A delicious fish taco makes for the ultimate summertime meal. These are my Easy Baja Fish Tacos, and they are the only fish taco recipe that you need. Crispy flour tortillas, topped with a protein-packed homemade avocado crema, a crunchy cabbage slaw, and tender bites of seasoned baja fish, these tacos truly have it all. Plus, they’re pan-fried, not deep-fried, making them a better-for-you take on the classic baja fish taco!
Friends, want to hear some exciting news? Yesterday, I hosted my first-ever cooking class! One of my biggest goals for 2024 has been to build more spaces to come together as a community, and a cooking class felt like the perfect solution. So many of you joined me from your home kitchens as we cooked, enjoyed drinks, and answered your questions. And the recipe we made? Well, it was none other than my Easy Baja Fish Tacos.
As we move into the summertime, one of my favorite recipes for lunch or dinner are fish tacos. They’re light, filling, packed with protein, and also happen to be SUPER easy to make. If you enjoyed my 10 Minute Air Fryer Shrimp Tacos that I shared last summer, then you are absolutely going to love this recipe!
And the best part about these tacos? They’re not fried. While traditional Baja Fish Tacos include a battered and fried fish, in this recipe, the fish is seasoned and cooked on the stove, instead. The result is a perfectly-crispy, juicy fish that is lighter and healthier. And, when it’s paired alongside this delicious cabbage slaw and topped with my favorite avocado lime crema? It’s truly a match made in heaven!
What You Need to Make These Easy Baja Fish Tacos
- Cod or Tilapia: A mild, white fish like cod or tilapia works best for these Baja Fish Tacos!
- Seasoning Blend: The perfect seasoning blend makes for the perfect fish, and in this recipe it’s a combination of smoked paprika, garlic powder, cumin, and chili powder. Yum!
- Oil: While any oil works for this recipe, I recommend using a better-for-you oil such as avocado oil or olive oil.
- Taco-Sized Flour Tortillas: Small, taco-sized flour tortillas work perfect for this recipe!
- Cabbage: Either fresh purple cabbage or pre-shredded cabbage works well, for this recipe.
- Lime Juice: A squeeze of fresh lime juice helps the cabbage maintain and softer texture, making it perfect for these tacos.
- Cilantro: No taco recipe is complete without the fresh cilantro. Don’t skip this!
- Honey: Honey adds just the right amount of sweetness to the cabbage slaw.
- Sea Salt & Ground Black Pepper: A little salt and pepper adds the perfect flavor to the fish and the cabbage slaw!
- Avocados: Of course, it wouldn’t be an avocado lime crema without the avocados!
- Garlic: I always recommend using fresh garlic, whenever possible. It adds the best flavor and really kicks things up to the next level!
- Greek Yogurt or Cottage Cheese: The secret to making the creamy avocado lime crema is either greek yogurt or cottage cheese.
- Garnishes: These are optional, but I love garnishing these tacos with some lime wedges or slices of radish!
How to Make The Perfect Healthy Fish Taco
To make these tacos, start by preparing the cabbage slaw. Wash and chop the cabbage well, then add it to a large bowl. Add in the rest of the slaw ingredients to the bowl – the olive oil, lime juice, chopped cilantro, honey, sea salt, and ground black pepper – and toss to combine. Then, set it aside. The cabbage will soften as it sits, so it will be the perfect texture by the time you’re ready to eat it!
Next, prepare the avocado lime crema. Add all of the crema ingredients to a blender and pulse until smooth. If you prefer a thinner sauce, you can add in water, 1/4 cup at a time, and blend until it reaches your desired consistency. Set it aside while you prepare the fish. Prepare the fish by coating both sides of the cod or tilapia with the seasoning – the smoked paprika, garlic powder, cumin, chili powder, and ground black pepper. Then, set the fish aside.
Heat a skillet, on the stove, over medium heat, and add in the oil. Once the oil is hot, add in the fish filets – this is important, otherwise the fish will stick to the pan. Leave the fish undisturbed for 3 minutes, then gently flip the fish to the other side and allow it to cook, undisturbed, for another 3 minutes. If the pan is dry, you can add in oil, a few tablespoons at a time, to ensure that the fish doesn’t stick.
Once the fish has cooked through, remove it from the heat. Then, warm the tortillas according to your preferred method. I like to heat them on the stove, over an open flame, so that the edges get crispy!
Finally, assemble the tacos by adding a scoop of the crema to teach tortilla, followed by the cabbage slaw and the fish. Garnish with a few radish slices and a squeeze of fresh lime, if desired, then serve and enjoy!
If you make this recipe, please be sure to leave a review and rating below! To see more recipes and behind the scenes, follow along on Instagram, TikTok, and Youtube! I’m also now on Pinterest, so stop by and take a look at what’s new.
** Photography by Tanya Pilgrim
Ingredients
For the Tacos:
- 1 ½ Pounds Cod or Tilapia, cut into filets
- 1 Teaspoon Smoked Paprika
- 2 Teaspoons Garlic Powder
- 2 Teaspoons Cumin
- ½ Teaspoon Chili Powder
- ½ Teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
- 3 Tablespoons Oil, I recommend using avocado or olive oil
- 8 Soft Taco-Sized Flour Tortillas
For the Cabbage Slaw:
- 4 Cups Purple Cabbage, thinly sliced – this is the equivalent of 1 10 ounce package of pre-shredded cabbage
- 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
- 2 Tablespoons Lime Juice
- ¼ Cup Fresh Cilantro, chopped
- 1 Teaspoon Honey
- Sea Salt, to taste
- Ground Black Pepper, to taste
For the Avocado Lime Crema:
- 2 Ripe Avocados
- 2 Limes, juiced
- ⅓ Cup Olive Oil
- 2 Cloves Garlic
- 1 4 Ounce Container Greek Yogurt or Cottage Cheese
- 1 Cup Cilantro
- 1 Teaspoon Cumin
- 1 Teaspoon Sea Salt
- 1 Pinch Ground Black Pepper
- ¼ Cup Water, this is to thin the dressing, as needed!
For Garnishing:
- Lime Wedges
- Radish
Instructions
- To make these tacos, start by preparing the cabbage slaw. Wash and chop the cabbage well, then add it to a large bowl.
- Add in the rest of the slaw ingredients to the bowl – the olive oil, lime juice, chopped cilantro, honey, sea salt, and ground black pepper – and toss to combine. Then, set it aside. The cabbage will soften as it sits, so it will be the perfect texture by the time you're ready to eat it!
- Next, prepare the avocado lime crema. Add all of the crema ingredients to a blender and pulse until smooth. If you prefer a thinner sauce, you can add in water, 1/4 cup at a time, and blend until it reaches your desired consistency. Set it aside while you prepare the fish.
- Prepare the fish by coating both sides of the cod or tilapia with the seasoning – the smoked paprika, garlic powder, cumin, chili powder, and ground black pepper. Then, set the fish aside.
- Heat a skillet, on the stove, over medium heat, and add in the oil.
- Once the oil is hot, add in the fish filets – this is important, otherwise the fish will stick to the pan.
- Leave the fish undisturbed for 3 minutes, then gently flip the fish to the other side and allow it to cook, undisturbed, for another 3 minutes. If the pan is dry, you can add in oil, a few tablespoons at a time, to ensure that the fish doesn't stick.
- Once the fish has cooked through, remove it from the heat.
- Then, warm the tortillas according to your preferred method. I like to heat them on the stove, over an open flame, so that the edges get crispy!
- Finally, assemble the tacos by adding a scoop of the crema to teach tortilla, followed by the cabbage slaw and the fish.
- Garnish with a few radish slices and a squeeze of fresh lime, if desired, then serve and enjoy!
Rate & review
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What others are saying
Made this today for Father’s Day for my oldest son and his family. I was a bit skeptical because each component on its own just tasted Fair. When all assembled and my son’s reaction was ‘wow these are awesome!’ My daughter-in-law even asked to put this on the Sunday funday rotation menu! YES! Mama did good for Father’s Day! Thank you very much for the great recipe! (I also made chipotle mayonnaise in the food chopper with 1/2cup of mayo 1/4 cup of sour cream one garlic clove 2 tablespoon of lime juice and three Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce) for the people that like it’s spicy! It was a winner!!
I am so happy that you and your family enjoyed this recipe, Carmella! Thank you so much for making it and for leaving such a kind review!
These were absolutely delicious! I was getting a bit tired of the frozen tilapia fillets we always have on hand and this was a great different way of making them. They are light but satisfying and will be going on the weekly rotation. Thanks so much for the recipe!
I am so happy you enjoyed it, Donna! Thank you for your review!
LOVE THESE TACOS 🌮
Woohoo! I am so happy to hear that, Shelley! Thank you so much for your support!
These sound delish/ for the crema can you use sour cream instead of cottage cheese or Greek yougrt? Thanks
Hi Morgan! Yes, you can definitely opt for sour cream, if you prefer.
Can I use your Erewhon cabbage slaw for these, it sounds delicious.