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This fast and flavorful fish tacos recipe is the perfect quick lunch or dinner.
Seasoned fish fillets are baked, flaked, and then tucked into tortillas with your favorite toppings and a drizzle of taco sauce.
Holly’s Recipe Highlights
- Flavor: Baked and not fried, these fish tacos are fresh and flavorful with a mild white fish and simple homemade rub. We love to serve these with the easy taco sauce below.
- Difficulty: Simple toppings and a little oven time are all you need for resort-style fish tacos.
- Technique: The fish is baked until flaky but can also be grilled.
- Swaps: Any white fish can be used in this recipe.
- Time-Saving Tip: The homemade taco seasoning mix can be replaced with a packet of taco seasoning.
- Leftovers: Stretch leftovers further by making fish taco bowls!
Ingredient Tips for Fish Tacos
- Fish: I use cod in this recipe, but any white fish like halibut, haddock, or tilapia will work. Frozen fish should be thawed and patted dry so the seasonings will adhere.
- Seasonings: The rub for these fish tacos is a flavorful blend of paprika, garlic powder, cumin, cayenne, salt, and pepper. You can also use a packet or homemade taco seasoning.
- Sauce: The fish taco sauce is a rich and tangy addition and needs few ingredients. Fresh lime juice is recommended.
- Tortillas: Corn or flour tortillas work for fish tacos, so gently warm them before filling them so they don’t crack.
Variations
- Seasoning: Season the fish fillets with a blackened seasoning or a Cajun flavor.
- Onion slaw: Make a quick cabbage onion slaw by combining a cup of shredded cabbage, ½ thinly sliced sweet white onion, 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro, 1/3 cup sour cream, 2 tablespoons of fresh lime juice, and one seeded and chopped jalapeno pepper.
How to Make Fish Tacos
- Prepare the fish: Pat fish dry and rub with homemade spice mixture.
- Bake: Bake the fish in the oven (full recipe below).
- Prepare the toppings: Chop and prepare desired taco toppings.
- Enjoy! Assemble and serve tacos once the fish and toppings are ready.
Fish Taco Toppings
- Guacamole and Pico de Gallo add fresh flavor.
- Pineapple or mango salsa also pair beautifully with fish.
- Add some Cotija cheese, shredded cheddar, or Monterey Jack.
- Serve with lime wedges and fish taco sauce.
Leftovers?
Store leftover fish from the tortillas and other ingredients in a covered container for up to 2 days. Use leftover fish in a cold wrap, on top of a salad, or reheat portions in the microwave and build new tacos with toppings and add-ins.
More Easy Taco Recipes
Did you enjoy this Fish Tacos Recipe? Leave a comment and rating below.
Fish Tacos
Tender and flaky, these baked fish tacos are lightly seasoned, nestled in soft tortillas, and drizzled with a creamy fish taco sauce.
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds cod fillets or tilapia,haddock, or halibut
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Seasoning Rub
- 1 tablespoon chilli powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon salt
Tacos
- 8 corn tortillas or flour tortillas, 6-inch
- 1 avocado sliced
- 1 lime wedged
Fish Taco Sauce (optional)
- 3 tablespoons sour cream
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- ½ lime juiced
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon sriracha or to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Fish Taco Sauce
- Combine sour cream, mayonnaise, lime, garlic powder, cumin, and sriracha in a small bowl (if making) and refrigerate until serving.
Seasoning Rub
- In a small bowl, mix the chili powder, paprika, oregano, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, and salt.
- Dab the fish fillets dry with a paper towel and drizzle with olive oil. Rub the seasoning mix over all sides of the fish.
- Bake on a rimmed baking sheet for 10-15 minutes* or until flaky and heated to 145℉.
- Heat tortillas according to package directions.
- Use a fork to break the fish into large chunks. Divide the fish pieces among the tortillas and add toppings as desired.
Notes
Spice Rub: Substitute the rub above with our own favorite rub, cajun, or blackened seasoning.
Cabbage Onion Slaw: Combine 1 cup shredded cabbage, ½ sweet white onion, thinly sliced, 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro, ⅓ cup sour cream (or Greek yogurt), 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, and 1 jalapeño pepper seeded & chopped.
Keep an eye on your fish. Thinner pieces of fish will cook faster.
Leftover fish can be refrigerated for 2 days. Fish should be stored and reheated separately from the tortillas.
Nutritional information includes 1 fish taco in a corn tortilla. Toppings are not included in nutritional information.
Nutrition Information
Calories: 163 | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 5g | Sodium: 348mg | Potassium: 174mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 875IU | Vitamin C: 4.9mg | Calcium: 62mg | Iron: 1.6mg
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Dinner, Fish, Lunch, Main Course
Cuisine American, Mexican© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
We made this tonight and it was delicious!!
I have had some delicious fish tacos. None of them have anything very spicy. Sliced cabbage, pickled red onion, and a sauce that is a baha sauce or another mayo sauce that is just tasty. I am looking for a sauce similar to that.
We love serving it with this fish taco sauce that is more of a baja sauce but you could add a little cayenne to kick up the spice if you wanted. You could also try this chipotle aioli.
Fantastic! I love fish tacos and I’ve tried so many recipes looking for just the right one. Finally found it!
OMG!!! I have to try this recipe.
Hey Holly, I have a question. Can you use store bought taco seasoning instead of making your own? We have a big bottle of taco seasoning.
Thanks, Holly. :)
Hi David, we hope you love it as much as we do! You can use store bought seasoning if you prefer.
These are deliciosos! My whole family is crazy for them. Inexpensive and so easy to make. Also wanted to say that after 35 years of searching for the best ever Mac and cheese recipe, I found yours, made with the cream of cheddar soup. My 4 adult kids and 7 grandkids all claim it is the best they’ve ever had! Thank you!
Ahh you made my day Lori, I’m so glad you have loved both of these recipes! (The mac and cheese is a personal fave for me too!)
So delicious! I added some of the rub to a few shrimp and sauteed those while the fish baked in the oven and everything was so good. My hubby loved it. This is a keeper recipe for sure!
This is my favorite recipe for fish tacos. I make it with Costco tilapia fish fillets and it’s delicious.
These are very good and easy. My wife can’t have sour cream, so I just use more mayo. I also add a bit more sriracha, maybe 3/4 tsp. When serving, I also have guacamole, tomatoes and lettuce. Start with the guac add the fish, top with the taco sauce, tomato and lettuce (no particular order). I have tried with both flour and corn tortillas, and prefer the flour ones.
Hi Holly, Made this tonite. The lime crema ( taco sauce)was the highlight, and topped everything off perfectly!
I didnt have siracha, so used Franks. So good!
Thank you for another great recipe!
Wonderful recipe, fish was so flavorful, the perfect spice rub! Thanks Holly!
I made this tonight. The fish didn’t have any flavor. It somewhat got better with the toppings. I’ll not make it again.
Thanks for trying the recipe MJ.
My husband and I loved it!! Absolutely delicious and very easy to make.
I can’t wait to try fish taco recipe it sounds just delicious I will definitely leave a comment tomorrow if everything goes great! Also really anxious to try the coleslaw too.
I can’t wait for you to try it Annie!
made this once, making it again tomorrow. it is so delicious and flavorful. never thought I’d like fish tacos. definitely recommend this recipe. delicious thanks for all your delicious recipes. huge fan
I am so glad you are enjoying the recipes Darlene!
yes! so good! I never, ever leave comments but my family loved this! even the picky eaters and the fish was fine without tacos!
Made these tonight and they were so easy and so delicious. They will be in the regular rotation in the future! I’ve tried several of your recipes and I have found them all to be simple with minimal hands-on time, yet so tasty. Thank you for putting such great content in this corner of the inter webs!
Thank you for your kind words, I am so glad you are enjoying the recipes Tiffany!
I cant find fresh cod, I don’t like previously frozen stuff. What other fishes can I use? Salmon, Tilapia?
Hi Vee, I recommend a white fish such as tilapia, cod, halibut or haddock. If you try it I would love to hear how it turns out!
I’ve been doing this recipe for aaaages. I always use sea bass. It just works fantastically here.
corn tortillas + sauce + fish + pico + avocado + shredded res cabbage + fresh lime juice on top.
YUM
Can you use Pollock?
I haven’t tried it but that should work just fine. If you try it I would love to hear how it turns out Sheri!
exquisito y saludable