Best Fish Tacos Recipes For Easy Cooking

Nikhil Goswami

Making tacos is not that difficult or time-consuming, allowing for a lot of customization. Moreover, since tacos are mostly spicy, anything that works best with spice will enhance the flavor. Thus, we decided to share our top choice of fish tacos recipes that are easy to prepare and delicious to eat.

You can use any fish you like, but salmon is the best for most recipes. And, if salmon is unavailable, you can use Cod. Nonetheless, you can alter the recipes to enhance the taste, reduce the spice levels, or marinate the fish you like for roasting or frying. 

Despite the long list of ingredients, these recipes are quite simple to make once you look at them. We discuss each step in detail so you won’t have any problems following them.

  • Blackened Salmon Tacos With Avocado Crema

Nowadays people are trying different recipes from healthy and delicious recipes including the healthy ground nut turkey recipe to mouthwatering guilty pleasure recipes including cheesecake. Blackened salmon tacos aren’t everyone’s favorite, but they have their fans. You owe it to yourself to give it a try. We suggest you use wild-caught instead of farmed salmon for this recipe. The taste is better and rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which fortify your heart and brain. You can also try fish oil to achieve the same.

The recipe comes in many mouthwatering variations. For example, blackened salmon tacos with mango salsa are a popular choice. However, we’ll stick to the otherworldly blackened salmon tacos with avocado crema recipe to save you preparation time. The secret here is to have a crusty outer layer while keeping it tender and juicy inside by using blackening seasoning. So, pay attention to how you cook the salmon.

Ingredients

  • Wild salmon filet (one pound) 
  • Tortillas (four to eight are enough)
  • Butter (one tablespoon only)
  • Only one big lemon

Spices

You’ll need one tablespoon of all these spices

  • Onion powder
  • Garlic powder
  • Paprika
  • Thyme
  • Oregano
  • Kosher salt
  • Cayenne pepper
  • Black pepper

Avocado Crema

  • Avocado (only one medium size)
  • Salt (half a tablespoon)
  • Garlic powder (a quarter of a tablespoon)
  • Greek yogurt (half cup)
  • Sour cream (half cup)
  • Lime juice (one tablespoon only)
  • Ground cumin (half a tablespoon)

Directions

It’s best to prepare the avocado crema first. So, add the avocado, sour cream, one tablespoon lime juice, half tablespoon ground cumin, half tablespoon salt, and a quarter teaspoon garlic powder to the blender. Blend until smooth. After that, put the cream in the refrigerator because you’ll need it later.

Next, you want to prepare the spices and herbs. Mix them in a separate bowl or plate. After that, cut the salmon into even but thick strips. Melt the butter and use a brush to apply it to the cut salmon pieces. It’ll help the spices stick to the tender flesh. Be liberal with applying the spices because they will make the blackening seasoning.

After that, heat the pan or skillet at medium-to-high heat. Sear the seasoned salmon for 3-5 minutes on each side. The outer layer should be black and crunchy. You can also use a fork to feel the outer crust.

Bring your tortillas and heat them in the microwave, or grill them if you prefer. Consequently, bring out the crema from the refrigerator, too. Next, you can spread the crema on the tortilla as topping or seasoning, and add the salmon.

If you prefer, you can use other toppings, including tomatoes, lettuce, and onions. And for more sting, squeeze a lemon on top.

  • Chili Lime Salmon Tacos

Let’s turn the heat from the ultimate crispy fish taco recipe to the chilliest. The chili lime salmon isn’t for weak stomachs, but it’s not the strongest either. As a result, your kids or guests will love it. The main ingredient is still salmon, but you’ll be using a different cooking technique that’s less smoky.

Remember to use fresh fish; if anyone in your house is a fan of fishing, they can catch one for the recipe. These tacos are the best with salmon, but you can use any other fish if you don’t have salmon at the moment. Also, remember to measure the cooking time; you don’t want the fish to go extra tender and also don’t want it to come out raw. A quick tip-for amazing and boozy kick consider adding a few drops of CBD oil into your recipe. 

Ingredients

For The Slaw

  • Coleslaw mix
  • Red onion (thinly sliced, half cup)
  • Fresh dill (minced, two tablespoons)
  • Cilantro (fresh and chopped, one tablespoon)
  • White vinegar (three tablespoons)
  • Lime juice (one tablespoon)
  • Salt and pepper

For The Salmon

  • Olive oil (two to three tablespoons)
  • Salmon (skin removed, two pounds)
  • One lime’s juice and zest
  • Chili powder (two teaspoons)
  • Garlic salt (a quarter teaspoon)
  • Cayenne pepper
  • Salt (a quarter teaspoon)
  • Pepper (a quarter teaspoon)
  • Flour tortillas
  • Sriracha Ranch Sauce
  • Cilantro and limes and for serving (chopped)

Directions

Grab a medium size bowl and mix all the ingredients for the slaw. Remember, however, that you’ll need it before the serving. So, cover it and put it in the fridge.

Next, preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Get a large baking sheet and brush it with olive oil. You can use another refined oil, but we recommend using olive oil. Place the salmon on the baking sheet and sprinkle it with lime juice and zest. Do not use a lot of lime juice as it will leave a bitter taste in the mouth.

Grab a small bowl and mix chili powder, garlic salt, cayenne, salt, and pepper. While sprinkling this mixture, ensure it is even all over the fish. Gently rub the spices on the fish on both sides.

Roast the salmon for 10-12 minutes; in some cases, it might take up to 15 minutes, but wait until it is cooked through and flaky. Break the salmon into large or small chunks, depending upon how your family like them.

Take out the slaw mixture from the fridge. Grab some tortillas and warm them; add salmon and slaw mixture. Put some sriracha ranch sauce and serve the tacos with fresh limes. You can also add chopped cilantro for garnish.

  • Baja Fish Tacos

Baja fish tacos are something you can only find in Mexico. They are a treat to your tastebuds but also a bit hot for some people. This meal should be eaten on a beach, but you can also enjoy it on a cold but sunny day. Preparing this dish won’t take more than 20 minutes. Thus, you can make it before lunch or as an afternoon snack.

We’ll share the spices and other stuff for toppings, but you can customize it as much as you like. Additionally, frying the fish is up to you however you like. But, we’ll also share how it suits tacos best.

Ingredients

  • Vegetable oil
  • A quarter of red cabbage (shredded)
  • Cilantro (fresh, roughly chopped, half cup)
  • One lime Juice (wedges for serving)
  • Freshly ground pepper
  • Agave nectar (two tablespoons)
  • Mayonnaise (half cup)
  • Kosher salt
  • All-purpose flour
  • Chili powder (half teaspoon)
  • Halibut filet (skinless, 1.25 pounds)
  • One Hass avocado
  • 12 corn tortillas
  • Salsa (fresh, half cup)
  • Garlic

Directions

Let’s start by making the slaw. Add the shredded red cabbage, apple cider vinegar, chopped red onions, cilantro, oil, and salt to a bowl.

Next is to make the chipotle sauce. Grab the peppers in adobo sauce, mayonnaise, lime juice, and garlic, and add them to a mini food blender. Since it uses three peppers, it is quite spicy, but you can reduce the amount if someone at your home can’t handle spices.

Grab a small bowl and prepare the beer batter. For this, you’ll need flour, salt, and pepper; mix them using a whisk. Slowly pour the beer onto the whisk as you mix them, and keep pouring until the batter is made.

Cut the salmon into small or medium size strips and dip them into the batter. Make sure that all the sides are covered with the better. You have two options; use the oven to fry the fish or pan-fry them. We prefer pan frying but if you are unsure of pan frying skills, use the oven.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F and cook the fish for two to three minutes. For pan-frying, you’ll need to fry each side for two minutes, so it will take almost four minutes for each piece.

Warm the tortillas and start adding the ingredients you made. Put the chipotle sauce first, add cabbage slaw (as much as you like), and put the salmon fish on top. Serve it with fresh lime and lots of napkins as the sauce tend to find a way out of tortillas.

  • Fish Tacos With Habanero Salsa

If you crave some spicy food daily, these fish tacos will satisfy you for good. The habanero salsa is extremely spicy, and with fried salmon and some vegetables, it offers quite a punch that will leave tears in your eyes. However, you must make this dish at least three hours before any party or gathering as it requires refrigerating the mixture for two hours.

On average, you can make four servings but increase the amount of the ingredients to make more salsa to serve more people.

Ingredients

  • Achiote paste (two tablespoons)
  • Lime juice (four tablespoons)
  • Olive oil (two tablespoons)
  • Four cloves garlic
  • Cumin (one teaspoon)
  • Salt (one teaspoon)
  • Three snapper filets (eight ounces)
  • Eight flour tortillas (6-ounce, warmed)

Garnishes

  • Shredded lettuce
  • Avocado slices

Habanero Salsa

  • Small tomatoes (four, red, ripe, and chopped)
  • Red onion (minced, a quarter cup)
  • Cilantro (chopped, two tablespoons)
  • Parsley (chopped, two tablespoons)
  • Ground cumin (a quarter teaspoon)
  • Garlic (two cloves, finely chopped)
  • Lime juice (fresh, two teaspoons)
  • Habanero pepper (chopped, one teaspoon)
  • Salt

Directions

Despite so many ingredients, making these tacos is quite easy. Hence, for habanero salsa, you need to mix all the ingredients and serve it at room temperature. Additionally, do not keep the salsa open when it is hot because that will increase the chances of ruining the salsa taste.

If you are unsure of the spice tolerance, reduce the amount of habanero pepper to half a teaspoon. There is no need to make it extra spicy as you might be unable to taste other ingredients.

For the fish, mix achiote, lime juice, olive oil, garlic, cumin, and salt in a small bowl. Make small cuts on the fish and apply the mixture on both sides. Preheat the grill and brush the oil on the fish and the grill so the fish won’t stick and has less chance of burning.

Grill the fish for four minutes if you want to keep it medium rare (preferable for intense taste). If you don’t like medium rare fish, grill it for six to eight minutes until it is fully cooked.

Get the tortillas, warm them, add the fish and salsa with avocado slices, and present it for tasting. The avocados are usually for garnishing. So, you should ask someone before adding them, as you’ll pour salsa on everything.

  • Red Snapper Mini Tacos

If you like to throw parties and want to add tacos this time, try these 3-inch small-size tacos. They’ll take around one hour and 25 minutes to complete. In addition, you’ll also need a 3-inch round cookie cutter and six small cannoli forms. You’ll fill each mini-fried shell with fish, chipotle cream, and mango salsa. We recommend eating them with margaritas, especially lemon or mint margaritas.

The best part is that you can make up to 18 tacos by following the recipe below. However, since they are bite-size, even these 18 may not last long. Moreover, no one will resist having more of them when you factor in their delicious taste.

Ingredients

  • Oil (for brushing, a quarter cup)
  • Vegetable oil (for frying)
  • Red snapper (skinless, two)
  • Asian chili paste (one tablespoon)
  • Pure ground ancho chile (one teaspoon)
  • kosher salt (half teaspoon)
  • Lime juice (fresh, a quarter cup)
  • Coarsely cilantro (fresh, a quarter cup, chopped, more required for garnishing)
  • Corn tortillas (nine of them, six inches in size)
  • Lime wedges (for serving)

Directions

First, you need to fry the fish. So, heat the oil in a pan and add the fish. Carefully change the sides without breaking the fish and fry it for three minutes, making them a light brown on each side.

Mix the chili paste, ground ancho, and salt; gently spread them over the fish, and continue frying for two more minutes. The idea is to fry the fish until the fish is barely opaque. Remove the fish from the oil, put it on paper to let the paper absorb the oil, and add lime juice and cilantro. Let the fish cool completely; in the meantime, let’s form the tortillas.

Cut 18 or more (if you want) round tortillas using the 3-inch round cookie cutter. Ready the six small cannoli forms and dip the tortilla round in the oil to soften them. Then put the cannoli form in the center of the softened tortilla and fold up the sides; this will make the required taco-shell shape.

Transfer the taco-shell shape and the cannoli form to the oil for almost 15 seconds, making the shape hard. Keep frying the tacos for 30 more seconds until they are golden brown. Put some towels on a basket or a plate and remove the tacos.

Time to cook the fish; heat a large non-stick pan at medium heat and add the fish. Cook it for two minutes and only turn it only once in the meantime. Remove the fish and smear half a cup of guacamole over the fish and set it aside for two minutes. Put the fish inside a bowl and break the fish into bite-size pieces. Add the fish, mango salsa, and chipotle cream (one tablespoon) to tacos and serve them with lime wedges and cilantro.

  • Shrimp Tacos With Spicy Chipotle Slaw

If you want to enjoy fish tacos without much effort, these shrimp tacos only take around 15 minutes. The best thing is that you’ll find most ingredients prepared in a grocery store. As such, all you need is to add them to tacos with the shrimp, and they are ready to eat. This is an excellent option if you want a quick snack with your friends or want to eat something delicious at night or in the afternoon.

Ingredients

  • Medium shrimp (one pound, peeled, deveined, and tails removed)
  • Chili powder (two teaspoons)
  • Kosher salt
  • Canola oil (two tablespoons)
  • Thinly sliced four scallions
  • One can of black beans (15-ounce, drained and rinsed well)
  • Prepared chipotle mayonnaise 
  • Zested and juiced Lime
  • Store-bought coleslaw mix (one ounce)
  • fresh cilantro (one bunch along with leaves and soft stems)
  • Mexican crema
  • One lime cut into wedges 
  • 8 corn tortillas 

Directions

Set the stove to medium heat levels and put a large cast-iron pan on it. Grab a big bowl; add shrimp, salt, and chili powder, and stir to mix them properly. Add a little oil to the hot pan and swirl it around to coat the entire pan. Get the shrimp and start cooking it until it is barely opaque. Cook it for around two minutes and change its sides only once. Take out the shrimp, put it in another bowl, and cover it with foil.

Keep one scallion for garnish while putting the rest in the pan you used to cook the shrimp. But before that, remove the scraps of shrimp from it. Cook the scallions; keep stirring them for a minute until they are soft. Add beans and a pinch of salt and cook for one more minute. Turn off the heat and reserver this mixture.

Get a large bowl, mix lime zest, juice, and chipotle mayonnaise, and add a large pinch of salt. After that, add cilantro and coleslaw mix; keep on stirring to combine them properly.

Warm the tortillas, add two to three shrimps on each tortilla with some beans, and put the mixture on the top. It is better to let the guest add everything they prefer because some dislike shrimp.

  • The Ultimate Fish Tacos

This recipe will be more than enough if you like lots of toppings on your tacos. It has a fruity salsa topping featuring fresh onions, radishes, mangoes, and cilantro. It is crunchy, sweet, and a little tangy at the bottom. You can marinate the fish and enjoy a bit of salty and spicy feeling as you hog down the sweet toppings.

Ingredients

  • Mahi Mahi fish (two pounds)
  • All-purpose flour (two cups)
  • 3 eggs (lightly beat them before using)
  • Water
  • Panko bread crumbs (two cups are enough, but you can use more)
  • Kosher salt 
  • Vegetable oil (for frying)
  • Savoy cabbage (half, finely shredded)
  • Cilantro (one bunch with leaves picked)
  • Chives (one bunch, preferably chopped)
  • Black pepper
  • Three limes for garnish

Pink Chile Mayonnaise:

  • Sour cream (one cup)
  • Mayonnaise (one cup)
  • Adobo (Three chipotles)
  • Adobo sauce (two tablespoons)
  • Half a lemon juice

Mango-Radish Salsa:

  • Two limes
  • Two mangoes, four to five Red radishes, and one red onion (dice them before use)
  • Chili powder (one tablespoon)
  • Fresh cilantro (half a bunch, leaves chopped)
  • Extra-virgin olive oil

Directions

Let’s start preparing the fish; you first need to skin, bone, and cleaned the fish and cut it into one-ounce strips. If it is hard for you, get it done at the fish shop. Add flour, bread crumbs, and beaten eggs with water into the breading station but do not mix or combine them. Season all three things with salt and pepper. Dip the fish in flour first, then eggs, and finally in bread crumbs. Deep fry the fish and place it on a paper towel to drain the oil; season the fish with salt and let it rest.

Grab a blender, put the chipotles, and smoothen it; add mayonnaise, adobo sauce, sour cream, and lemon juice, and continue mixing them. Make sure to make the mixture creamy and add some salt and pepper. Once done, refrigerate the mixture until ready to serve the tacos.

Grab the mangoes, radishes, and other ingredients for salsa and add them to a bowl. Pour the lemon juice, mix the ingredients, and put them in the refrigerator. You can put these ingredients in a food processor before refrigerating them if you want a smooth mixture.

There is no need to warm the tortillas as this recipe requires a different approach. Toast the tortillas and add the fish, salsa, and mayonnaise to the top. Present everything else as an option to add and serve.

  • Roasted Salmon Tacos

If you want a strong fish flavor in your tacos, there is no better dish than roasted salmon tacos. Since salmon has a strong flavor, it can easily stand up to spices and sauces. It might take more than an hour to prepare this recipe, but it is worth the wait. Moreover, you can make six servings using the ingredient amount we’ll share, but those six are enough for three people.

Ingredients

For The Slaw

  • Green cabbage (only half is required)
  • Seedless cucumber (one would be enough)
  • White wine vinegar (half or a quarter cup)
  • Fresh dill (minced, only three tablespoons)
  • Kosher salt 
  • Black pepper

For The Salmon

  • Olive oil (only required for greasing the pan)
  • Fresh salmon filet (center-cut, skin removed, and two pounds almost)
  • Chipotle chile powder (two teaspoons only)
  • grated lime zest (one teaspoon only)
  • Fresh lime juice (better if you freshly squeeze it, three tablespoons are indeed but divided, not mixed)
  • 12 corn tortillas
  • Four Hass avocados (make sure to remove the seeds and peel them before use)
  • Sriracha (one teaspoon)

Directions

Grab the unpeeled cucumbers and very thinly slice them, halved lengthwise, and seeds removed. Put them in a bowl with cabbage, vinegar, dill, half teaspoon black pepper, and one teaspoon salt. Cover the bowl and put it in the fridge, allowing the cabbage to marinate.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees; brush the baking dish with oil and put the fish in it.

Get a small bowl and mix lime zest, chile powder, and one teaspoon salt. Brush the fish with one tablespoon of lime juice and pour the mixture on the fish. Roast the fish until it is cooked; it might take around 12-15 minutes.

Now, here is something different than other recipes. Get the tortillas, wrap them in foil packets; put them in the oven with the fish. Mix avocados, Sriracha, one teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper and mash them with the remaining lime juice.

Put two tortillas on each plate and put chunks of salmon in the middle of the tortillas. Place the avocado mixture on one side of a tortilla and add the slaw. As you roll the taco, the salmon fish will cover the avocado mixture, and the slaw will come on the top. Take a big bite and enjoy your meal.

If you would like to spice things up a notch, you can have several other recipes such as weed butter, refer to this guide to learn more about how to make weed butter? For dessert we hope you would like something chocolaty, we also have the recipe on how to make weed brownies if you would like to check that out.

Conclusion: How To Make Fish Tacos?

Fish tacos are a great option to serve in family gatherings or a quick friends get-together as some of these tacos won’t take more than 15 minutes to prepare. We shared details of the eight best fish tacos recipes so you can easily prepare them. Some are spicy, some are sweet, some take hours to prepare, and some take only a few minutes. If you have a party at the house, we recommend preparing Red Snapper Mini Tacos. But if you want something heavy for the night, Roasted Salmon Tacos are the best.

 

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