Grilled Fish Tacos

These healthy grilled fish tacos are a fresh and flavorful anytime meal. Flaky white fish, crunchy cabbage, and pico de gallo are tucked into a warm corn tortilla, then topped with a creamy chipotle-lime sauce. They're easy to make and ready in just 40 minutes!

Enjoy these tacos on their own or with a delicious Mexican-inspired side like our roasted corn and avocado salad or spicy Mexican rice.

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Here's a quick and easy grilled fish taco recipe to mix up your weeknight meal situation. Because simple is sometimes best, we keep the toppings to a minimum. Just grilled fish, thinly sliced cabbage, fresh pico de gallo, and our homemade fish taco sauce. It all comes together easily, and clean-up is a breeze.

Don't skimp on the sauce – it's totally delicious! The chipotle-lime taco sauce is creamy, slightly spicy, and customizable. You can adjust how spicy you want the sauce to be by adding more or less of the chipotles in adobo.

And if you love Mexican seafood recipes, also try our shrimp tacos!

Why you'll love grilled fish in tacos

We love to cook fish on the grill because it's one of the healthiest foods you can make, and it tastes great. We make these on repeat during barbecue season but they're easy to make on a grill any time of year.

Grilling fish is notoriously tricky so we recommend using a thick piece of fish like halibut or cod. Thin filets won't hold up on the grill. Or if you have a grilling basket, that's a great option too!

If you love Mexican food as much as we do, also be sure to try our pork carnitas recipe!

Ingredients for grilled fish tacos

Here's everything you'll need to make the grilled fish tacos:

• Avocado oil – to make a seasoning paste for coating the fish. Avocado oil also has a higher smoke point so it's great when grilling at higher temperatures.
• Seasonings – a flavorful mix of chili powder, onion powder, garlic powder, and cumin.
• Sea salt – a flavor enhancer that makes the other flavors pop!
• Fish – a thicker cut of white fish like halibut or cod will hold up well on the barbecue.
• Tortillas – we used 4″ corn tortillas but feel free to use your favorite tortillas.
• Cabbage – thinly sliced green cabbage for maximum crunch.
• Pico de gallo – this fresh salsa is so tasty, but you can use any salsa.

We love sauce, and this chipotle-lime one is our go-to for drizzling over fish tacos. It's similar to the one we use in these beer battered fish tacos, only we add some minced cilantro in this version. This is what you'll need for this delicious fish taco sauce:

• Sour cream + mayonnaise – make the base of the extra-creamy sauce.
• Cilantro – this classic Mexican herb adds a fresh bright taste.
• Chipotle peppers in adobo – these smoky and spicy little peppers in red sauce are so full of flavor and the star ingredient in this sauce.
• Lime – both lime juice and zest add brightness and a wonderful tangy taste.
• Garlic – for an extra snap and its unique pungent flavor.
• Sea salt – to bring everything together and enhance the other flavors.

How to make grilled fish tacos

Tacos are a great weeknight meal because they're healthy, easy to make, and don't require a lot of clean-up. Here's how to make fish tacos on the grill in a few easy steps:

1. Start by mixing together all the seasonings with the avocado oil to make a paste.
2. Rub this paste all over the fish filets to marinate.
3. While the fish marinates, make your taco sauce by placing all the sauce ingredients in a blender. When smooth, transfer it to a bowl for serving.
4. It's time to cook the fish. Preheat your grill and oil the grates (this ensures the fish doesn't stick). When it's ready, grill the fish, flipping it once. When it's done, break it into smaller pieces for serving.
5. Now it's assembly time! Layer some cabbage on a warm tortilla, followed by the fish, taco sauce, and some pico de gallo (or salsa). That's it!

Full recipe instructions are in the recipe card below.

How to warm corn tortillas

Warming up tortillas (especially corn tortillas) is a key step in the taco building process. The heat turns them soft and flexible and makes a big difference in how they taste and hold ingredients. Here are a few ways you can do it:

1. Warm your tortillas on a dry cast-iron skillet for about 15-20 seconds per side.
2. You can also do away with the skillet and char the tortillas directly over gas flames for a few seconds using tongs! 
3. Or wrap a stack of about five tortillas in a packet of aluminum foil and place them in a pre-heated 350 Fahrenheit oven for 15-20 minutes, until heated through.
4. You can also wrap a stack of tortillas in a paper towel, put them into a resealable bag, and then give them a quick zap in a microwave for 20 seconds.

FAQS

What to serve with grilled fish tacos

These tacos are a meal on their own, but we like to serve them with a bowl of easy guacamole and some crispy tortilla chips, or a summer tomato and grilled corn salad.

For a heartier meal, serve these tacos with some shareable sides like our loaded food truck Mexican nacho fries, easy sweet potato nachos, or a bowl of our vegetarian tortilla soup.

Favorite fish taco recipes

• Beer Battered Fish Tacos
• Blackened Rockfish Tacos with Cilantro Lime Tartar Sauce
• Baja Fish Tacos with Avocado Sauce
• Fish Taco Sauce