20 Minute Baked Fish Tacos with Slaw
You can have these hearty baked fish tacos with slaw on the table in less than 20 minutes with just a few simple ingredients! Skip the heavy, greasy, fried fish tacos for the fresh flavors of this baked fish taco recipe.
You Will Love These
- They’re quick and easy. 5 minutes of prep + 15 minutes of baking means you can have a healthy, satisfying dinner on the table in less than 20 minutes!
- The ingredient list is short and sweet. And you might have most of the ingredients in your kitchen already!
- The flavors are out of this world. The classic spices and tender, flaky white fish are perfectly balanced with the cool, creamy chipotle lime sauce. Add some 5 Minute Cilantro Lime Slaw for crunch and a sprinkle of fresh chopped cilantro to bring it all together!
- There’s no frying required. I love a good fried fish taco as much as the next girl, but I hate the way it makes my kitchen smell! In this recipe, you can let your oven do all the work! Which means you’ll replace that fried vegetable oil smell with fragrant spices.
- If you liked these fish tacos with slaw, be sure to check out my Blackened Salmon Tacos, Lemon Butter Fish Spaghetti, and Easy Salmon Burgers.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Cod – Cod is the perfect mild white fish for these fish tacos. But feel free to use your favorite flaky white fish. Shrimp would also be delicious in place of the fish!
- Spices – Cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, and coriander are my favorites for fish tacos. Feel free to add cayenne or paprika if you’d like. You could also use a packet of taco seasoning in place of the spices.
- Tortillas – Corn or flour tortillas will work well for this recipe. Use whatever your family likes best. You can also skip the tortillas and make burrito bowls by adding rice instead!
- Chipotle Lime Cream Sauce – This simple sauce is made with sour cream (or Greek yogurt), mayo, chipotles in adobo, and lime juice for a simple drizzle that ties everything together!
- 5 Minute Cilantro Lime Slaw – This fish taco slaw comes together in just 5 minutes with a handful of simple ingredients which means you can make it while the fish is baking. It’s my favorite crunchy accompaniment and it pairs perfectly with the tender, flaky fish. You can slice fresh cabbage/carrots for the slaw or save even more time with a pre-made coleslaw mix.
Instructions
Pat fish dry with paper towel. Add the fish to your baking dish, skillet, or baking sheet. I love cast iron for these fish tacos but if you’re using a baking sheet, feel free to line it with parchment paper for easy clean up. Drizzle the fish fillets with olive oil.
Season fish with spices.
Gently rub the the seasoning into the fish.
Bake for 12-14 minutes or until the fish flakes easily with a fork.
While the fish is baking, whisk sour cream, mayo, chiles, lime juice, and water in a small bowl until smooth and creamy. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Then throw together the fish taco slaw!
Serve With
- corn/flour tortillas
- Cilantro Lime Slaw
- Creamy Avocado Sauce
- fresh cilantro
- chipotle lime cream sauce (recipe below)
- sliced avocado
- diced red onion
- crema
- sliced radishes
- lime wedges
Best Kind of Fish
Any mild white fish will work great for fish tacos with slaw. But I like to use:
- cod
- haddock
- tilapia
- snapper
- grouper
- mahi mahi
- halibut
Tips
- Season. Season. Season. Don’t be afraid of salt. While we do have a lot of other spices going on in these baked fish tacos, salt is going to the key ingredient that brings out all the delicious flavors of every element. So use it moderately – and especially use it in the creamy chipotle lime sauce!
- Don’t go overboard with the taco toppings. Honestly, my 5 Minute Cilantro Lime Slaw Recipe is all you need! I love a variety of colors, flavors and textures in my but it’s important to keep it relatively simple or the delicious, tender fish is going to get lost. Try to keep it to fresh veggies and creamy sauce.
FAQ
My favorite thing to serve with fish tacos is my 5 Minute Cabbage Slaw. It’s loaded with flavor but made with simple ingredients that take just minutes to throw together. For another easy side dish try my Crockpot Queso with tortilla chips or Street Corn Pasta Salad.
You can use just about any type of fish for tacos but my favorites include: cod, haddock, tilapia, snapper, grouper, mahi mahi, or halibut. Fish that is mild, white, and flaky is typically used for fish tacos.
In this recipe, our fish taco sauce is a delicious chipotle cream sauce that’s made with mayonnaise, sour cream, chiles in adobo, and lime juice for a delicious drizzle that ties everything together!
The best way to slice cabbage for fish tacos is to slice is super super thin. This will allow the cabbage to absorb the dressing from the slaw and break down a bit so that it retains a bit of it’s crunch but doesn’t taste like raw cabbage. Here’s an easy recipe for fish taco slaw!
More Easy Seafood Recipes
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Baked Fish Tacos with Chipotle Lime Cream Sauce
You can have these hearty Baked Fish Tacos on the table in less than 20 minutes with just a few simple ingredients! Skip the heavy, greasy, fried fish tacos for the fresh flavors of this baked fish taco recipe.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 8 tacos 1x
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients
Tacos:
- 1 lb. cod or mild white fish
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoons cumin
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon coriander
- kosher salt
- fresh cracked pepper
- 8 corn tortillas
Chipotle Lime Sauce:
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1 tablespoon mayo
- 2 teaspoons diced chiles in adobo
- juice of 1 lime
- splash of water
- kosher salt
- fresh cracked pepper
Serve with:
- flour tortillas
- Pico de Gallo
- 5 Minute Cilantro Lime Slaw
Instructions
- Heat oven to 400 degrees.
- Pat fish dry with paper towel.
- Place fish in a baking dish and drizzle with olive oil.
- Sprinkle fillet with cumin, chili powder, garlic, powder, coriander, and a couple large pinches of salt and pepper. Use your hands to gently massage the spices into the fillet.
- Bake for 12-14 minutes or until the fish flakes easily with a fork.
- While the fish is baking, whisk sour cream, mayo, chiles, lime juice, and water in a bowl until smooth and creamy. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Flake fish into bite-size pieces and divide evenly between tortillas.
- Add Cilantro Lime Slaw, a drizzle of chipotle lime cream sauce, and top with Pico de Gallo!
Equipment
Buy Now → Notes
- Season. Season. Season. Don’t be afraid of salt. While we do have a lot of other spices going on in these baked fish tacos, salt is going to the key ingredient that brings out all the delicious flavors of every element. So use it moderately – and especially use it in the creamy chipotle lime sauce!
- Don’t go overboard with the taco toppings. Honestly, my 5 Minute Cilantro Lime Slaw Recipe is all you need! I love a variety of colors, flavors and textures in my but it’s important to keep it relatively simple or the delicious, tender fish is going to get lost. Try to keep it to fresh veggies and creamy sauce.
This post was originally published in June of 2018. It was updated in September of 2020 to include process shots, detailed instructions, and tips for making the best fish tacos every single time!
I made only the fish portion of this meal it was very good. A little I’m the spice side for me.
Made this tonight for supper. I used our pan fish (Bluegill & Crappie) we caught earlier this summer. It was so good with the pico de gallo! Thanks!
YUM! That sounds amazing, Beth! Nothing butter than fish tacos with FRESH fish. So glad you enjoyed this recipe. Thanks for leaving a review!
My family loves this recipe!
I had always wanted to try fish tacos. We live in Missouri, near ponds & lakes, and we love to fish. But, we have freshwater fish. I used 2 lb of “flathead” catfish for this recipe. I found that the catfish filets needed to bake about 8 min longer than recommended. The fish was wonderful! It was flaky and seasoned perfectly. I’m making this recipe again tonight!
Thanks again!
YUM! Catfish sounds delicious in this recipe!! I’m so glad that you enjoyed it, Tanya. Thanks so much for leaving a review!!