven Baked Chicken Tenders

Hi, I'm Nagi!

I believe you can make great food with everyday ingredients even if you’re short on time and cost conscious. You just need to cook clever and get creative!

Read More

Free Recipe eBooks

Join my free email list to receive THREE free cookbooks!

Related Posts

Creamy fish on potato gratin fresh out of the oven

Creamy baked fish on potato gratin

Overhead photo of Kedgeree - English fish and rice

Kedgeree – English curried rice and fish

Canned tuna pasta in a bowl ready to be eaten

The most amazing canned tuna pasta

More Fish

Reader Interactions

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Cooked this? Rate this recipe!




296 Comments

  1. Pollie says

    March 29, 2018 at 7:59 am

    5 stars
    Superb! This is the Best fish tacos I have ever tasted. Your spices and condiments are always perfect.

    Reply
  2. TONI says

    February 3, 2018 at 11:13 am

    NAGI … JUST CAME ACROSS YOUR SITE & HAVE CHECKED OUT A COUPLE OF RECIPES (GREEK CHICKEN & LEMON RICE … AND THIS FISH TACO ONE). BOTH SOUND SO FLAVOURFUL & LOOK SO TEMPTING. A COMMENT ABOUT YOUR STYLE …. YOU ARE ONE OF THE ONLY RECIPE WRITERS TO INCLUDE PERTINENT INFO LIKE THE ACTUAL SIZE OF YOUR PAN OR YOUR TORTILLA !!! SIMPLE BUT SO HELPFUL. ALSO YOUR DESCRIPTIONS ARE DETAILED … AND YOUR NOTES ARE THE BEST. SO HAPPY I FOUND YOU !

    Reply
    • Marina says

      November 8, 2018 at 6:04 pm

      5 stars
      I agree. Nagi adds those extra all important details in her recipes which make all the difference. I love how authentic your recipes are. And these fish tacos are so delicious.

      Reply
  3. Tsquared says

    October 13, 2017 at 7:34 am

    5 stars
    I had some fish taco’s at a trendy restaurant last week in Nashville TN that was know for their “great” fish tacos. This recipe beat them hands down. I also used 8″ flour tortillas for a larger sized taco.

    I did a variation as I had some breaded cod fillets. I deep fried them 80% done and then split them lengthwise and rolled them through the marinade. I finished them off in a convection toaster oven for a crispy crust with the spicy tang of the marinade. I also used fresh Serrano pepper instead of canned Jalapeño (a little more kick). The Pickled Cabbage was the what brought it all together. Perfect balance.

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      October 15, 2017 at 6:16 pm

      Wow, you jazzed this up big time! So glad you enjoyed the marinade for this – N x

      Reply
  4. Asako says

    September 12, 2017 at 9:11 am

    5 stars
    ABSOLUTELY amazing!!!! I used cod because I couldn’t find snapper (sadly)! but it worked great. I also had some leftover red slaw and corn & black bean salsa which I used as a side 🙂

    I’ve made a couple of your recipes now and not disappointed… making pad kee mao with tofu and veggies tomorrow. SO excited! thanks!

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      September 12, 2017 at 9:57 pm

      That’s great to hear Asako! Thanks for leaving a review! N x

      Reply
      • Asako says

        March 10, 2019 at 5:32 pm

        5 stars
        UPDATE: Woolworths sells Chipotle powder now!!! 😀

        Reply
  5. Josephine B says

    August 24, 2017 at 12:59 pm

    4 stars
    Hi Nagi, I love the way you photograph your recipe, but also knowing that you’ve mentioned yourself that you’re height challenged I’m just visualizing you standing on a chair to get the right angle. LOL. Definitely going to try this one, maybe over the weekend.

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      August 25, 2017 at 7:21 pm

      Oh my GOSH you can’t imagine Josephine, I have a little ladder that is permanently near the table, I am up on it many times in one photo shoot!! 😂

      Reply
  6. Kathy Ross says

    April 29, 2017 at 9:51 pm

    Will apple cider vinegar or balsamic work for the cabbage

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      April 30, 2017 at 7:00 am

      Apple cider will be perfect!

      Reply
  7. Robert says

    February 20, 2017 at 2:28 am

    HI Nagi I’ve been wanting another fish taco recipe ( I have a fish taco obsession) and I’m so fixin to make these this week. One question though. When you say canned jalapenos do you mean pickled jalapenos like for nachos?

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      February 20, 2017 at 10:26 am

      Hi Robert! Yup the stuff that comes in jars or cans in liquid 🙂 Hope you enjoy this!

      Reply
      • Elizabeth Joy says

        December 13, 2018 at 10:24 pm

        Will the jalapenos in the marinade make the fish too spicy for toddlers? I’m not sure how much of a marinade transfers to meats… absolute beginner here.

        Reply
        • Nagi says

          December 14, 2018 at 1:39 pm

          You could always leave them out as well as the chipotle and put the jalapeños on top after you assemble the tacos (for people who want spice) ☺️

          Reply
  8. Angela W Broyles says

    January 31, 2017 at 11:30 am

    5 stars
    Nice recipe! We all enjoyed it!

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      January 31, 2017 at 1:04 pm

      Oh wow! I’m so happy that you tried and enjoyed this Angela, thanks so much for letting me know! N x

      Reply
  9. carol lundberg says

    October 29, 2016 at 11:02 pm

    Nagi, I just came upon your blog and printed off several recipes—can’t wait to try!
    Dozer is gorgeous…I am passionate about Goldens—I’ve had 5 rescues over the years.
    Thanks for sharing such delicious food items!

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      November 2, 2016 at 7:53 pm

      Oh wow, you’re such a wonderful person to be rescuing goldies! Can you believe – I tried to get a rescue but I was rejected!!! Honestly! They said my lifestyle didn’t suit and my fences were too low 🙁

      Reply
  10. Patsy says

    October 24, 2016 at 4:49 am

    Penzeys.com sells chipotle powder. I get all my spices from them, they are the best. I will try these soon. Unlike so many commenting here, I never had a fish taco I didn’t like & I’ve tried a lot.

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      October 25, 2016 at 7:42 pm

      I hope you do try this Patsy! And thanks for the tip! 🙂 N x

      Reply
  11. Jennie says

    October 1, 2016 at 6:32 pm

    I have a bunch of salmon in the freezer. Do you think the flavors would work with salmon? Thanks!

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      October 1, 2016 at 8:04 pm

      Definitely! I’ve made this with salmon and it is phenomenal!

      Reply
      • Jennie says

        October 2, 2016 at 12:31 am

        Thanks Nagi! This is on my “must try” list!

        Reply
  12. lizzie@mealpreprockstar says

    September 1, 2016 at 12:46 am

    5 stars
    Fantastic fish tacos Nagi! Love, love, love!

    I made it last week for my family and we all loved it.

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      September 2, 2016 at 6:44 pm

      I’m so glad you enjoyed these Lizzie! Thank you so much for coming back to let me know! N x

      Reply
  13. Disa says

    August 16, 2016 at 6:12 pm

    5 stars
    Thanks, I make home made wraps for my husband and I to take to work.Looking for inspiration and this looks yum yum. 🙂 ill let you know how the Philippine version goes. I’m English but Ill be using Asian ingredients.

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      August 17, 2016 at 10:44 pm

      Oooh! Keen to hear what you sub! 🙂

      Reply
  14. Victoria says

    August 5, 2016 at 5:46 am

    Can I make your pickled cabbage in advance and keep refrigerated in a mason jar?

    Reply
  15. Leah says

    June 18, 2016 at 2:41 pm

    5 stars
    These were fantastic. I’ve loved fish tacos since the first time I had them in Anchorage, Alaska, where they made them with halibut. I’ve been trying to find fish tacos that were as good as those Alaska tacos, and nothing has held a candle until now. I made these using halibut (as apparently that’s the best fish for fish tacos) and I added a chipotle-mayo sauce at the end. I also used chipotle adobe sauce in the marinade instead of chipotle spice (because I didn’t read there recipe carefully before shopping). In any case, they came out great! Thanks for the recipe. I’ll definitely make these again.

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      June 19, 2016 at 9:12 pm

      So glad Leah! Thank you for trying my recipe and for coming back to let me know you enjoyed it! N x PS LOVE the addition of chipotle mayo – YUM!

      Reply
  16. Mike in South Dakota says

    June 12, 2016 at 8:32 am

    4 stars
    There’s a portion of the population who equate eating food containing cilantro with having their mouth’s washed out with soap. It just has a soapy taste that is not pleasant at all … and my wife is one of those people who can’t stand it. Would parsley be a viable substitute, or would it be better to just forget about green leafy herbs?

    Reply
    • Disa says

      August 16, 2016 at 6:15 pm

      Interesting, my mum calls Cilantro,’ soap’ but I love it and cant see her problem with it! Thai basil is sometimes a good substitute but this isn’t my recipie so you’ll have to ask the boss.LOL

      Reply
    • Nagi says

      June 13, 2016 at 11:40 pm

      I read somewhere that it’s genetic! 🙂 Actually I think dried oregano would be a great substitute – still on theme with Mexican flavours!

      Reply
  17. Connie says

    May 30, 2016 at 11:59 am

    5 stars
    These tacos are excellent! I love the chipotle flavor. We added avocado and a peach mango salsa. Thanks for the great recipe!

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      June 3, 2016 at 1:47 pm

      Thanks for trying my recipe Connie! So glad you enjoyed it – and thank you for taking the time to come back and let me know! N x

      Reply
  18. Katie says

    May 25, 2016 at 3:38 am

    This looks fantastic. I have to make this tonight. I hope it goes good with cod!

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      May 25, 2016 at 9:48 pm

      Cod is perfect! I hope you enjoy it Katie! 🙂

      Reply
  19. Gloria | Food Oh Glorious Food says

    May 21, 2016 at 12:24 pm

    I must say I actually avoided reading this recipe for a few days, because I’ve had a really awful fish taco once, and have never wanted to try another. I’m kicking myself for resisting – your tacos look mouth-wateringly good. I think we’ll have to add these to the menu for next Saturday night.

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      May 21, 2016 at 2:31 pm

      OMG that is MY story too! I was almost turned off fish tacos for life because of a bad first experience!! That seems to be a common theme 🙂 Glad I persevered!

      Reply
  20. Sarah says

    May 21, 2016 at 6:11 am

    Hehehe I always overstuff my tacos too!

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      May 21, 2016 at 2:02 pm

      I just can’t contain myself!!! 🙂

      Reply
Newer Comments
Older Comments

Primary Sidebar

Hi, I'm Nagi!

I believe you can make great food with everyday ingredients even if you’re short on time and cost conscious. You just need to cook clever and get creative! Read More

Free Recipe eBooks

Join my free email list to receive THREE free cookbooks!

Meet Dozer

Official taste tester of RecipeTin Eats! Meet Dozer
As Featured On

What's for Dinner?

Close up of beef enchiladas in a baking dish, fresh out of the oven

Beef Enchiladas

Butter Chicken served over basmati rice in a bowl, ready to be served

Butter Chicken

Overhead photo of 2 black bowls with Chinese Chicken Salad with Asian Dressing, ready to be eaten

Chinese Chicken Salad

Salisbury Steak recipe in skillet.

Salisbury Steak with Mushroom Gravy

Vietnamese Coconut Caramel Chicken - 7 ingredient magic. The coconut fragrance is heavenly! recipetineats.com

Vietnamese Coconut Caramel Chicken

Fast prep. Big flavours!

Never miss a recipe

Back to Top
  • Related
  • RecipeTin Japan
  • Food Bloggers Center
  • Help
  • Contact Us
  • Image Use
  • Privacy Policy & Terms
Site Credits Maintained by Zao Designed by Melissa Rose Design Developed by Once Coupled © RecipeTin Eats 2023 · All Rights Reserved Back to Top