Master our fast and easy fish taco recipe topped with the best cilantro–lime slaw—grill, pan-sear, or bake in under 30 minutes! Vegan-adaptable, gluten-free, video.
Say hello to one of our favorite healthy weeknight meals! With over 100 5-star reviews, this fish taco recipe is a tried-and-true favorite among our readers. It’s also a personal favorite- we cook these healthy fish tacos at least once a week! They are incredibly easy to make! Flavorful, light, and healthy, topped with the best fish taco slaw!
What our readers ARE SAYING
One reader Paula says: “WOW, this is fish taco recipe is fantastic! I followed the recipe exactly, and served it with the slaw and your chipotle mayo. Best fish taco I’ve ever had. Sylvia, your blog is quickly becoming my go-to for great recipes – thank you!! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️“
Robert says: If I could give these fish tacos 10 stars I would. The are fantastic. They seem too easy to have so much flavor, don’t let this fool you. The chipotle aioli is a must!⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The white fish is perfectly seasoned with a blend of Mexican spices, and depending on the season, these can be grilled, baked in the oven, or quickly pan-seared on the stovetop. Paired with the tangy Cilantro Lime Slaw and optional Fish Taco Sauce (Chipotle Mayo the combination is out of this world! I seriously could eat this every day!
One common problem with fish tacos is that they often lack flavor and are either dry or overcooked. We will show you how to avoid that with my best chef’s tips!
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Fish Tacos Recipe
- The slaw! The fish taco slaw is incredibly flavorful and can be made ahead, keeping for 3-4 days in the fridge.
- Fresh, healthy and Easy! This easy, healthy weeknight dinner comes together quickly and is packed with nutritious ingredients!
- Seasonally Adaptable. Cook the fish on the grill, on the stovetop, or bake it in the oven.
- Vegan-Adaptable! Make them vegan using TOFU – perfect for mixed households where both vegans and non-vegans live in the same house!
Fish Taco Ingredients
- White Fish Fillets: tilapia, mahi-mahi, red snapper, black cod, cod, seabass, or even shrimp. Or sub Tofu!
- Spice Rub: chili powder, cumin, coriander, garlic powder, chipotle powder, (or smoked paprika and cayenne pepper) salt and a little sugar
- Fish Taco Slaw Ingredients: Cabbage, lime, cilantro, fresh jalapeno, salt ( we leave out the mayonnaise here!)
- Tortillas: Fish tacos are typically made with flour tortillas, but a blend of flour and corn work well too. We love our homemade tortillas!
- Best Fish Taco Sauce: This Chipotle Mayo is our favorite with fish tacos. Or for something different, try Peruvian Green Sauce (Aji Verde), Vegan Cilantro Crema, Fermented Hot Sauce,
- Optional Fish Taco Toppings: Avocado, Cotija Cheese, guacamole, lime crema, sour cream, cilantro, lime, pickled red onions
Types of fish to use in Fish tacos
When making fish tacos, you can use a variety of fish that have mild flavors and flaky textures. Here are some popular types of fish to consider:
- Tilapia: Tilapia is a widely available and affordable option for fish tacos. It has a mild taste and cooks quickly.
- Mahi Mahi: Also known as dorado, it has a firm texture and a slightly sweet flavor. It holds up well on the grill or in the oven.
- Red Snapper: Red snapper has a slightly nutty flavor and a medium-firm texture. It can be grilled, pan-seared, or baked for fish tacos.
- Wild Cod: Cod is a popular choice for fish tacos due to its delicate flavor and flaky texture. It can be easily grilled, baked, or pan-fried.
- Sea Bass: Sea bass has a rich and buttery taste with a firm texture. It works well for grilling or baking in fish tacos.
- Black Cod: Black cod, also known as sablefish, has a rich and velvety texture with a mild and buttery flavor. It can be cooked in various ways, including grilling and baking.
Remember, you can always experiment with different types of fish based on your preference and availability. Enjoy your fish tacos!
How to Make the Best Fish Tacos
Step 1: Season the fish fillets. Stir together the Mexican spices and season the fish generously on both sides.
Chef’s Seasoning Tip: We add a pinch of sugar to the spice blend for a reason here! The pinch of sugar in the spice blend helps caramelize the fish quickly, giving it a beautiful, golden crust, without overcooking the fish, and drying it out. (Of course, this is optional).
Step 2: Make the Fish Taco Slaw. Either chop the cabbage (or buy pre-chopped cabbage)and place it in a medium bowl. Add onion, cilantro, jalapeño, salt, and fresh lime juice and toss well. Adjust salt and lime to taste, getting the right flavor balance. Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
Chef’s Best Slaw Tips: The fish taco slaw will last up to 3 days in the refrigerator, so I sometimes make a double batch for other meals. You can also make this slaw ahead- it keeps well! Boost nutrition and crunch by adding veggies like carrots, radish, kohlrabi, or jicama!
Step 3: Cook the fish. Grill the fish (my favorite), pan-sear it on the stovetop in a cast iron skillet, or bake it in the oven (spray it with olive oil first). When done ( it doesn’t take long!), squeeze the fish with lime juice. Grilling it gets that slight char, mirroring authentic Mexican tacos.
Step 4: Warm the tortillas. If you are grilling the fish, then grill the tortillas on the grill or the stovetop. Tip: The tortillas are done when they start to bubble. Wrap the warmed tortillas in a kitchen towel to keep them soft and pliable.
Step 5: Assemble the Fish tacos. Place the seasoned fish in the warm tortilla, top it with the crunchy, cool taco slaw, drizzle with our Chipotle Mayo, and add avocado and cilantro. Serve with lime!
Storing Fish Tacos
Leftovers will keep up to 3 days in separate airtight containers in the refrigerator. Leftovers can be repurposed into lunch or dinner the next day by creating a healthy bowl with rice or black beans, and top it with the leftover fish (or tofu) and the Cilantro Lime Cabbage Slaw, which tastes even better the next day!
Best Fish Tacos Toppings
Keep it simple or create a taco bar! Our favorite toppings include:
- Fish Taco Slaw ( of course!) Or try this shrimp taco creamy slaw recipe.
- Pickled red onions add a tangy, bright component that enlivens the tacos!
- Avocado slices – add a creamy richness, without dairy!
- Lime wedges– add acidity, and brightness.
- Cotija cheese adds richness and savory depth.
- Chipotle Mayo – for a creamy smoky component- this can also be made vegan!
- Hot sauce – for extra heat!
- Fresh cilantro– for flavor and pop of color!
What to Serve with this Fish Tacos Recipe
Fish tacos are a meal unto themselves but if creating a Mexican Feast, we suggest picking a few side dishes from the list below.
More Mexican Favorites!
I love how flavorful and straightforward these fish tacos are while staying clean and lean. Enjoy the tacos, and please leave your comments and rating below!
If you enjoy this recipe, then you’ll love our Shrimp Tacos, Tuna Tostadas! Be sure to check out our Lobster Rolls, too!
Watch How to Make Fish Tacos
Best Fish Tacos Recipe
- Prep Time: 20
- Cook Time: 10
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 8-12 tacos
- Category: main, vegan, fish, tofu
- Method: stovetop, grill, baked
- Cuisine: mexican
Description
Our go-to Fish Taco recipe with the best fish taco slaw. Cook on the grill, stove top or oven! Vegan & gluten-free adaptable- sub tofu for the fish! A fast, easy and healthy dinner that comes together in under 30 minutes.
Ingredients
- 1 lb white fish (tilapia, mahi-mahi, red snapper, halibut, black cod, grouper, flounder) or 1 pound extra firm tofu
- 8-12 x 5-inch flour tortillas (or a blend of flour and corn)
Spice Rub:
- 1 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon coriander
- 1 teaspoon granulated garlic
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar (optional)
- 1/4 teaspoon chipotle powder (or sub cayenne and a little smoked paprika)
- for more smoky flavor, add 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika (optional)
Cilantro Lime Cabbage Slaw:
- 12 ounces shredded cabbage (green and purple is nice) about 6 cups
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, more to taste
- 1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion, more to taste
- 1/2 cup chopped cilantro (packed), 1/2 of a large bunch
- 1/4 -1/2 of a jalapeño, finely chopped, more to taste
- 1/4 cup fresh lime juice, more to taste
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
Sauce options:
- Chipotle Mayo- our favorite!
- Peruvian Green Sauce (Aji Verde) Vegan-Adaptable,
- Vegan Cilantro Crema,
- Avocado Sauce (Vegan!),
- Fermented Hot Sauce
Garnishes: Lime wedges, Avocado slices, Cotija Cheese, Cilantro
Instructions
- Preheat the grill to medium-high heat or preheat the oven to 400F.
- Prep the fish: Pat dry the fish. (See notes for tofu) In a small bowl make the spice rub- stirring the spices and salt together. Sprinkle all sides of the fish lightly with the spice rub (you most likely will not need all). Set aside.
- Make the Cilantro Lime Slaw: Place the shredded cabbage in a medium bowl. Toss with the salt. Add the onions, cilantro, jalapeño, lime juice, olive oil and toss well. Adjust lime, salt, and jalapeño, adding more to taste– you want this to taste tangy and flavorful.
- Make optional Fish Taco Sauce: Make any accompanying sauce. Chipotle Mayo is nice here- feel free to do this ahead. Or sub avocado.
- Cook the Fish: Grill Grease the grill well before placing fish on it. Turn heat to medium. Grill each side for a few minutes, letting grill marks develop and use a metal spatula to flip. Cook until the desired doneness (center is flaky, opaque, roughly 140F) and squeeze with a little lime juice. OR BAKE: place fish on a parchment-lined sheet pan, bake 6 minutes then flip. Continue baking until cooked through- time will depend on thickness (another 4-6 minutes). Fish is done when opaque in the middle, flakey, and registers 140F in the center. Squeeze with lime juice. Pan-sear: Heat 1-2 tablespoons olive oil in a skillet or grill pan over medium-high heat. Carefully add fish, and sear until golden, 3-4 minutes, flip, lower heat to medium, continue cooking until cooked through- until center is flakey, opaque. Timing will depend on the thickness of the fish. Squeeze with lime.
- Heat the tortillas– either quickly grill the tortillas on the grill, in the oven directly on the oven rack, or directly over a gas flame (on the stovetop).
- Assemble Tacos: Place fish in the warm tortillas, top with cabbage slaw and any garnishes. Drizzle with the optional (but delicious) Chipotle Mayo if you like.
- Serve immediately!
Notes
TIP: To make this recipe a little faster, buy pre-shredded cabbage, and make the spice rub ahead, and any sauces you plan to use, ahead.
TOFU: If using tofu, place a block of firm tofu on paper towels and press down gently to release more liquid, patting dry. Cut into 1-inch thick, 3-inch long strips for easier grilling. Coat strips lightly with spice rub, grill on a well-greased grill, or pan-sear the tofu, in a skillet with olive oil until crispy, or bake the tofu (spray the seasoned tofu with olive oil spray before baking) until golden crispy, approx 30 mins.
The Cilantro Lime Cabbage Slaw is enough for 2 pounds of fish ( feel free to halve) but I like to make a big batch and keep the leftovers – and use it on everything (bowls, sandwiches, wraps, side salad…) during the week. If your slaw tastes bland- add more lime and salt. 😉
Left-over fish will keep up to 3 days in the fridge. Great in bowls, wraps, etc.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 tacos (without sauce)
- Calories: 233
- Sugar: 2.1 g
- Sodium: 163.2 mg
- Fat: 7.2 g
- Saturated Fat: 1.2 g
- Carbohydrates: 29.2 g
- Fiber: 3.9 g
- Protein: 15.5 g
- Cholesterol: 29.2 mg
Faqs
Most mild-flavored white-fleshed fish work best in fish tacos. Our favorites include: Tilapia, mahi mahi, red snapper, wild cold, black cod, sea bass, halibut, grouper, and flounder.
Serve fish tacos with fish taco slaw, chipotle mayo or lime crema, Mexican rice and beans.
Fish tacos are typically served with flour tortillas, but using a blend of flour and corn tortillas work well too!
Fish tacos are typically topped with a fish taco slaw made with fresh cabbage, cilantro and lime, and a creamy fish taco sauce.
Yes! Use the same rub on strips of tofu and pan-sear!
Very easy and fresh,I added radishes and fresh pineapple (peach/mango would also work) with a good sprinking of tajin for a salty/sour/spicy/sweet and juicy kick and it was perfect. Didn’t have mayo but I made a quick sauce with smashed garlic/lime juice/olive oil into greek yogurt with some salt & pepper.
The slaw really needs to be adjusted to taste (with salt, jalapeno and lime) to be optimal here. 🙂
I made this with sea bass that I was afraid wasn’t up to normal prep after having had to freeze. The flavor was amazing! Between the top grade fish, delicious rub and then the slaw, nothing else was needed! I was concerned because I didn’t have mayo to make a sauce but I am glad because the flavors were so fresh as it is. No cheese either (one of those nights!). The only sides were warmed tortillas and a can of chili beans. So glad my pantry was lacking so I didn’t muddy up any of the delicious fresh flavors of this recipe. Definitely will make again (even without the sea bass!).
So happy you enjoyed this!
An absolute in our family. Fresh, tasteful and healthy! A 5 stars
Great to hear Lou!
delicious and easy to make, thank you!
Thanks Eva 🙂
So easy. Made these tacos for my family visiting this summer.
Nice Nicole, glad you enjoyed!
Just made this for ‘Taco Tuesday’ and it was delicious as all your recipes are Sylvia. Even my fish fussy teens had a go! It will become a staple in our house over the summer. Thankyou for sharing such tasty, healthy recipes.
Great to hear Angela!
This was a delicious recipe. My only criticism is that this took me 1 hr to make. I’m not sure if you used a food processor and your a professional chef, but frim someone whose been cooking 40 years this was time consuming but well worth it. I just wish the time allocation was more accurate.
Hey Lisa- there are little short cuts you can take to make this faster. I will add to the recipe notes. 🙂
I can’t do gluten, so I just threw the fish on top of a huge helping of the slaw and drizzled the suggested mayo on top. Amazing! I regretted having to share the rest with my family, lol.
Haha, sounds yummy Krista.
These are my husband’s and my favorite fish tacos! We’ve been following this recipe for a few years now and we still keep them in our favorite routine recipes! So easy, quick, and DELICIOUS!
Thanks Katy, great to hear!
Made these along with your Chipotle mayo recipe, and they were DELICIOUS!!! Thanks for the great recipe!
Great to hear!
Sylvia, I’ve made enough of your recipes to trust the seasonings absolutely. These fish tacos, cabbage slaw, and chipotle mayo were outstanding. So flavorful.
Thanks so much!
~K
Thanksk Kathy! Glad you enjoyed this!
Does this really only make 4 tacos? We have a family of 5 and I imagine each person would want to eat 2 tacos, but I’m not sure if I need to double the recipe or not!
Hi Jason- no, it serves 4 people (2 tacos each). I see your confusion and updated the recipe car to make it more clear1
WOW, this is fantastic! I followed the recipe exactly, grilled the fish, and served it with the slaw and your chipotle mayo. Best fish taco I’ve ever had. Sylvia, your blog is quickly becoming my go-to for great recipes – thank you!!
So happy to hear this Paula! We are so glad you found us!
Made these tacos tonight….SOOOOOO YUMMY! I’ve tried so many recipes from you now, and all have been SUPER yummy. I’m so glad I stumbled across your page last year. Thank you ❤️.
So happy you enjoyed this!
I normally don’t enjoy cabbage, but this recipe looked so good, I decided to make it. And am I happy I did! This was over-the-top delicious! Thank you so much Sylvia! I’ve made several of your recipes and each one has been a star. Your food blog is my favorite!!
Awesome Laura!
Supremely delicious! So much flavour for so little effort.
Thank you thank you 🙏 thank you!
Aww…so happy you enjoyed Beverly!
MUCHAS GRACIAS! Delicious ingredients definitely will lead to delicious tacos! Can’t wait to make them.
Awesome and great to hear!
OMG! These fish tacos are the top request from my grown adult children and husband at every family gathering. So easy to make and taste amazing.
Awesome and great to hear!
I used flounder and corn tortillas pan seared in avocado oil. The slaw should be made the day prior, or cook the fish and reheat it, i thought it better reheated with fresh tortillas
thanks Jeff!
Mmmmmm! So easy anddd sooo tasty, thank you!!
thanks so much Liz- glad you enjoyed!
Hi Sylvia, I love all your recipes and I would love them even more if each one gives gluten free options as I am gluten free.
Warm regards,
Diane
Hi Diane- we will try to be more vigilant about this. We usually do, but sometimes forget.
These were delicious! I used tilapia and served with Peruvian green sauce made with vegan mayo.
Nice Melissa! Thanks for sharing.
Do you think you could sub shredded brussel sprouts for the slaw?
Yes,Katie,I think that should work ok! Finely slice them, maybe massage them with a little olive oil and salt first to soften?
You think I could add mango to this slaw?
I still have a mango in my fridge which must be eaten. Other option is to make the shrimp taco recipe. What do you suggest?
Yes, Louise, I think that would work well here!
I knew I was going to be making these on a busy night so I prepped the cabbage slaw the night before. As a result, these came together so quickly that they were faster than takeout (and WAY more delicious!)
Awesome Carla!