Fish Tacos Recipe with Best Fish Taco Sauce! (2024)

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!

Fish Tacos Recipe with Best Fish Taco Sauce! (1)

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 ;).

Fish Tacos Recipe with Best Fish Taco Sauce! (2)

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 Tacos Recipe with Best Fish Taco Sauce! (3)

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.

Fish Tacos Recipe with Best Fish Taco Sauce! (4)

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.

Fish Tacos Recipe with Best Fish Taco Sauce! (5)

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.

Fish Tacos Recipe with Best Fish Taco Sauce! (6)

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.

Fish Tacos Recipe with Best Fish Taco Sauce! (7)

Mmmm so much sauce! I’m so crazy about this taco sauce. Seriously the best!

Fish Tacos Recipe with Best Fish Taco Sauce! (8)

⬇Print-Friendly Fish Tacos Recipe:

Fish Tacos Recipe with Best Fish Taco Sauce!

4.99 from 1701 votes

Author: Natasha of NatashasKitchen.com

Fish Tacos Recipe with Best Fish Taco Sauce! (10)

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 - an irresistible garlic lime crema.

SavePinReviewPrint

Prep Time: 30 minutes mins

Cook Time: 25 minutes mins

Total Time: 55 minutes mins

Ingredients

Servings: 24 tacos

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 Mayo
  • 2 Tbsp lime juice, from 1 medium lime
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp Sriracha sauce, or to taste

Instructions

Nutrition Per Serving

172kcal Calories15g Carbs8g Protein9g Fat2g Saturated Fat23mg Cholesterol215mg Sodium287mg Potassium3g Fiber1g Sugar345IU Vitamin A13.9mg Vitamin C64mg Calcium0.8mg Iron

  • Full Nutrition Label
  • Nutrition Disclosure

Nutrition Facts

Fish Tacos Recipe with Best Fish Taco Sauce!

Amount per Serving

Calories

172

% Daily Value*

Fat

9

g

14

%

Saturated Fat

2

g

13

%

Cholesterol

23

mg

8

%

Sodium

215

mg

9

%

Carbohydrates

15

g

5

%

Fiber

3

g

13

%

Sugar

1

g

1

%

Protein

8

g

16

%

Vitamin A

345

IU

7

%

Vitamin C

13.9

mg

17

%

Calcium

64

mg

6

%

Iron

0.8

mg

4

%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Course: Dinner, Lunch, Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: fish tacos

Skill Level: Easy

Cost to Make: $$

Calories: 172

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!)

Fish Tacos Recipe with Best Fish Taco Sauce! (11)

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 Kravchuk

Fish Tacos Recipe with Best Fish Taco Sauce! (12)

Welcome to my kitchen! I am Natasha, the blogger behind Natasha's Kitchen (since 2009). My husband and I run this blog together and share only our best, family approved and tested recipes with YOU. Thanks for stopping by! We are so happy you're here.

Read more posts by Natasha

Fish Tacos Recipe with Best Fish Taco Sauce! (2024)

FAQs

What is the white sauce on fish tacos made of? ›

Pete Scherer is a cook and baker with a decade of experience across many facets of the Southern California food scene. That tangy, slightly spicy white sauce that often accompanies Baja style fish tacos is usually made with sour cream, mayonnaise, and lime juice.

What kind of sauce to put on fish? ›

Best sauces for fish
  1. How to pair sauces and fish?
  2. Pepper sauce.
  3. Apricot sauce.
  4. Mustard sauce.
  5. Lemon and citrus fruit sauce.
  6. Orange sauce.
  7. Fruit Mostarda.

What is Baja sauce made of? ›

Directions. Stir together sour cream, mayonnaise, lime juice, cilantro, seafood seasoning, and ancho chile pepper in a bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap; refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.

What is best tasting fish for fish tacos? ›

White-fleshed, mild, saltwater fish

Whether snapper, mahi-mahi, grouper, flounder, halibut, or cod, wild, local fish are the tastiest choice for Baja-style tacos.

What is the sauce on taco John's fish tacos? ›

Taco John's is proud to use Alaska Seafood: Wild, Natural and Sustainable® for its two for $7 Alaska Flounder Fish Tacos. The new Fiesta Sauce is a creamy, savory, seasoned sour cream dip with jalapeños, onion, garlic, tomato and cilantro.

What is the Mexican taco sauce called? ›

Salsa Taquera

Salsa taquera translates to “taco sauce” in Spanish. It's a popular salsa served in many Mexican taco stands or taquerias. The key ingredient in salsa taquera is the chile de arbol. This thin red chili pepper is hotter than a jalapeno and gives the salsa its signature spicy kick.

What three ingredients should fish sauce contain? ›

Ingredients and manufacture

Most modern fish sauces contain only fish and salt, usually made from anchovy, shrimp, mackerel, or other strong-flavored, high oil fish. Some variants add herbs and spices. For modern fish sauces, fish or shellfish are mixed with salt at a concentration of 10% to 30%.

What is the unique flavor of fish sauce? ›

The biggest misconception about fish sauce is that it's “fishy.” And sure, it might smell fishy—hell yeah, it's MADE OF FISH—but in cooking, it functions more like salt, and brings a deeper, savory, umami punch to whatever it's splashed into.

What is the closest sauce to fish sauce? ›

8 Tasty Fish Sauce Substitutes
  1. Soy sauce. Soy sauce, which is made from fermented soybeans, water, salt, and wheat, is an excellent alternative to fish sauce. ...
  2. Tamari. Tamari is a type of soy sauce. ...
  3. Oyster sauce. ...
  4. Vegan fish sauce. ...
  5. Seaweed. ...
  6. Coconut aminos. ...
  7. Worcestershire sauce. ...
  8. Mushroom and soy sauce broth.
Jun 16, 2020

What replaced Baja sauce? ›

Taco Bell's signature used to be the Baja sauce that they served on various foods. In recent years they have discontinued the beloved sauce for reasons they will not tell the public. They insist that the spicy ranch they now serve is very similar, but it isn't the same.

What is Mexican white sauce made of? ›

Directions. Place salad dressing into a medium bowl; gradually stir in milk until combined. Season with red pepper flakes, cumin, garlic powder, oregano, and salt; mix well. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours to allow flavors to blend.

Do Mexicans eat fish tacos? ›

Most people point to Baja California, Mexico and its 800-mile stretch of Pacific coastline as the fish taco's place of origin—though you'll find just as many versions served up along the Gulf Coast side of Mexico as well.

What does a fish taco contain? ›

Assemble the tacos with a few pieces of fish, some cabbage slaw, toppings of your choice, and a drizzle of taco sauce. Did you love the recipe? Give us some stars and leave a comment below!

What kind of fish does Baja fish tacos use? ›

Crispy beer-battered cod tucked into corn tortillas and topped with slaw and a smoky chipotle sauce, Baja fish tacos are the perfect summer meal.

What is the white sauce at Mexican restaurants made of? ›

What is the white sauce at Mexican restaurants made of? The only one I've ever encountered was made of Miracle Whip, mixed with milk, cumin, oregano and crushed red pepper.

What is fish sauce usually made of? ›

Most modern fish sauces contain only fish and salt, usually made from anchovy, shrimp, mackerel, or other strong-flavored, high oil fish. Some variants add herbs and spices. For modern fish sauces, fish or shellfish are mixed with salt at a concentration of 10% to 30%.

Why do white people put sour cream on tacos? ›

While sour cream has become a favorite of many taco fans for adding a refreshing creaminess to temper the spiciest salsas as well as savory pork and beef, we want to reiterate that it is not a traditional Mexican topping.

What the heck is fish sauce? ›

fish sauce, in Southeast Asian cookery, a liquid seasoning prepared by fermenting freshwater or saltwater fish with salt in large vats. After a few months time the resulting brownish, protein-rich liquid is drawn off and bottled. It is sometimes allowed to mature in the sun in glass or earthenware bottles before use.

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Prof. Nancy Dach

Last Updated:

Views: 5763

Rating: 4.7 / 5 (77 voted)

Reviews: 92% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Prof. Nancy Dach

Birthday: 1993-08-23

Address: 569 Waelchi Ports, South Blainebury, LA 11589

Phone: +9958996486049

Job: Sales Manager

Hobby: Web surfing, Scuba diving, Mountaineering, Writing, Sailing, Dance, Blacksmithing

Introduction: My name is Prof. Nancy Dach, I am a lively, joyous, courageous, lovely, tender, charming, open person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.