The Best Fish Tacos with Honey Lime Cilantro Slaw

Let’s make Fish Tacos with Honey Lime Cilantro Slaw. This is THE BEST fish taco recipe around! Perfectly cooked fish with a crunchy cabbage slaw & creamy tomatillo ranch. They’re easy, fresh, and delicious! (Bonus? They’re also gluten-free!)

Fish tacos are one of my happy places. (Along with chicken tacos, beef tacos, breakfast tacos, and shrimp tacos!)

Most of my favorite food-related happy places involve either avocados or chocolate, but tacos? They totally make the list (and bonus: I usually sneak some avocado in there). I love them. They’re quick and easy, packed with flavor, and also DID I MENTION THERE ARE TACOS INVOLVED?

Taco Tuesday never tastes better than when I make our fish tacos with slaw! I’m not exaggerating when I say this is the BEST fish taco recipe I’ve ever tried.

So what makes these easy fish tacos so great? Well, it’s all in a few easy tips and tricks…

Gather Your Ingredients

How to Make Fish Tacos With Slaw, Step By Step

As always, you can find the full recipe, with ingredient amounts, detailed instructions, and tips in the recipe card below!

First, Make The Cabbage Slaw

1. Prep The Veg. If you haven’t already, wash and shred cabbage and purple cabbage (I like to use a food processor with a shredding blade, but you can also use a sharp knife).
2. Combine. In a medium or large bowl, combine green and white cabbage, cilantro, lime juice (start with 1 Tbsp), honey, salt and pepper. Toss to combine. 
3. Taste & Adjust. Give the slaw a taste and add additional lime juice or honey as desired. Set aside until ready to serve. The salt and lime juice will help soften and break down the cabbage. You can cover and chill the slaw in the refrigerator 1-2 hours in advance to give it time to soften and let the flavors meld, if desired. 

Next, Prepare Your Fish

1. Make The Spice Rub. In a small bowl, combine chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, and salt.
2. Pat The Fish Dry. Place fish in a shallow container (or zip-tip bag). Pat dry with a paper towel or clean kitchen towel (this will help your seasoning mix stick).
3. Rub the fish fillets with all of your seasoning blend, coating generously.
4. Cook Fish In Batches. Heat avocado oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Working in batches so as not to overcrowd the pan, cook fillets 3-4 minutes per side or until fish is opaque and cooked through.
5. Repeat with remaining fish. Gently use a fork to separate cooked fish into small sections or large flakes for tacos.

Then, Assemble Your Tacos

1. To assemble your tacos, spoon slaw and fish into corn tortillas.
2. Add your favorite extras, such as avocado slices, additional fresh cilantro, etc. Drizzle with tomatillo ranch, citrus avocado sauce, or a dollop of guacamole.

FAQ + Tips And Tricks For The Best Fish Tacos

WHAT KIND OF FISH DO YOU USE FOR FISH TACOS? This works with any flaky, white fish fillets. Cod, halibut, and tilapia all work well in fish tacos. You could also try mahi mahi or catfish if you needed to. Just know, the length of time you need to cook it will be impacted by how thick your fillet is. (i.e. If your fillet is 1/2-inch thick, it’ll cook faster than if it’s 1-inch.)

LET’S TALK HEAT (THE SPICY ONE). These fish tacos aren’t super spicy as written. I’d categorize them as mild flavor or possibly medium if you have a very low spice tolerance. They’re very flavorful, but won’t heat your mouth up significantly. Want to kick up the heat? There are lots of ways to do it! Try adding a generous sprinkle of chipotle chili powder to your spice blend or a little minced jalapeño to your cilantro slaw. Or, add a little heat via your creamy drizzle…(see my next note!)

FOR BEST RESULTS: PAT THE FISH DRY. To get the best sear and to get that crispy fish texture without deep frying, pat the fish dry with a paper towel before adding the spice rub. It’ll help the spices stick, eliminated extra water, and help get that golden brown exterior we’re aiming for.

Guess What Goes Great With Fish Tacos?

Honey Lime Chicken

Instant Pot Charro Beans

Mexican Street Corn Salad (esquites)

Restaurant-Style Mexican Rice

Fish Tacos with Honey Lime Cilantro Slaw

4.95 from 39 votes

Emily Dixon, One Lovely Life

Our favorite fish tacos recipe! Perfectly cooked fish with a yummy cabbage slaw & tomatillo ranch. They're easy, fresh, and delicious!

Prep Time: 25 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes minutes

Print Pin Rate

Servings: 4 servings

Calories: 307kcal

Ingredients

For the Fish:

• 1 1/2 pounds cod – about 4 (6oz fillets), thawed if frozen
• 1 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 Tablespoon avocado oil or another high-heat oil

For the Fish Taco Slaw Recipe:

• 2 cups shredded green cabbage or coleslaw mix with green & purple cabbage & carrots
• 2 cups shredded purple cabbage
• 1/4 cup cilantro
• 1-2 Tablespoons fresh lime juice juice of 1 lime
• 1/2 Tablespoon honey
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

To Serve:

• Corn tortillas (or flour tortillas, if you prefer)
• Sliced avocado
• Fresh Cilantro
• A creamy drizzling sauce like my Tomatillo Ranch, crema, or Citrus Avocado Sauce
• Lime wedges
• Hot sauce

Instructions

Prepare the Cabbage Slaw:

• Prep The Veg. If you haven’t already, wash and shred cabbage and purple cabbage (I like to use a food processor with a shredding blade, but you can also use a sharp knife).
• Combine. In a medium or large bowl, combine green and white cabbage, cilantro, lime juice (start with 1 Tbsp), honey, salt and pepper. Toss to combine. 
• Taste & Adjust. Give the slaw a taste and add additional lime juice or honey as desired. Set aside until ready to serve. The salt and lime juice will help soften and break down the cabbage. You can cover and chill the slaw in the refrigerator 1-2 hours in advance to give it time to soften and let the flavors meld, if desired. 

Prepare Your Fish:

• Make The Spice Rub. In a small bowl, combine chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, and salt.
• Pat The Fish Dry. Place fish in a shallow container (or zip-tip bag). Pat dry with a paper towel or clean kitchen towel (this will help your seasoning mix stick).
• Rub the fish fillets with all of your seasoning blend, coating generously.
• Cook Fish In Batches. Heat avocado oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Working in batches so as not to overcrowd the pan, cook fillets 3-4 minutes per side or until fish is opaque and cooked through.
• Repeat with remaining fish. Gently use a fork to separate cooked fish into small sections or large flakes for tacos.

Assemble Your Tacos:

• To assemble your tacos, spoon slaw and fish into corn tortillas.
• Add your favorite extras, such as avocado slices, additional fresh cilantro, etc. Drizzle with tomatillo ranch, citrus avocado sauce, or a dollop of guacamole.

Notes

• What kind of fish can you use? This works with any flaky, white fish. Cod, halibut, and tilapia all work well in fish tacos. You could also try mahi mahi or catfish if you needed to. Just know, the length of time you need to cook it will be impacted by how thick your fillet is. (i.e. If your fillet is 1/2-inch thick, it’ll cook faster than if it’s 1-inch.)
• Let’s talk heat (the temperature one) – As I mentioned above, I like cooking these fairly quickly over a hotter pan. A cast iron pan is my go-to because of the way it retains heat so well. I can get a really nice sear on my fish over medium heat in my cast-iron pan. If you don’t have one, you can totally use whatever you have. Just be sure you have your heat set to at least medium or medium-high so you get a nice sear and cook the fish through without overcooking it.
• Now, let’s talk heat (the spicy one) – These aren’t super spicy as written. I’d categorize them as mild or possibly medium if you have a very low spice tolerance. They’re very flavorful, but won’t heat your mouth up significantly. Want to kick up the heat? There are lots of ways to do it! Try adding a generous sprinkle of chipotle chili powder or cayenne pepper to your spice blend or a little minced jalapeño to your cilantro slaw. Or, add a little heat via your creamy drizzle…(see my next note!)
• Drizzle and top your tacos! Exactly what you want to drizzle over your tacos is up to you. Since my slaw doesn’t have a creamy element, I add that with a little something drizzled on top. I love using my tomatillo ranch (my top pick!), or citrus avocado sauce since they’re bright and fresh and a nice contrast to the heat. You could also swap in my chipotle ranch for some extra kick!

**Nutrition facts calculated assuming 1/4 of the fish and cabbage slaw per person, plus 3 street-taco sized corn tortillas. Does not include avocado or tomatillo ranch.

Video

Course: Main Dish

Cuisine: Mexican

Keyword: cilantro slaw, fish tacos, gluten free fish tacos, honey lime cilantro slaw, street tacos, the best fish tacos

Nutrition

Serving: 0.25Recipe | Calories: 307kcal | Carbohydrates: 28.1g | Protein: 33.2g | Fat: 7.4g | Saturated Fat: 0.7g | Cholesterol: 78.2mg | Sodium: 678mg | Fiber: 5.3g | Sugar: 6.9g

Nutrition facts are an estimate only and will vary based on brands and amounts used.

Find it Online:

https://www.onelovelylife.com/fish-tacos-with-honey-lime-cilantro-slaw/