20 Minute Fish Tacos

I have been meaning to get a taco recipe up for ages, and I finally settled on my favorite one. The best part about tacos is that they are so versatile, and you can make many different versions that all seem to taste good. Growing up in South Africa, we did not have a big exposure to mexican cuisine. Now that I live in New York, I’m thoroughly enjoying having such a wide variety right on my doorstep. These 20 minute fish tacos are super easy to make, really delicious, and on the healthier side.

Recipe Notes

Fish – you can use any firm white fish here, or even salmon if you prefer. I am lucky enough to have a farmers market close to my house, and they have a Catch of the Hamptons stall with freshly caught fish. As I’ve mentioned in the few fish recipes I have, I don’t eat fish too often. Overfishing is a problem in our oceans and we all have to do our part. However, when I do cook fish (and it really is a couple times a year), I buy line caught/wild caught fish. This way of fishing is less disruptive to the environment and more sustainable. Yes it’s a little more expensive, but I’m willing to spend a bit more if whole ecosystems aren’t destroyed by fishing trawlers/ocean habitats are not polluted by fish farms (laying on the guild pretty hard right? I apologize.. truth hurts lol).

If you’d like to learn more about our oceans/the reality of overfishing, Seaspiracy is a very good documentary to watch, as well as David Attenborough’s Blue Planet ||. There are some pretty heavy realities in these films, but we can’t just ignore what’s happening to our oceans.

If you are not into fish but like shrimp, go for it as an alternative. I normally go with 3-4 shrimp per taco. And if seafood is not your thing, you can substitute with organic chicken, grad fed beef, or fried peppers as a vegetarian alternative.

Pickled Onion – this is really easy to make yourself, but you can always buy it. If you do make it, try do it the day before so it has time to actually pickle. You can whip this up in ten minutes by finely slicing a large red onion and putting it into a large glass jar/2 smaller glass jars. On the stovetop, add a small pot on a medium heat with about 1 1/2 cups filtered water to 3/4 cups vinegar. Add 1 tsp salt and 2 tsp sugar. Once the sugar and salt have dissolved (and before boiling point) add the liquid to to the jar(s) and pop a bay leaf in each. The liquid should cover the onions. That’s it, super easy and it can stay in your fridge for weeks.

Seasoning – if you can’t get Tijan seasoning, you can make your own using paprika, cumin, salt, pepper, onion powder and even garlic powder if you like. My supermarket stocks Tijnn, but places like Amazon and Target have it too. There are also plenty taco seasoning mixes out there, but I prefer to keep the ingredients simple.

Tortillas – here in NY, I am completely spoilt with many tortilla options, weather it’s corn or flour based. I prefer corn, but it’s completely up to you and also what’s realistically available to you.

Tangy Green Sauce – the amount of sauce this recipe makes goes way beyond the 8 fish tacos you’re going to make. The good news is, it can keep in your fridge for just over a week, and can be used on so many other dishes. I made deconstructed taco bowls with the leftover sauce, and it was DELICIOUS. I added basmati rice to a bowl, topped with it the tangy sauce, fresh tomatoes, pickled onion, and grilled organic chicken thighs. Would highly recommend.

What You’ll Need

• 8 corn tortillas 
• 1 LB fresh cod
• 1 tsp tajin salt (see notes if you don’t have this)
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1 cup shredded red cabbage
• 1 cup pickled red onion (see notes)
• 1 cup chopped cherry tomatoes 
• fresh lime wedges
• olive oil or avocado oil

Zesty Green Sauce

• 2 tbsp greek yogurt
• 1 avocado, pitted/skin off
• 2 large handfuls coriander (stems and leaves)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• pepper
• 2 jalapenos, stem and seeds removed
• Juice of two fresh limes
• 1-2 cloves garlic

Fish Tacos

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5 from 2 reviews

• Author: Sheena
• Total Time: 20 minutes
• Yield: 3-4 1x

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Description

Grilled cod tacos with zesty green sauce, fresh tomato salsa and pickled onion

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Ingredients

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• 8 corn tortillas
• 1 LB fresh cod
• 1 tsp tajin salt (see notes if you don’t have this)
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 1 cup shredded red cabbage
• 1 cup pickled red onion (see notes)
• 1 cup chopped cherry tomatoes
• fresh lime wedges
• olive oil or avocado oil

Zesty Green Sauce

• 2 tbsp greek yogurt
• 1 avocado, pitted/skin off
• 2 large handfuls coriander (stems and leaves)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• pepper
• 2 jalapenos, stem and seeds removed
• Juice of two fresh limes
• 1–2 cloves garlic

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Instructions

1. Pop all the sauce ingredients into a blender and blitz until smooth. Leave some coriander leaves to top the tacos.
2. Cut your fish fillet into 3 – 4 pieces and pat down with a paper towel. In a bowl, toss the cod in your tajin, cumin and paprika seasoning and set aside ready to fry (try to get your fish to room temp, taking it out the fridge 30 mins prior to cooking).
3. Finely chop your cabbage, and chop your cherry tomatoes into quarters, adding them into a bowl with some salt, pepper and a fresh squeeze of lime to season.
4. In a small skillet, set the heat to medium heat and start to heat your tacos one by one. 1 min on each side gets them toasty. As they are ready, add them to a dish covered in aluminum to keep warm. I like to do it this way, you can also pop them in the oven at a low temp to heat before step 1.
5. While you keep heating the tacos in step 4, add 1-2 tbsp of olive oil/avocado oil to a large skillet over a medium high heat. Add your fish and fry for 3-4 minutes each side. Remove from the heat once cooked through.
6. Assemble your tacos by adding about a tbsp of the green sauce to each tortilla, topped some cabbage, fish, tomatoes, pickled onion and fresh coriander

• Cook Time: 20
• Method: Stovetop
• Cuisine: mexican