This recipe for fish tacos is seasoned fish layered with cabbage, avocado, pico de gallo and a creamy sauce, all tucked inside warm corn tortillas. It’s a meal that’s fast, fresh, healthy and ready in 20 minutes!

We regularly celebrate Taco Tuesday at my house with slow cooker chicken tacos, carne asada tacos or tacos made with fresh fish. These fish tacos are better than anything you’d get at a restaurant.

Fish tacos wrapped in corn tortillas with sliced avocado and pico de gallo.

We do tacos for dinner almost every week at my house. Not only are tacos easy to make, but I also love that they’re highly customizable which can be important when you’ve got picky eaters! These fish tacos are tilapia fillets seared to perfection, then layered with cabbage and topped with pico de gallo and avocado slices. Taco perfection I tell you!

How do you make fish tacos?

This recipe starts with fresh fish fillets, which get sprinkled with taco seasoning and seared in a hot pan until they’re golden brown and cooked through. While the fish is cooking, it’s time to prepare the taco toppings with which include shredded cabbage, pico de gallo, avocado and creamy sauce. Everything gets layered together in hot corn tortillas, then dinner is served.

Tilapia fillets coated in taco seasoning and cooked in a skillet.

Tips for fish tacos

I typically use store bought taco seasoning to save on prep time. If you don’t have taco seasoning on hand, you can mix together 2 teaspoons of chili powder with 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon each of garlic powder, onion powder, ground cumin and pepper.
Be sure not to overcook your fish – a thin fish fillet only needs to cook for 3-4 minutes per side.
You can use flour tortillas or hard taco shells instead of corn tortillas if you prefer.
I use a mandoline to finely shred my cabbage. You can purchase a bag of pre-shredded cabbage to save on time.
I like to make my own pico de gallo whenever possible, but store bought pico de gallo from the deli section is also a great option.
The white sauce is a blend of mayonnaise and plain yogurt, and can be made a day in advance.

A plate of taco seasoned fish fillets with a lime and cilantro garnish.

WHAT FISH IS BEST FOR FISH TACOS?

I recommend using a mild white fish for these tacos, such as tilapia, halibut, cod or mahi mahi. In this case, I’ve used tilapia because it’s readily available and inexpensive. You’ll want to cut your fish into strips to fit inside your tortillas, or cook the whole fillets then cut them into 2-3 inch pieces.

Cooked fish, cabbage, pico de gallo and corn tortillas.

WHAT TOPPINGS DO YOU PUT ON FISH TACOS?

While these fish tacos include just a few toppings, you can absolutely add other toppings to your liking. Here are some of my favorites.

Veggies: Roasted corn, sliced olives, diced red bell pepper.
Cheese: Shredded cheddar or crumbled cotija cheese.
Chiles: Roasted mild green chiles or thinly sliced jalapenos.
Herbs: Chopped cilantro or sliced green onions.

Fish tacos with cabbage, avocado, salsa and creamy sauce.

Now you can enjoy taqueria style tacos in the comfort of your own home, in under 30 minutes! How can you go wrong with that?

MORE GREAT TACO RECIPES

5 from 10 votes

Fish Tacos with Avocado

Print Pin Save

AuthorSara Welch

This recipe for fish tacos is seasoned fish layered with cabbage, avocado, pico de gallo and a creamy sauce, all tucked inside warm corn tortillas. It's a meal that's fast, fresh, healthy and ready in 20 minutes!

Time

Prep Time10

Cook Time15

Total Time25

Course Main Course

Cuisine Mexican

Serves tacos

Ingredients

▢ 1 pound tilapia fillets a different variety of mild white fish will also work
▢ 2 teaspoons olive oil
▢ 1 tablespoon taco seasoning
▢ 1 cup shredded cabbage
▢ 1 avocado thinly sliced
▢ 1 cup pico de gallo homemade or store bought
▢ 1/3 cup plain yogurt
▢ 1/3 cup mayonnaise
▢ 8 corn tortillas warmed

Instructions

Heat the oil in a pan over medium high heat. Coat the fish with the taco seasoning.
Place the fish in the pan and cook for 3-4 minutes on each side or until just cooked through.
In a small bowl, mix together the plain yogurt, mayonnaise and 2 teaspoons of water.
To assemble the tacos: divide the cabbage evenly between 8 corn tortillas. Break up the fish into large pieces and add it on top of the cabbage.
Finish the tacos with the pico de gallo, avocado and a drizzle of white sauce. Serve immediately.