Easy Fish Tacos
These Fish Tacos are the best! Easy to make, fresh, and flavorful with seasoned white fish, crunchy cabbage, avocado and the best creamy fish taco sauce! This fish taco recipe takes less than 30 minutes to make, so it’s perfect for a weeknight.
We just can’t get enough of these fish tacos! They’re so simple to put together and the flavors are truly delightful. Tender seasoned fish, crunchy cabbage and buttery avocado are wrapped in tortillas and drizzled with cool, creamy fish taco sauce. This is a meal that is sure to go into regular rotation in your house!
Many fish taco recipes seem overly complicated and too much to handle on a busy night. My goal with this recipe was to keep it simple without sacrificing any flavor. You won’t have to make a slaw for the fish tacos – crunchy cabbage stands on its own as a satisfying fish taco slaw, especially combined with the fish taco sauce. The sauce comes together in minutes with just a few simple ingredients. And a few pantry seasonings bring spicy, smoky flavor to mild white fish.
These homemade fish tacos are completely crave-worthy. This is the perfect recipe for a midweek taco night!
Ingredients
The ingredients for this recipe are in three parts:
- Fish and Seasonings: The best fish for fish tacos is any type of mild, white fish. Cod, halibut, tilapia, and mahi mahi are all good options. The fish is seasoned with chili powder, smoked paprika, garlic powder and salt. This simple blend of seasonings gives the fish the best flavor! It’s slightly spicy and smoky thanks to the smoked paprika. You can use regular paprika if you want a milder flavor. For extra spice on the fish, add 1/8 teaspoon of cayenne pepper to the seasoning mix. You’ll also need olive oil for cooking.
- Fish Taco Sauce Ingredients: The sauce is made with plain Greek yogurt, lime juice, garlic powder, sriracha and salt. The Greek yogurt keeps the sauce light, healthy and tangy. You can make the sauce with mayonnaise and sour cream if you prefer.
- Toppings & Tortillas: Red cabbage, avocado, cilantro and fresh lime juice balance out the flavors and textures in this easy fish taco recipe. I prefer corn tortillas for the tacos, but you can also use flour tortillas.
How to Make Fish Tacos
There are three easy steps to making the fish tacos: prepare the fish, mix up the sauce, and prep the taco toppings. Here’s a quick overview of the recipe. You’ll find the full recipe with ingredient amounts and instructions below.
You’ll start by preparing the fish. Pat it dry with paper towels. Mix the seasonings together and sprinkle them over both sides of the fish. Gently pat the seasonings onto the fish to help them stick.
Cook the fish in olive oil in a nonstick skillet, cast iron skillet or grill pan. It will take 4 to 7 minutes per side to cook through. The fish is done when it registers 145° F on an instant read thermometer.
Fish Taco Sauce
While the fish cooks, make the sauce. In a bowl whisk together all of the sauce ingredients until well blended. Taste and adjust the amount of sriracha to make the sauce spicier if desired. If the sauce is too thick you can whisk in water, a teaspoon at a time, until you reach your desired consistency.
Note: If you like a lot of sauce, you’ll want to double the fish taco sauce ingredient amounts.
Fish Taco Toppings
Finally, gather your toppings. Thinly slice the cabbage. I find that fresh cabbage adds the best crunch but you can can use packaged coleslaw mix if you’re really short on time. Slice an avocado and chop some fresh cilantro. Cut a lime into wedges for squeezing over the fish in the tacos.
These tacos are especially delicious when you warm and slightly crisp the tortillas before filling them. To do this, place the tortillas in a hot skillet on the stove, one at a time. Cook briefly on each side, until warm and crisped slightly. Alternatively, you can warm the tortillas all at once in the microwave.
What to Serve with Fish Tacos
Between the fish, Greek yogurt-based sauce, avocado and tortillas, these fish tacos are a filling entrée, so you won’t need many side dishes for your meal. Here are a few ideas for what goes well with fish tacos.
- Guacamole or Salsa and tortilla chips
- Instant Pot Black Beans or Instant Pot Pinto Beans
- Green Salad
- Spanish Rice
More Taco Recipes
This fish taco recipe is one of our very favorite taco recipes. Here are a few more of our best taco recipes that you might enjoy:
- Ground Beef Tacos
- Crockpot Chicken Tacos
- Instant Pot Chicken Tacos
- Instant Pot Taco Meat
- Lentil Tacos
Fish Tacos
Ingredients
Fish
- 1 ½ pounds cod, halibut, tilapia or mahi mahi (or other mild white fish)
- 1 ½ teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika (or sweet paprika)
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Fish Taco Sauce*
- ½ cup plain Greek yogurt (or 5 tablespoons sour cream plus 3 tablespoons mayonnaise)
- 1 ½ tablespoons lime juice (from 1 lime)
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼-½ teaspoon sriracha sauce* (or to taste)
- pinch of salt
- water (as needed to thin sauce)
For Serving
- 8 small corn or flour tortillas
- ½ small red cabbage* (shredded)
- 1 avocado (sliced)
- ¼ cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
- 1 lime (cut into wedges)
Instructions
Prepare the Fish
- Pat the fish dry with paper towels. Combine the chili powder, smoked paprika, garlic powder and salt in a small bowl. Sprinkle the seasoning over both sides of the fish and gently pat the seasoning onto the fish.
- Heat the olive oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the fish to the pan and cook until the internal temperature reaches 145° F, about 4-7 minutes per side. Turn off the heat.
Make the Fish Taco Sauce
- Meanwhile, in a bowl, whisk together the plain Greek yogurt, lime juice, garlic powder, sriracha and salt. If the sauce is too thick you can thin it with a little water, a teaspoon at a time, until it reaches your desired consistency. Set aside.
Warm the Tortillas
- (Optional) Warm and slightly crisp the tortillas, one at a time, in a hot skillet on the stove. Alternatively, you can warm the tortillas all at once in the microwave.
Assemble Tacos
- To serve, fill each tortilla with shredded cabbage, cooked fish, avocado slices, fish taco sauce and chopped cilantro. Serve with lime wedges.
Notes
- To make the seasoning on the fish spicy, add 1/8 teaspoon of cayenne pepper.
- If you like a lot of sauce, you'll want to double the fish taco sauce ingredient amounts.
- If you can't find sriracha sauce, you can use 1 teaspoon of adobo sauce from canned chipotle in adobo, or to taste.
- Packaged coleslaw mix may be used in place of the fresh shredded cabbage, if desired.
Nutrition
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