These Fish Tacos are light, colourful, packed full of flavour and just enough spice to get your taste buds tingling. Deliciously crispy fish, a fresh and crunchy zesty slaw and the BEST taco sauce to just finish everything off. These easy tacos are on the table in just 20 minutes and one our our favourite ways to cook with fish.
These are one of our favourite tacos to make because they are just so light and fresh. So many fresh and zesty flavours going on and you will just want to load them up with this crunchy slaw and possibly the best taco sauce ever. A creamy smoky chipotle sauce that you will want to put on everything!
They say you eat with your eyes first and these bright and vibrant tacos certainly are a feast for the eyes, and mouth. If you are trying to eat more fish, then this is a great place to start and makes a nice change from meaty tacos. Looking to eat more white fish? Why not try our Cod Curry or Mediterranean Cod Bake.
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Ingredients needed
- Cod - We used boneless and skinless cod fillets for this recipe. You could use frozen too (and defrosted), which sometimes work out cheaper.
- Herbs and spices - You can use a store bought Mexican seasoning, or you can follow our easy recipe for Mexican Seasoning.
- Flour - This is important as it goes on the cod first and gives the egg something to cling to. We just used plain flour.
- Egg - This gives the breadcrumbs something to stick to, otherwise they would just come right off.
- Bread - This is blended up to make breadcrumbs. You could use store bought breadcrumbs if you prefer.
- Chipotle en adobo - This is where all the flavour of the sauce comes from. You can either blend up your own chipotle chillies or use chipotle paste.
- Sour cream and Yogurt - You can use reduced fat if you wanted to save some calories, but the full fat versions have the most flavour.
- Lime - This adds a nice freshness to the sauce.
- Tortillas, slaw, cheese and lettuce - Optional toppings
A full ingredients list with measurements is in the recipe card below.
How to make fish tacos - Step by step
One: Mix the fish seasoning together with the bread crumbs in a bowl. Put the egg in another bowl and the flour in a third bowl.
Two: Dip each fish piece in the flour, then the egg and then the breadcrumbs.
Three: Put on a baking tray and bake for 20 minutes, until cooked through and crispy.
Four: Mix the ingredients for the sauce together.
Five: Assemble the tacos with shredded lettuce, Mexican slaw, fish, sauce and feta.
Why should you try it?
- Easily adapted - You can adjust the seasoning for this to be more or less spicy.
- Can be prepped ahead of time - You can bread the cod and make all the toppings ahead of time and then just cook the fish and assemble when you are ready to eat.
- Low in calories - There are just 313 calories a portion and these fish taco are really filling too.
- Easy to batch cook to feed a crowd - You can easily double or triple this recipe, making it perfect for when you have people over.
Health benefits of cod
Cod is a great source of protein and it is also low in fat. If you are looking to add more fish to your diet, then this is an easy one to start with, as it doesn't have a really strong flavour and it is easy to cook.
Because it is low in fat, it's a great choice for those looking to reduce their fat intake and improve their heart health. Although cod doesn't have as much Omega-3s as fatty fish like salmon, it still has lots of nutritional benefits. For example, it is a good source of B vitamins, which are good for metabolising nutrients and releasing energy from food. Cod is also low in mercury, compared to other fish like tuna.
What to serve with Fish Tacos
Tacos are really all about the toppings and we have tried to fit as many as we can in these. Once you have your crispy fish as a base, then it is time to go wild with the toppings. The creamy sauce is a must, but then we add piles of Easy Mexican Coleslaw. It has the usual coleslaw base of cabbage, carrot and onion, but then some Greek yoghurt, loads of lime and some coriander (cilantro) and lots of Mexican seasoning.
You can then add some avocado (a Mexican food essential) and some kind of cheese if you like. If you can find cotija, then that works well. But you could use crumbled feta instead. A few chunks of fresh tomato and some coriander go down well on these tacos too.
On the side we like to serve some chips and salsa. Why not try our Baked Tortilla Chips or Air Fryer Tortilla Chips and Restaurant Style Salsa. For something a bit different, this Pineapple Salsa adds some lovely flavour.
Variations
I would go as far to say that the sauce really makes these tacos. It's creamy, it's smoky, it's spicy. It really is everything you could want from a taco sauce. We used a mix of Greek yogurt and sour cream (you could use all sour cream, but using half Greek yogurt makes it that little bit lighter) some lime juice, lots of garlic and some chipotle paste. You could just use a drizzle of sriracha though if you wanted to save some time.
If you don't want a spicy sauce, then just an avocado cream would work well. There are lots of different options here to suit everyone's tastes.
You could do beer battered fish, but this version is a little bit healthier and still nice and crispy. I find that if we are making fish tacos it's because we are craving something a little bit healthy. You could use panko breadcrumbs too.
Storage
Fish tacos are best eaten fresh, so try to make only as much as you need. If you have anything leftover, try to store it all separately and don't make up the tacos as they will go soggy once made up. These tacos are not suitable for freezing.
Frequently asked questions
We used cod, however in the US you will find tilapia often used. You could use another white fish like haddock instead of cod, or even chunks of salmon. Why not try using king prawns as an alternative too. If you don't want to use fish at all, then you could use chunks of breaded chicken or tofu.
If you use gluten free breadcrumbs and tortillas then these can be gluten free. Just watch out for cross contamination.
We would always recommend warming tortillas before using them to make these tacos, otherwise they are likely to crack. The best way to warm them is one by one in a dry skillet and then keep them all warm in a wrapped up towel on a plate. You could also stack them and put them in the microwave for 30 seconds.
We cooked ours in the oven to keep them lighter. However deep frying it would have more flavour.
These do have a little bit of a kick to them from the seasoning and the fish and then the sauce. However, you can adjust it to use less if you don't like too much heat.
Yes, you can and it will make this recipe even quicker. Put the breaded cod in the air fryer at 180°C for 12-15 minutes, until cooked through.
Extra tips
• Make these tacos gluten free by using gluten free breadcrumbs and gluten free tortillas.
• If you don't like spicy food, then skip the chilli in the fish seasoning and then make an avocado cream rather than the chipotle sauce.
• Make the slaw and bread the fish in advance to save you some time. Then you can just put the breaded fish in the oven when you are ready to eat.
• Make lower carb tacos by skipping the breading and just baking the spiced fish and then serving it in giant lettuce laves rather than soft tacos.
• Our Jalapeno Sauce would go well with these if you want to up the spice!
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Recipe
Easy Fish Tacos
Ingredients
For the fish filling
- 250 g cod fillets cut into chunks
- 0.25 teaspoon paprika
- 0.25 teaspoon chilli powder
- 0.25 teaspoon cumin
- 0.25 teaspoon ground coriander
- 0.25 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 slices bread made in to breadcrumbs
- 1 egg beaten
- 2 tablespoon flour
For the cream
- 1 tablespoon chipotle en adobo
- 4 tablespoon sour cream
- 4 tablespoon Greek yoghurt
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
Other
- 4 mini tortillas
- 2 portions Mexican Coleslaw
- 40 g feta
- 1 little gem lettuce shredded
Instructions
- Mix the fish seasoning together with the breadcrumbs in a bowl. Put the egg in another bowl and the flour in a third bowl.
- Dip each fish piece in the flour, then the egg and then the breadcrumbs.
- Put on a baking tray and bake for 20 minutes at 200°C/400°F/Gas 7, until cooked through and crispy.
- Mix the ingredients for the sauce together.
- Assemble the tacos with shredded lettuce, Mexican slaw, fish, and sauce and feta.
Notes
- Make these tacos gluten free by using gluten free breadcrumbs and gluten free tortillas.
- If you don't like spicy food, then skip the chilli in the fish seasoning and then make an avocado cream rather than the chipotle sauce.
- Make the slaw and bread the fish in advance to save you some time. Then you can just put the breaded fish in the oven when you are ready to eat.
- Make lower carb tacos by skipping the breading and just baking the spiced fish and then serving it in giant lettuce laves rather than soft tacos.
- Our Jalapeno Sauce would go well with these if you want to up the spice!
Jemma @ Celery and Cupcakes
We had beef tacos the other day and they were so good. I love using fish to lighten up my meals like a curry. This looks so good!
Marcie
I love tacos, but fish tacos are my weakness! Especially with mango salsa!
Melissa | Bits of Umami
Okay so I'm never a huge fan of mango salsa, buuuut this mango slaw is making my mouth water. And I'm fish taco obsessed soooo I think I'm gonna be needing this soon! :)
Helen @ Scrummy Lane
This really does sound like my idea of a perfect dinner, Dannii. Love fish anything anyway, but I love that wonderful mixture of spices you've added.
Really exciting about the book - sounds like you're close to finishing!
Beth Tellan
This looks so colourful. I can't wait to try that coleslaw.
Mel
What a great idea to use a lettuce leaf instead of a tortilla. I am trying to eat less carbs, so that is just perfect.
Cailee
YUM! These look amazing! I'm obsessed with cilantro on my Mexican food!! YUM! :) Great recipe! Thanks for sharing! Healthy, fresh and delicious!!
Jane
This is a great tasting dish thank you for your recipe. I love the mixture of flavors by the way. Well anyway I'm try to make a much healthier version any idea what things I could use as an alternative to the tortilla and the yogurt?