Tilapia Fish Tacos
Make the perfect Mexican-style Tilapia Fish Tacos with this easy and delicious recipe. Fresh white fish seasoned with fajita mix and grilled to perfection, served in a warm toasted corn tortilla with coleslaw and cilantro lime sauce. It makes for an unforgettable 30 minute meal for the family.
Servings 5
Ingredients
- 1 pound fresh tilapia (skinned & deboned)
- 1 lime zested & juiced
- 1 packet fajita seasoning mix
- 1 tablespoon oil (canola, vegetable, avocado)
- 10 corn tortillas
- 3 cups tri-color coleslaw
- 1/3 cup cilantro lime sauce
Optional Toppings
- sliced avocado
- crumbled queso fresco or cotija cheese
- chopped cilantro
- lime wedge
- pico de gallo
- Mexicana crema
Instructions
- Cut the fish into 5 filets. Some fish is already cut into filets so skip this step if needed. Pat each filet dry with a paper towel.1 pound fresh tilapia
- Sprinkle each filet with lime zest and lime juice on both sides. pat the fajita seasoning mix into the fish on both sides. *Remember to zest the lime first and then squeeze it for the juice. To really get lots of juice out of the lime, roll it between the palm of your hand and the counter top to release all the juice.1 lime, 1 packet fajita seasoning mix
- Heat your grill pan over medium-high heat making sure to grease it well with oil.* The recipe calls for 1 tablespoon but you may need more in order to grease the pan well so the fish does not stick.1 tablespoon oil
- Once the grill is fully heated, place the fish on it and cook for 5-8 minutes on each side or until the internal temperature reaches 140°-145℉. Be sure that when you flip the fish that you regrease the grill if needed, so the fish does not stick.
- While the fish is cooking, heat the tortillas on the grill or in the microwave to soften. * I recommend wrapping the corn tortillas in a wet paper towel (not dripping wet but wrung out moist) for microwaving them. This helps trap all the heat and steam and softens them really well.10 corn tortillas
- Mix the trim-color coleslaw with the cilantro lime sauce in a mixing bowl until combined.3 cups tri-color coleslaw, 1/3 cup cilantro lime sauce
- When the fish is cooked, assemble the tacos by placing a stack of two corn tortillas on a plate and a filet of the cooked fish across them. Top with a large scoop of the coleslaw mix and whatever other toppings you prefer.* Topping Ideas : sliced avocado, queso fresco, chopped cilantro, lime wedge, pico de gallo.
Notes
Coleslaw Tip : If you prefer a softer coleslaw for the fish tacos then go ahead and mix the coleslaw + cilantro lime sauce ahead of time and let it refrigerate until you're ready to serve.
Cilantro Lime Sauce : There are lots of options for this. The brand Herdez makes a cilantro lime taco sauce (that's what I used in the photos). Best Foods brand makes a cilantro lime cream sauce. Herdez makes a cilantro lime cremosa (creamy salsa) that can be found by the other jarred salsa at the store. Or you can use Briannas cilantro lime salad dressing. Other choices are just to use salsa, green enchilada sauce, ranch dressing, you can really use anything you want here.
Tilapia Fish : Most grocery stores sell this as already deboned and skinned, so there is no worry about having to know how to do that. If you bought one big filet then you will need to cut into smaller filets (depending on how many tacos you want to make) before cooking it. Tilapia fish is a flakier white fish which means that it needs to be handled with care when grilling it and especially turning it. I don't recommend using an outdoor type grill to make this fish because it's more likely to fall apart through the grill racks.
Use a Grill Pan : I recommend cooking the fish on a grill pan on the stove top. This is a fabulous year-round recipe where an outdoor grill is not needed. I have linked to the grill pan that I love and use, so make sure you have a grill pan.
Oil : An oil with a high smoke point is recommended like canola oil, vegetable oil, grapeseed oil, and avocado oil. Butter and olive oil are likely to burn as the grill heats. Make sure you use plenty of oil to make sure the grill pan is well oiled before adding the fish. Once the fish sticks to the pan, you'll have a hard time cooking it in one piece and turning it over.