This Baja Fish Tacos Recipe features crispy golden fish, crunchy cilantro lime coleslaw, and a creamy chipotle mayo. The crispy on the outside and light and flaky fish on the inside, combined with the slaw and dressing, is absolutely irresistible. These are our favorite Taco Tuesday Tacos, and a fish entree that my kids love as much as we do.
What we love about Baja Fish Tacos
These are my kids’ favorite tacos and their favorite way to eat fish. They are on a consistent rotation at our house, because we just all love them. The fish is golden and crispy on the outside and light and flaky on the inside. With all the combined ingredients, they are irresistible and sometimes we dunk any extra fish in the chipotle mayo and eat it plain as well.
I prepare the mayo and coleslaw first because the fish cook quickly. The chipotle mayo is so creamy and flavorful and I love the freshness of the coleslaw with the cilantro, green onions, and lime juice. The fish just takes 2-3 minues on each side and come out so crispy and delicious. This recipe is a great way to save some money instead of eating out and is delicious Mexican food to make at home.
Looking for other recipes that are easy to make at home and save money from eating out? For some other fun family dinners, try our Best Smashburger Recipe, Buttermilk Chicken Fingers, Chicken Fried Steak with White Gravy, Philly Cheesesteak Sliders with Hawaiian Rolls, Buffalo Honey Wings, or Shrimp with Bang Bang Sauce
What you need to make these Crispy Fish Tacos
You will need the following ingredients:
- Mayonnaise
- Lime juice
- Chopped chipotles in adobo sauce
- Garlic powder
- Chili powder
- Salt
- Pepper
- Coleslaw
- Cilantro
- Green onion
- Lime juice
- Vegetable oil
- Apple cider vinegar
- All-purpose flour
- Club soda
- Baking powder
- Tilapia fillets
- Corn tortillas
Baja Style Fish Tacos Substitutions
I know what it’s like when you don’t have everything on hand, and the last thing you want to do is run to the store and pick something up. Here are a few ideas to substitute items on the ingredients list if needed:
- Beer is often used in place of club soda for the batter and is an easy substitution if desired.
- You can use a gluten-free or different flour for the batter. I have used King Arthur’s 1:1 gluten-free flour when needed with great success.
- You can use a variety of cooking oils like canola, peanut, or vegetable oil. I used vegetable oil.
- If you want to add a little heat or seasoning to your batter, you could add hot sauce, cayenne pepper, or chili powder to the batter. The salt and pepper seasoning is a great base.
- You can use flour tortillas instead of corn tortillas if desired.
- I use tilapia, but other white fish like mahi mahi, cod, snapper, or halibut work well.
Step-by-step Instructions
Step 1. In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, lime juice, chipotles and sauce, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and chili powder. Cover and refrigerate.
Step 2. In a large bowl, toss together the cabbage, cilantro, green onions, lime juice, oil, vinegar, and salt. Set aside.
Step 3. While the oil heats, cut the fillets into fourths, one cut lengthwise, and one cut crosswise. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and pepper. Whisk in the club soda. Working in batches so the pan isn’t overcrowded, dip the fish in the batter, making sure to coat the fish on both sides.
Step 4. Carefully place the fish in the hot oil (I use tongs) for 2-3 minutes per side until light golden brown and cooked through. Carefully remove the fish from the hot oil and set it on the cooling rack resting on the prepared cookie sheet. Serve fish immediately with warmed corn tortillas. Lay 2 pieces of fish in a tortilla, and top with coleslaw and chipotle mayo.
Tips
- To warm tortillas, you can wrap them in wet paper towels and steam them in the microwave for 20-30 seconds. If you want them slightly charred, which adds a little smoky flavor and gives them a nice texture for tacos, you can do that several ways. You can place them on a hot grill or dry skillet until small black spots start to appear, or, using tongs, you can put the tortillas over the open flame of a gas stove for about 15-30 seconds per side. When I use my gas stove, I turn and rotate them as they char to not get overburnt.
- When I am batch cooking or cooking a larger amount of protein, I love using my electric skillet because I can cook more at once. While this recipe would cook well in a cast iron pan, which is great at maintaining an even temperature, or a large heavy bottomed skillet, I always pull out my electric skillet, which heats the oil to temperature and I can cook it in about half the time. I’ve had this electric skillet for almost 10 years now, and I have used it often.
Frequently Asked Questions
| Can Baja Fish Tacos be made in advance? |
| a. Fish tacos have the best texture and crunch right after cooking. While you can reheat in the oven or air-fryer, I recommend cooking these the day you serve them. b. The chipotle mayo can be made in advance and will last in the fridge for 5-7 days in a covered container. c. The coleslaw will last in a covered container in the fridge for 3-5 days. The quality of the coleslaw does diminish over time, as the cabbage gets softer and less crisp. I making the coleslaw the same day that I serve it. |
| How to store fish tacos? |
| a. The fish, once cooled, can be safely stored in the fridge, covered, for 1-2 days. It shouldn’t be out at room temperature more than 2 hours without risking food poisoning. If the ambient temperature is over 90 degrees Fahrenheit, it is only good for one hour. Placing a paper towel under the fish when storing it in the fridge can absorb some of the moisture to keep the chicken slightly crisper. b. Store the fish, coleslaw, and chipotle mayo in separate containers, covered in the fridge. |
| How to reheat fried fish? |
| For reheating fried food in an oven, place fish on a wire rack inside a baking sheet in a single layer and reheat in a 400-degree Fahrenheit oven for about 10-15 minutes. For an air fryer, heat in a 375-degree air fryer and cook for three to four minutes, turning once. Lightly spray with oil to help restore crispness. Make sure the fish is in a single layer. You can reheat the fish in a microwave, but the coating on the fish won’t be as crisp. |
Baja Fish Tacos Recipe
This Baja Fish Tacos Recipe features crispy golden fish, crunchy lime coleslaw, and a creamy chipotle mayo. The crispy on the outside and light and flaky fish on the inside, combined with the slaw and dressing, is absolutely irresistible. These are our favorite Taco Tuesday Tacos, and a fish entree that my kids love as much as we do.
4
servings25
minutes15
minutes40
minutesIngredients
Chipotle Mayo
¾ cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon 1 fresh lime juice
1 1 -3 teaspoons chopped chipotles and adobo sauce
¼ teaspoon salt (or to taste)
â…› teaspoon garlic powder
â…› teaspoon chili powder
â…› teaspoon coarsely ground pepper
Cilantro Lime Coleslaw
14 14 -ounce bag of coleslaw
¼ cup chopped cilantro
¼ cup chopped green onions
2 tablespoons 2 lime juice
2 tablespoons 2 vegetable oil
1 tablespoon 1 apple cider vinegar
½ teaspoon salt
Fish Tacos
3 cups 3 vegetable oil for frying
8 8 corn tortillas, warmed (see notes below)
4 4 tilapia fillets or other white fish
1 cup 1 all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon 1 salt
½ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon coarsely ground pepper
1 cup 1 club soda
Directions
- Line a baking sheet with paper towels and cover it with a cooling rack.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, lime juice, chipotles and sauce, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and chili powder. Cover and refrigerate.
- In a large bowl, toss together the cabbage, cilantro, green onions, lime juice, oil, vinegar, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large electric skillet or heavy-bottomed skillet, fill the cooking oil so it is about ½ inch high and heat the oil to 350 degrees Fahrenheit over medium-high heat. I use 3 cups in my electric skillet.
- While the oil heats, cut the fillets into fourths, one cut lengthwise, and one cut crosswise. In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and pepper. Whisk in the club soda.
- Working in batches so the pan isn’t overcrowded, dip the fish in the batter, making sure to coat the fish on both sides. Carefully place the fish in the hot oil (I use tongs) for 2-3 minutes per side until light golden brown and cooked through.
- Using another pair of tongs or a wire mesh skimmer for frying, carefully remove the fish from the hot oil and set it on the cooling rack resting on the prepared cookie sheet. Repeat the cooking process with the remaining fish.
- Serve fish immediately with warmed corn tortillas. Lay 2 pieces of fish in a tortilla, and top with coleslaw and chipotle mayo.
Notes
- To warm tortillas, you can wrap them in wet paper towels and steam them in the microwave for 20-30 seconds. If you want them slightly charred, which adds a little smoky flavor and gives them a nice texture for tacos, you can do that several ways. You can place them on a hot grill or dry skillet until small black spots start to appear, or, using tongs, you can put the tortillas over the open flame of a gas stove for about 15-30 seconds per side. When I use my gas stove, I turn and rotate them as they char to not get overburnt.
- I usually use tilapia when making fish tacos. It is always available at Costco where I buy my fish and is more affordable than other fish here in Arizona. Other white fish possibilities are mahi mahi, cod, halibut, and snapper. If your fish sections are larger and you place just one fish piece in each taco, you may need more tortillas.
- I often use frozen fish and thaw overnight for use the next day. Once fish is thawed, or if using fresh fish, make sure to use it within 24 hours. Fish is highly perishable and for best safety and quality, I recommend using it within a day of purchasing or thawing.
