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!
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.
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
If you make this recipe, I’d love to see pics of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Hashtag them #natashaskitchen
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.
Natasha! This was truely a hit at dinner! We used yellow corn tortillas and it was absolutely amazing!! Thank you for the awesome recipe! I look forward to making more of your inspired foods.
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review!
Good thing I saw this post after I had something to eat! such mouth watering pictures! Have to try it this weekend, HAVE TO!
I hope you all enjoy this recipe, MJ!
Soooo delicious!! Our whole family enjoyed this. I used rockfish, and it was perfect!
Thank you!
Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Liz!
Thank you for the excellent sauce recipe! Love it! Sure beats ranch dressing which I usually use with tapatio.
Thank you so much for sharing that with me.
Tilapia is a bottom fish. Not recommended
Would recommend any other fish.
Agreed!
Definitely stay away from bottom feeders. Instead try fish like halibut, flounder, or grouper.
Wild tilapia usually feeds around the mid-level of the water. Halibut, flounder and grouper are all bottom feeders. In fact, many delicious, healthy fish and shellfish are classified as bottom feeders. With farmed fish it doesn’t really matter where it feeds as long as it is raised in a clean and healthy environment and fed a balanced diet. Look for certifications on the packaging from organizations like the Aquaculture Stewardship Council, Global Aquaculture Alliance/Best Aquaculture Practices and Ocean Wise.
My recipe review: YUM! My son, who is new at cooking, and I quickly and easily whipped this up for a family dinner. We used farm-raised tilapia and followed the recipe to a T. All agreed this one is a keeper. It is fresh, light, flavorful, and has a great combination of tastes and textures. We doubled the sauce recipe because I had an inkling it would be something we would all love. I was not wrong…
Thank you, Natasha, for a wonderful recipe!
Fantastic feedback! Thank you so much for sharing that with us, I’m happy to know that you enjoyed this recipe. Thank you for your tips and suggestions too, so helpful.
All those fish are listed as bottom feeders.
I second that opinion💕 I won’t eat at a restaurant that serves tilapia!
My boys loved this meal…one is lactose intolerant so his skipped the cheese and sauce and he still raved over it..
Hi Andrea, great to hear that your boys loved this recipe. Thank you for sharing your great review with us!
I tried pan fried catfish fillets with this recipe and it came out awesome.
Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Albert! I’m happy you enjoyed that!
I can’t find cojita cheese at the supermarkets here, what cheese is close and can be substituted? Thanks
Hi Judi, Cotija is hard to match, but a shredded Mexican 3-cheese blend might work. One of our readers also wrote the creaminess from shredded Monterey cheese was a hit for him! I hope this is helpful.
We prepared this twice this weekend! First time we used fresh tilapia and shrimp. I was raving about it to some family members so we made it again. Second time we used cod (frozen). We didn’t have siracha sauce and substituted some horseradish and red pepper flakes.
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us, Kathy!
Can’t wait to make these tomorrow night. What is a serving size? How many will ea h person typically eat?
Hi Cindy, just for future reference, the serving size is towards the top of the recipe card, and the nutrition is per serving. In this case, it is per taco since the recipe makes 24 small tacos.
This recipe is simply delicious! I used Pico de Gallo in place of the Roma tomatoes and onions and I also added jalapeños.
Great to hear that it was a success, glad you loved it!
Thanks for the recipe! We used Monkfish medallions at 375 C for ten minutes and everyone enjoyed their lunch very much. Fantastic!
You’re very welcome, Marylee. Thank you for giving this recipe a great review!
Thanks for the recipe! We used Monkfish medallions at 375 C for ten minutes and everyone enjoyed their lunch very much. Fantastic!!
You’re welcome! I’m happy to hear that, thanks for sharing.
Joining the other 5 start reviews here, such a hit and the fish was simple and DELICIOUS!! Saved this one for sure and works on busy nights.
Thank you for your great recipes:)
Thank you for giving this recipe a wonderful and perfect review, Lindsey! I’m glad you loved it.
One of the best fish taco recipes out there and that line crema is so awesome !!!!
I’m so happy you loved the tacos and the taco sauce. Thank you for the amazing review.
Ok so me and my dude wanted to start trying different things, so we googled some recipes and narrowed it down to your fish taco recipe. We absolutely LOVED it! But the BEST thing ever,was the taco sauce! We both agree that it is amazing!!
Hi Deandra, these fish tacos have been a favorite for many years. I’m so glad you loved the recipe!
These are the best fish tacos I’ve ever eaten!!!! I will be making these a lot!
That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new favorite!
My mouth was salivating just reading your recipe and all of these 5 ☆ reviews! I especially recall the many rave reviews of the fish taco sauce! Good news, bad news. I used 6 oz of Cod and Louisiana Cajun Blackened Seasoning that I already had instead of needing a bunch of spices. Pan seared it instead of baked because I like it a little brown and crispy on the outside. Delicious!
BUT… I didn’t have Sriracha sauce (don’t even really know what it is) so I Googled what can be substituted.
I ended up using a little cayenne pepper and red pepper flakes and it was waaay too spicy for me!! I’m single, was eating alone (that’s why only 6 oz of fish for 3-4 tacos) . Such a waste for that much sauce even if it had turned out delicious!!
I am going to attempt this again in a few weeks But sure wish I knew if the Sriracha sauce will be too spicy for me as well so as to not waste $.
Wondering if just the sour cream, mayo, lime juice and garlic powder will be delicious OR what is best to use for just a kittle kick/how much!
I don’t mind buying Sriracha sauce
(although it’s probably the only thing I’d use it on) IF I knew the sauce will be delicious! Is it like that Frank’s hot sauce? I do love Buffalo wings
But have never made them. I order beteeen a mild-medium sauce..a little kick, NOT firey!
Hello Vickie, thanks for sharing your experience with us. I recommend trying out a little bit of the sriracha sauce first and just add a bit more if you can handle it.
First time eating and making fish tacos! Absolutely delicious! Will definitely be making these again soon! Thanks so much for sharing the recipe!
You’re welcome, Nicole. Thank you so much for sharing that with me.
Sriracha sauce can be found in the Asian food section. I usually halve the sauce recipe and still have leftovers. But the leftovers are good as a regular salad dressing, or as a topping for any baked fish or chicken.
I did my fish in a batter so it was moist with a nice crisp crust. I didn’t have any siracha either…but did have everything else on hand. The sauce needs a kick… i found some buffalo wing sauce in my pantry and 1 -2 tbs, wooo-eeee, perfect! My kids n hubby gobbled up these tacos *noting the sauce as one of the stars* 🙂
Have since shared this recipe!!
Hi Stephanie, The sriracha is the kick that the sauce needs. You definitely need to try with sriracha next time as written and you’ll love it. Thank you for trying the recipe and sharing it.
Off the charts good! Great flavors all around. I made some corn tortillas and briefly fried them, grilled the fish on the BBQ then built the tacos. YUM! I shared your recipe with my family across the nation too! Good job!
Awesome! Thank you for your wonderful review and for sharing this recipe with other too.
I’ve been looking for a fish taco recipe for months. These tacos are awesome! I can’t wait to make them for friends.
I’m glad you found this recipe, Oliver! I hope your friends will love this recipe too.