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.
This is one of our favourite taco recipes to make because they are just so light and fresh.
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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Why you will love them
- 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.
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.
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.
Read more about the health benefits of cod.
Serving suggestions
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 yogurt, 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.
Healthy swap
If you are looking for a lower carb alternative to tortilla wraps, then why not try a giant iceberg lettuce leaf. It can get a little messy, but what is Mexican food without a little bit of mess? It would work well with romaine lettuce too. You don't even have to bread the fish and you can just use the spices and cook it.
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.
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.
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. Alternatively, we have a recipe for Air Fryer Cod Tacos.
More Mexican recipes
If you’ve tried this fish taco recipe, let us know how you got on in the comments below.
Tag us in your creations on Instagram @hungryhealthyhappy - Use the hashtag #hungryhealthyhappy too.
Recipe
Easy Fish Tacos
Ingredients
For the fish filling
- 250 g (9 oz) 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 - whisked
- 2 tablespoon Plain flour
For the cream
- 1 tablespoon Chipotle en adobo
- 4 tablespoon Sour cream
- 4 tablespoon Greek yogurt
- 1 tablespoon Lime juice
Other
- 4 Mini flour tortillas
- 2 portions Mexican Coleslaw
- 40 g (0.25 cups) Feta
- 1 Little gem lettuce - shredded
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas 7.
- Mix 0.25 teaspoon Paprika, 0.25 teaspoon Chilli powder, 0.25 teaspoon Cumin, 0.25 teaspoon Ground coriander and 0.25 teaspoon Garlic powder together with breadcrumbs made from 2 slices Bread in a bowl. Put 1 Egg (whisked) in another bowl and 2 tablespoon Plain flour in a third bowl.
- Dip 250 g Cod fillets into the flour, then the egg and then the breadcrumbs.
- Put on a baking tray and bake for 20 minutes, until cooked through and crispy.
- Mix together 1 tablespoon Chipotle en adobo, 4 tablespoon Sour cream, 4 tablespoon Greek yogurt, and 1 tablespoon Lime juice. This is your sauce.
- Assemble the tacos with 4 Mini flour tortillas,1 Little gem lettuce, 2 portions Mexican Coleslaw, the cooked fish, sauce and 40 g Feta.
Recipe 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!
Nutritional Information
The nutritional information provided is approximate and is calculated using online tools. Information can vary depending on various factors, but we have endeavoured to be as accurate as possible.
As all appliances vary, cooking times are a guide. Please note that by changing the serving size, the cooking time may also need to be altered.
Alison says
Love the idea of fish tacos. I have some prawns, I might try making tacos with them as a wild experiment
lacey@fairytalesandfitness.com says
I love fish tacos. I seem to always order them out when they are in the menu. The slaw on them sounds delicious. I have only ever had that orange creamy sauce that usually comes w them.
MissPond says
Where do you get your mini tortillas from Dannii?
I fell in love with fish tacos after staying in San Diego, I'm definitely going to have to try and recreate them :) x
Marie says
I missed cinco de Mayo, but I am going to make these this weekend. The coleslaw sounds delicious.
Kezia @ Super Naturally Healthy says
Its official - you are the queen of coleslaw :) So many varieties that all look so GOOD!
Kelly - Life Made Sweeter says
These tacos look fantastic, Dannii! I love the mango jalapeno slaw!! So glad that you’ll be able to slow down a bit soon!
Ami@NaiveCookCooks says
Girl everything about these tacos look so delicious! I have tilapia in my freezer so I think I will be making them soon!
Annie @ The Garlic Diaries says
Yum, yum, yum! I love tacos!!! Can't wait to try these. Mango jalapeno slaw....drooling!
Oliver Long says
Wow how great do these look!! I have never heard of fish tacos before but it's definitely something I'd like to try as I love Mexican/South American food!
Oliver
Ashley says
You sold me with that mango jalapeno slaw! That sounds fantastic! Glad to hear you'll be able to slow down a bit soon!
Emily says
This looks perfect for my TexMex night!! I will definitely be giving these tacos a go!
Also love that you posted the nutritional info- not so bad for the summer body now :D
Thank you!
Brittany says
Oh man that slaw looks so fresh and delicious! As does that drink! Bring on the summer heat.
Jack says
Is it that easy to make the seasoning? I have been wasting my money on that old El Paso stuff I think.
Tina says
How did I forget about cinco de Mayo? I won't have time to make this tonight, but I have to make something Mexican. Maybe your burrito bowl? Thanks for the reminder.
Susie @ Suzlyfe says
Essentially, the majority of my favorite things in a nutshell. Just add some jicama, had me a marg, and let's go.
Geez I love Mexican food. And salsa. And fish. mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm