This juicy, easy fish tacos recipe is a quick seafood dinner ready in just 20 minutes! Loaded with tender, seasoned white fish, crunchy purple cabbage, fresh avocado and our creamy chipotle fish taco sauce, they’re perfect for any Taco Tuesday.
Why You Will Love This Easy Fish Tacos Recipe
If you’re anything like me, you love a quick and delicious dinner that doesn’t skimp on flavor. Let me tell you, this juicy, easy fish tacos recipe is an absolute game-changer.
- Refreshing Flavor: The combination of flaky, well-seasoned white fish, creamy cilantro-chipotle sauce, and a ton of fresh toppings creates an explosion of flavors in every bite! I love serving these tacos all summer long as they are the perfect light dinner on a hot day.
- Quick and Easy: Dinner will be ready in exactly 20 minutes with very minimal prep needed. Just season and pan-fry the fish and wrap it up in warm tortillas with all your favorite toppings!
- Restaurant-Quality at Home: Enjoy the taste of restaurant-quality fish tacos without the cost or hassle of dining out. If you’re hosting a party, set up a taco bar with various toppings allows guests to build their own tacos!
Looking for more taco ideas? Try my recipe for my favorite quick shrimp tacos, easy crockpot chicken tacos, or these hand-held walking tacos perfect for a party!
What You’ll Need
Cumin and cayenne pepper add smokiness and heat to every bite. Scroll down to the recipe card for exact amounts.
- White Fish: Make sure it’s boneless and skinless. See below for notes on what kind of fish is best to use!
- Fish Taco Seasoning: I make my own seasoning blend with garlic powder (or onion powder), smoked paprika, ground cumin, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper.
- Corn Tortillas: For fish tacos, I much prefer to use corn tortillas over flour tortillas.
- Butter: Reduce the salt in the rest of the recipe if you use salted butter.
- Olive Oil: You can also use avocado, vegetable, corn, or canola oil.
The Best Fish For Fish Tacos
Cod, flounder, grouper, sea bass, mahi-mahi, and tilapia are the best kinds of white fish for making fish tacos. They have a slightly firm meat, making them ideal for pan-frying without the filets falling apart.
How To Make Fish Tacos
Remember to set a timer on your phone to remind you to flip the fish over. There is almost nothing worse than overcooked, dry fish! Scroll to the recipe card at bottom of the post for full detailed instructions.
- Season the Fish: Combine the spices, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Season the fish fillets on both sides with the fish taco seasoning mixture.
- Heat the Tortillas: Cook corn tortillas in a skillet, on each side, until warm and starting to blister. Wrap them in foil to keep warm.
- Cook the Fish: Add oil and butter to a skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the fish on each side, for about 2 to 3 minutes, until golden brown and cooked through.
- Assemble the Tacos: Fill each warm tortilla with flaky fish and add all your favorite toppings. Enjoy immediately!
Cook’s Tips & Variations
- Use Shrimp: Skip the fish and use my Cajun Shrimp, grilled shrimp, or garlic butter shrimp to make your tacos.
- Change the Seasonings: If you are in a rush, you can also use taco seasoning, Cajun seasoning or blackening seasoning instead of making your own fish taco seasoning mix.
- Microwave the Tortillas: The microwave is one of my favorite hacks for when I don’t feel like heating the tortillas one by one. Wrap all the tortillas in a damp kitchen towel and microwave them in 15-second increments until warm and bendy.
- Crispy Tacos: Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat and add the tacos (without toppings). Pan-fry the corn tortillas until golden and crispy on both sides. Remove them from the heat and set them on a paper towel-lined plate to drain excess oil.
Best Fish Taco Topping Ideas
Set them out in bowls, taco bar style, so everyone can add their favorite toppings. For something a bit more filling, add a bowl of cilantro lime rice and beans on the side.
- Fish Taco Sauce: It is creamy with chipotle for a bit of heat and cilantro for an herby balance. I also love topping them with this cilantro lime crema! If you are in a rush, you can also use sour cream or Mexican Crema.
- Cilantro: Finely chop it and remove any large stems.
- Cheese: I prefer crumbled cotija or queso fresco.
- Cabbage: Go for green, purple or red cabbage.
- Pico de Gallo: Try my version or make your own! I also like to set out bowls of this fresh corn salsa or fruity mango salsa for even more flavor.
- Avocado: It can be sliced, chopped, or mashed into guacamole.
- Radishes: Slice fresh red radishes are best.
- Lime Wedges: Feel free to use lemons instead.
Yield: 8 tacos
Easy Fish Tacos Recipe
This juicy, easy fish tacos recipe is loaded with flaky, seasoned white fish and a creamy chipotle fish taco sauce. Ready in just 20 minutes, they’re perfect for any Taco Tuesday!
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds white fish, such as cod, flounder, grouper, sea bass, mahi-mahi etc
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon crushed black pepper
- Corn tortillas
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Optional Toppings
- Fish taco sauce, or cilantro lime crema
- Cilantro
- Crumbled Cotija cheese, or queso fresco
- Shredded purple cabbage
- Pico de Gallo
- Avocado
- Sliced radishes
- Lime wedges
Instructions
- Rinse the fish and use a paper towel to pat the fish dry. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, combine the garlic powder, paprika, cumin, cayenne, salt and pepper. Season both sides of the fish with the seasoning mixture.
- If you are heating the tortillas on the stove do that now. Use a large skillet over medium/high heat (no oil needed) place a tortilla on the skillet and cook on each side 30 to 40 seconds. To keep the tortillas warm, wrap them in foil. (You can also preheat the oven to 300°F and place the wrapped tortillas in the oven to really keep them warm.)
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat the oil and butter together. Once the oil is hot, carefully place the fish in the skillet. Cook on each side for 3 to 5 minutes, until an internal temperature on a meat thermometer reaches 145°F. Do not overcrowd the skillet, cook in batches if needed. (Cook time will depend on how thick the cut of fish is. Thin pieces will cook very quickly.)
- Serve cooked fish in warmed tortillas with all your desired toppings! We like to use 2 corn tortillas for each taco, 2 tortillas is easier to handle and they don’t fall apart as easily.
Notes
Store: It’s best to store the tortillas, fish, and toppings separately! Store the fish and toppings separately, in airtight containers for up to 3 days in the fridge.
Reheat: Microwave the fish for 30 seconds at a time. For the best crispy results, I like to reheat it in the air fryer at 350°F for about 2 minutes. Add the hot fish to freshly heated tortillas and assemble the tacos as usual.
Change the Seasonings: If you are in a rush, you can also use taco seasoning, Cajun seasoning or blackening seasoning instead of making your own fish taco seasoning mix.
Microwave the Tortillas: The microwave is one of my favorite hacks for when I don’t feel like heating the tortillas one by one. Wrap all the tortillas in a damp kitchen towel and microwave them in 15-second increments until warm and bendy.
Crispy Tacos: Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat and add the tacos (without toppings). Pan-fry the corn tortillas until golden and crispy on both sides. Remove them from the heat and set them on a paper towel-lined plate to drain excess oil.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 taco, Calories: 182kcal, Carbohydrates: 12g, Protein: 19g, Fat: 7g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 3g, Trans Fat: 0.1g, Cholesterol: 50mg, Sodium: 225mg, Potassium: 323mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 0.3g, Vitamin A: 266IU, Vitamin C: 0.1mg, Calcium: 34mg, Iron: 1mg
