Our all-time favorite Fish Tacos recipe! These are loaded with fresh ingredients and perfectly seasoned plump fish. Don’t skip the best fish taco sauce – a garlic lime crema that you will want it on all your tacos!
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This is our go-to recipe for family get togethers and company because it comes together quickly and it always gets rave reviews. These fish tacos are so flavorful and satisfying but you will feel good and light at the end of the meal.
This recipe is party sized and can be scaled down to feed a smaller crowd. It was developed by my brother-in-law, Slavik and it has been adopted by pretty much everyone in our family. I have had so many requests to publish the recipe so here it is! It’s an easy, excellent fish tacos recipe. Thank you Slavik for sharing your awesome fish tacos with us. I’m pretty sure it’s impossible to ever get tired of this recipe. P.S. They just happen to be gluten free fish tacos!
Seriously though, be generous with that fish taco sauce! The sauce recipe was adapted from Kaylee on All Recipes. We simply doubled it because there never seems to be enough of the sauce ;).
Ingredients for Fish Tacos:
We used tilapia but you are welcome to use any white fish. Salmon or shrimp would be amazing as well!
Fish Taco Toppings:
*Cotija cheese is a Mexican cheese that crumbles when you grate it; similar to feta but much milder in flavor and not nearly as salty. It is inexpensive and found in the refrigerated cheese section of the grocery store.
Ingredients for Best Fish Taco Sauce:
For the fish taco sauce, all you need is sour cream, mayo, lime juice, garlic powder and sriracha. The sriracha gives it a little kick of spice so you can add more or less based on your preference. This taco sauce is essentially a lime crema – the perfect blend of tanginess and heat (print the recipe below).
How to Make Fish Tacos:
1. Line a large baking sheet with parchment or silicone liner. In a small dish, stir together seasonings: 1/2 tsp cumin, 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper, 1 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp black pepper and evenly sprinkle the seasoning mix over both sides of tilapia.
2. Lightly drizzle fish with olive oil and top each piece with a dot of butter. Baked at 375˚F for 20-25 min. If you want it to get a little browned around the edges, you can broil for 3-5 minutes at the end if desired.
3. Combine all the Taco sauce ingredients: 1/2 cup sour cream, 1/3 cup Mayo, 2 Tbsp lime juice (from 1 medium lime), 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp Sriracha sauce, or to taste in a medium bowl or a large measuring cup and whisk together until well blended. It’s really fun and feels like dining out to serve the sauce in a squeeze bottle like this one.
4. To serve the tacos, toast quickly toast the corn tortillas on a large dry skillet or griddle over medium/high heat.
5. To assemble: start with the fish then add remaining ingredients finishing off with a generous sprinkle of cotija cheese and finally that awesome taco sauce! Serve with a fresh lime wedge to squeeze extra lime juice over tacos.
Mmmm so much sauce! I’m so crazy about this taco sauce. Seriously the best!
⬇ Print-Friendly Fish Tacos Recipe:
Fish Tacos Recipe with Best Fish Taco Sauce!
Ingredients
Fish Taco Ingredients:
- 24 small white corn tortillas
- 1 1/2 lb tilapia
- 1/2 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 Tbsp unsalted butter
Fish Taco Toppings:
- 1/2 small purple cabbage
- 2 medium avocado, sliced
- 2 roma tomatoes, diced (optional)
- 1/2 diced red onion
- 1/2 bunch Cilantro, longer stems removed
- 4 oz 1 cup Cotija cheese, grated
- 1 lime cut into 8 wedges to serve
Fish Taco Sauce Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/3 cup mayonnaise
- 2 Tbsp lime juice, from 1 medium lime
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp Sriracha sauce, or to taste
Instructions
- Line large baking sheet with parchment or silicone liner. In a small dish, combine seasonings: 1/2 tsp cumin, 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper, 1 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp black pepper and evenly sprinkle seasoning mix over both sides of tilapia.
- Lightly drizzle fish with olive oil and dot each piece with butter. Bake at 375 for 20-25 min. To brown edges, broil for 3-5 minutes at the end if desired.
- Combine all Taco sauce ingredients in a medium bowl and whisk until well blended.
- To serve the tacos, toast quickly toast the corn tortillas on a large dry skillet or griddle over medium/high heat.
- To assemble: start with pieces of fish then add remaining ingredients finishing with a generous sprinkle of cotija cheese and finally that awesome taco sauce! Serve with a fresh lime wedge to squeeze over tacos.
Nutrition Per Serving
Filed Under
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Love Tacos? Don’t miss our most popular taco recipes here (the beef bulgogi and shrimp tacos are completely swoon worthy!)
I’m so tempted to make these again for dinner tonight. I will never stop loving this recipe! I hope you all love it as much as we do.
I used mostly chipotle Adobo sauce instead of siracha although I did use some of that also. Amazing…
Thank you so much for sharing that with me.
Absolutely fun and Delicious! Loved this recipe! I have two of the pickiest eaters in the country and my 13 yr. old had 8 of them🤣… Thank you!!!!!
That is the best when kids love what we parents make. That’s so great!
Thanks for this recipe! Just made it and fresh ingredients always win. I applied a Cajun spice rub to my tilapia and blackened it (2 minutes a side over medium high heat).
That’s so great! I’m so happy you enjoyed that!
These were delicious! I don’t like cilantro so I used parsley, but kept everything else the same.
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us!
Made these last night and they were delicious. We used mahi and the only thing I modified was adding a little onion powder to the seasoning mix. You are so right to not skip that sauce, it is super yummy! Love your recipes and videos!
That’s just awesome!! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review Trixie!
Once again, I can’t resist the opportunity to tell you how much we enjoyed this dish last night. It was satisfying but not too heavy–the perfect dish for a warm summer evening in the Pacific Northwest. I’ve made so many of your recipes, my family now refers to you by name: “If came from Natasha, it must be good.” They’re always right! Thanks for this wonderful blog. Keep the good stuff coming!
Awww that’s the best! Thank you so much for sharing that with me. I’m all smiles!
The fish tacos and the sauce are out of this world! Thank you for another great recipe!
That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new favorite!
loved these tacos but I need ideas for leftover sauce – I have a ton. Think I could pour it over cabbage to make cole slaw?
Hi Jen, so many ideas! Over veggies, rice, any meat or cabbage like you said! I’m so happy you enjoyed this recipe!
These tacos are just amazing, they have so many flavor profiles and taste as authentic as I’ve ever had. Definitely worth everything you put into it. Just make sure you make a lot because you will want more!
I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you for sharing your great review, Patrick!
Just made these tonight. I used shrimp. The seasoning is just like how I season mine. The sauce was very good. My husband loved the sauce. He thought if the shrimp were grilled or if a blackened fish were used it would have put it over the top for him. I think next time instead of using cabbage I will try lettuce. Thank you for the recipe. We enjoyed it very much.
I’m so happy you enjoyed that Caroline! Thank you for that awesome feedback!
Sauce is awesome. I use mahi mahi burgers from Trader Joe’s for this and it turns out very well.
I’m so happy you enjoyed that! Thank you for sharing your substitutions with us!
Delicious! We made it with Wahoo that we caught in the Florida Keys this weekend. Our kids ate 6 tacos each! This recipe is a keeper. Thank you!
That’s so great, Shannon! It sounds like you have a new favorite!
This recipe was so perfect for my taste buds. Now that I’m no longer in America I need to keep my flavors from the authentic places I’ve eaten in the past. I made bass fish on the stove top in a sauce pan and they were slighty crispy and delicious.
I really didn’t substitute anything as the recipe has all the ingredients I love and had available.
Thank you for sharing this one.
Mimi food junky.
I’m so happy you enjoyed that Mimi! Thank you for sharing that awesome feedback with me!
Have tried many fish taco recipes – this by far is the best of the best! Even a picky eater loved it! Made Mexican street corn as a side – everyone could not sing enough praise! Thank you so much for sharing!
That’s just awesome!! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review, Cindy!
This is my second 5 star review… I can’t keep making enough time of these. My daughter in college asks for them every single day. And I’m not tired of them either over a month. I make the sauce again and again. The Siracha sauce is the perfect amount in the sauce. Just went to a cooking class and their lime crema was awful. Yours is the golden standard—perfect!!! It’s been fun making your tacos with the sauce and slaw and experimenting with different fish. Thank you so much!!!
Awww that’s the best! Thank you so much for sharing that with me., Lee Anne! I’m all smiles!
Does this reheat well? Thinking of making this but not sure if I should halve the recipe as it may not all get eaten.
Hi Elisanna, yes, you can make this 1-3 days in advance and keep it refrigerated.
Thanks for sharing this recipe, Natasha! We used battered fish instead of making it from scratch to save time and use leftovers. My family loves the fresh sauce and Cotija cheese – it really seals the deal! Cannot wait to try the recipe next time using Mahi Mahi!
I’m so happy you enjoyed this recipe Joe! Thank you for that awesome review!
Absolutely delicious! Every bite was flavorful and the lime crema was THE BEST!
I can’t wait to try more of your recipes!
I’m so happy to hear that, Karen! Thank you for sharing your great review!
Absolutely love everything about this recipe. I’ve ordered a lot fish tacos at restaurants and food trucks, tried at least a half dozen other recipes at home. This is my very favorite.. just perfect as written!
Awww that’s the best! Thank you so much for sharing that with me Linda!
Excellent recipe!
I’m’ so happy you enjoyed that Monica!
I’m having a hard time finding Cotija cheese is there another cheese I can substitute with?
Hi Galina, There are so many great suggestions in the comments I highly recommend looking through those. Some have mentioned goat cheese, Grana Padano, feta.
Those were delicious! We used green onions and feta cheese, just because that’s what we had on hand, but this recipe was oh, so, good! Will DEFINITELY make again! Thanks for the yumminess!
Hi Kari, Thank you for the wonderful review! I’m so happy you enjoyed that.
Could you grill fish gas grill?
Hi Patricia, here’s what one of our readers wrote ” I made these for some friends this weekend and they were a huge hit. Instead of baking the fish, I grilled it and it turned out great. Everyone loved the sauce – so simple, but so delicious!” I hope that helps.