Active Time
15 minutes
Total Time
35 minutes
Believed to originate in Baja California, Mexico, circa 1950, fish tacos combine Indigenous, Asian, and European culinary traditions into one perfect bite. This extremely versatile version from Lourdes Castro is one of our favorite ways to make them on a weeknight. While Castro opts for corn tortillas, you can swap in flour tortillas if you prefer. Can’t find crema mexicana in your local market? Add a squeeze of fresh lime juice to sour cream (preferably a Mexican variety) and mix until it’s the right taco-drizzling consistency. (If you keep Greek yogurt on hand, you can swap it in, though you might want to thin it with a little water so things don’t get too tangy.)
Any flaky white fish will work for the filling, including cod, mahi-mahi, halibut, haddock, or tilapia. The smoky, herbal marinade, with cumin, oregano, and ancho chile powder, is fast to whip together and brings big, bold flavor, whatever you use. (Note that chili powder with an “i” tends to be a mix of spices, but chile with an “e” is used to refer to a single chile that’s been ground to a powder; if you have a chili powder you love, feel free to swap it in for the spice blend below.) Want to turn up the heat? Add a pinch of cayenne, hot smoked paprika, or diced canned chipotles.
This fish taco recipe is easily doubled, which makes it great for entertaining a crowd. They’re delicious as is, but you can also serve them topped with guacamole or pico de gallo, or round out the meal with crunchy red cabbage slaw or corn salad.
This recipe was adapted for style from ‘Simply Mexican’ by Lourdes Castro. Buy the full book on Amazon. Looking for crispy fried fish tacos? Try this recipe for Tacos de Salpicón de Pescado—and check out more of our best taco recipes.
Ingredients
4 servings
Preparation
Step 1
Combine 1 medium red onion, thinly sliced, and 1½ cups red wine vinegar in a small bowl. Set aside for at least 30 minutes.Pour ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil into a shallow medium bowl or dish; add 1½ tsp. ancho chile powder, 1½ tsp. dried oregano, ½ tsp. ground cumin, ¼ cup lightly packed fresh cilantro leaves, chopped, and 1 jalapeño, stemmed and chopped and mix well. Add 1 lb. flaky white fish fillets (such as mahi-mahi or cod), cut into 4 pieces; turn fish to coat well on both sides. Marinate for 20 minutes.
Step 2
Heat a nonstick sauté pan over medium-high heat. Remove the fish from the marinade and place in the hot pan (no need to add more oil or pat fish dry). Season fish with kosher salt. Cook the fish for 4 minutes undisturbed, then turn over and cook for another 2 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and flake the fish into the pan with a fork, making sure to mix in all the marinade that has stuck to the bottom of the pan. Check for seasoning and add more salt if necessary. Set aside.
Step 3
Place 4 of 8 fresh corn tortillas on a plate between 2 slightly dampened sheets of paper towel. Microwave on high for 45 seconds. Place warm tortillas in a towel-lined basket or plate and cover. Repeat with the remaining tortillas.
Step 4
Spoon a heaping spoonful of cooked fish into the center of a tortilla. Top with pickled onions, crema, fresh salsa, hot sauce, and cilantro leaves. Serve with lime wedges for squeezing.
Do Ahead: Pickled onions can be made 3 weeks in advance; refrigerate in an air tight container. Fish can be marinated 1 day ahead; refrigerate in an airtight container.
Editor’s note: This recipe for fish tacos first appeared on Epicurious in May 2009. Head this way for more of our favorite Mexican recipes →
Leave a Review
Reviews (251)
Back to TopMy family loved these tacos so much! Will definitely make again.
Anonymous
1/29/2024
Best tacos ive ever had make many moore times so many good simple ingredients cheap n easy just like i like it on monday night! It was so perfect why try anything else? Made this dish 20+ times
Rick Diculous
Sylvan Lake canada
1/16/2022
Great recipe, very easy. Love the pickled onions.
Anonymous
MA
5/6/2021
Excellent as written. I followed as described except used seasoned rice wine vinegar instead of red wine vinegar. We kept fillets whole instead of chopping and topped with Mexican cheese, salsa, and avocado.
St.Petersburg, Florida
5/23/2020
The tomato salsa is not needed, we add a dollop of yoghurt to each taco, the result is just delish. Tortillas taste much better heated in a comal.
mexicancurious
San Rafael, CA
8/27/2019
Excellent recipe, very flavorful! Made the pickled onions for the first time and they were correct. I now keep a container in the refrigerator all the time.
Anonymous
Zanesville, OHIO
7/22/2019
This is a fantastic recipie! The pickled onions really take it over the top.
grubermack
St.Paul, MN
10/26/2018
the fish came out great! i am, however, very disturbed by the suggestion that one should microwave tortillas. tortillas should be toasted on the open gas flame or in a cast iron skillet. NEVER MICROWAVE TORTILLAS
analisajackson620
humboldt county Ca
10/24/2018
These were excellent! And easy! I heated the torillas on the burner so they were a bit crispy and puffy. Count on 2-3 tacos per person for dinner. I didn't make tomato salsa - just diced tomatoes. The marinade on the fish provides plenty of flavor. This was a big hit!
finolak
Brooklyn, NY
8/7/2018
Absolutely amazing recipe!! I think in fact these were the best fish tacos I have ever had, even having been to Baja peninsula, where they were pretty much invented. The pickled red onions were yum! I made a bunch and they stay well in the fridge. I do think that fish choice is important. Personally, I splurged on wild red snapper and it was just incredible. The flavor was superb. Would definitely make this again!
gr8irina
Philadelphia
5/1/2018
a rare 4 forks from me. This was easy and super delicious. No leftovers. I used tilapia and marinated it overnight. I served it with Mark Miller's cabbage slaw, avocado chunks, fresh salsa roja, and the marinated onion. Real corn tortillas heating directly on the flame. A huge hit that i definitely plan to make again.
ellenrls
Baltimore
7/27/2017
I LOVE this recipe! The combination of flavors just sings. You can make crema by mixing 1/2 cup mexican sour cream (or american sour cream with a little salt), 1/2 teaspoon lime zest, 2 teaspoons lime juice
ebazazi5620
Higganum, CT
5/13/2017
Everyone I've made this for is SHOCKED by how scrumptious it is, and there are never any leftovers. Do you need a way to get your kids to eat fish? This is it. The marinated onions really add color and dimension and *I* think they are essential on these tacos, but I've noticed they aren't for everyone. Still, if this is your first time making this recipe, make the marinated onions too-- even if you aren't a fan of onions, even you're wary of the idea. They add a delightful, layer to the flavor explosion of the fish, and the complimenting tastes just might surprise you.
kkemper
Chicago
9/1/2016
Excellent recipe. Marinade is lovely and the family said the fish even without tacos would be a hit. Made it with frozen cod defrosted and it is now rated as "definitely have again" by the family. Timing for the fish was spot on, but the fish was marinated for 4 hours.
Momac2
Northern ireland
7/30/2016
The fish marinade is very tasty, even though I didn't use the jalepeno. I also used tilapia instead of mahi and substituted coriander for cumin (since I don't have cumin). I think an important component of this recipe is using a fry pan instead of grilling so you can incorporate the bits that you loosen from the pan with the fish. I did not use the marinated onions but topped tacos with lime-cilantro-broccoli slaw and the crema, since my husband won't eat onions. Use your own preference for toppings, but the fish marinade is highly recommended!
mich8642
LiNapNNpNaples, flNapl
7/13/2016
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