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.
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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.
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.
My daughter (13 years old) who doesnt like fish LOVED this recipe!
That is awesome Diana! So happy she enjoyed it.
These were amazing! This was a brand new menu item for dinner so I was a little nervous. My family is more ‘meat and potatoes’ but I wanted to try something new, and this got RAVE REVIEWS!!
As you recommended, I used corn tortillas (for the first time ever!) and served the fish (the seasoning looked heavy, but was the perfect amount) with your Vinaigrette Coleslaw recipe, your Fresh Mango Salsa recipe, some diced tomatoes, and the Fish Taco Sauce. Excellent blend of flavors and textures. Holly, thank you for giving me some confidence in the kitchen!
That sounds like the perfect meal Lisa, I’m so glad your family loved it! Happy Cooking!
Just made this tonight – goodness it was delicious. Followed the dry rub to a T, subbed lowfat Greek yogurt for the Mayo and used Light Sour Cream on the sauce – otherwise stayed right with your plan on that as well.
Topped with the classics – lettuce, tomato, red onion, squeeze of lime, avocado and some feta.
Have been told it is one to “do again” – so thank you!
tasty! my boyfriend had NINE of these lol.
The seasoning is excellent. I quickly made these wonderful easy and tasty fish tacos.
The seasoning is amazing and the fish is baked, not fried!
I had my homemade black beans and rice to compliment the meal. I used Dover Sole fish which was easily thawed for this recipe.
I didn’t have the cabbage onion slaw, and instead just had the onion and mexican cheese. Still it was wonderful.
It is the amazing rub and fish taco sauce that really made this a very delicious dish.
Can’t wait to try the fish tacos
delicious Fish Taco
This made a delicious dinner. Not a fan of mayo so topped the tacos with pico de gallo. The fish was perfectly cooked and full of flavour. Thanks for an awesome recipe for a quick dinner!!
The family loved this. Especially the sauce, which they also liked as a dipping sauce for tater tots. I made tge sauce with light mayo and light sour cream, with great results. Thanks!
Great Recipes and Easy
Delicious, easy, and super quick. One and a half pounds of tilapia was an appropriate amount for four hungry adults.
My family loved this recipe!!! I will definitely make this again.
I made this today for lunch and it was amazing! Pretty simple and took less than a half hour to prepare from start to finish. I improvised a little with what I had in the kitchen and it still turned out fabulous. This was my first time baking fish (snapper) and I was pleasantly surprised by how well it held the dry rub seasoning! I topped mine with avocado, pico de Gallo, the special sauce in the recipe, and an Herb & Garlic goat cheese from Publix which truly made the tacos. Accompanied by kale chips for a light but full lunch option. Thanks for making fish tacos so do-able even for beginners like me!
Sounds so delish Lauren! So happy you loved the fish tacos!
Wow! Easy To make and tasted fantastic and all the ingredients were readily available having bough the haddock. Thank you for posting such a great recipe!
Great dish! We loved it. We made the slaw too which was so fresh and delightful.
If you can send me a non meat recipes, I appreciated it. I love your recipes. Thanks
Hi Romeo,
Here are some great options without the meat:
https://www.spendwithpennies.com/?s=vegetarian
Super East, and yummy. We also used 4”round tortilla’s to make mini versions as an appetizers that guests loved too.
These were excellent! I do Weight Watchers, so did mine on half a whole wheat Lavish wrap. The spices were perfect. Used olive oil spray instead oil drizzling oil. I made a little sauce with light sour cream mixed with picante sauce and coriander. Sprinkled 2% Mexican cheese, lettuce, fresh salsa and YUM!
Yum is right! That sounds so good.
I found the flavours amazing, but my fish was soggy. However I accidently poured too much olive oil on it, so I will give it another try. I just threw it all in the frying pan on high heat and crisped it up there. I might even try just frying it next time. I make homemade corn tortillas from scratch and topped with a green tomato mexican style salsa with fresh corn and cilantro. Yum. I will definitely try this again.
So glad you liked the flavor Laurel! I hope your fish is less soggy next time around!
Made these last night for dinner, and my family loved them. My husband who typically gives me the side-eye when I mention tilapia for dinner especially enjoyed these tacos. The sauce was easy, fresh and delicious. This recipe will remain on the dinner menu for here on out
That is so awesome Carla! Turning him into a Tilapia lover one fish taco at a time!