Monica Swanson

the grommom

Family Favorite Fish Tacos

by 10 Comments

Does your family have some favorite meal or food traditions?  Like pizza on Fridays, pancakes on Sundays, or maybe something like breakfast in bed on birthdays?…

Well, somewhere along the way, Taco Tuesdays started happening in our family.

And that is kind of a big deal, because we haven’t had a lot of food traditions in our home up until now.  It’s not that I don’t like the idea–I do.  It’s more that I’m inconsistent and lack organizational skills, haha.  But somehow, most Tuesdays over the past few months, I seem to  find myself making some sort of taco.

And our family’s favorite?  FISH TACOS, by a long shot.

I have always LOVED fish tacos, especially at our favorite local Mexican Seafood Restaurant, Luibuenos.  But I never used to have the confidence to make them myself.

All of that changed after my sister-in-law, Janelle, made fish tacos for us while they were visiting.  They were SO good,  I made sure she left me with the recipe.  Over time I have tweaked that recipe a little here and there, and ended up with our family’s absolute favorite taco dinner.

Our kids’ prefer these to any other taco.  They ask for them a lot, and there is never a morsel of fish left after the meal.  We wipe it out no matter how much I make!

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The combination of flavors in these tacos is really perfect.  Hot fish with cool sauce…a bit of spice mixed with the zest of lime…crunchy cabbage with soft avocado…I’m not kidding, my taste buds get worked up just describing these tacos.  I give you my word:  You, and your whole family will love them.

Oh, did I mention–they’re also really easy to make!

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I serve these a little different every time:  This week I had a batch of red and white quinoa which I turned into a fiesta salad (adding corn, black beans, shredded cheddar, as well as olive oil, garlic, lots of fresh lime, and  good dash of salt and pepper.)
Sometimes I serve the tacos with vegetarian refried beans from a can, or spanish rice.  Sometimes fruit.
Sometimes just tacos.  Because tacos alone are pretty awesome.

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I recommend using fresh fish when you can, but if frozen fish is your best option–go for it.

I also personally prefer a stone-ground corn tortilla, or even a whole wheat version, but these really work on anything.  Using corn tortillas turns them into a completely gluten-free meal.

That crema–it is SO GOOD!  It is one of the rare occasions that I actually use mayonnaise. 😉  (Note:  I have tried making it with plain greek yogurt and it was quite good that way as well.  Just not exactly the same, haha.)

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I hope you’ll PIN this, PRINT it up, and then dish it up–for the love of your family.

 

5 from 1 vote
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Family Favorite Fish Tacos

Favorite Fish Tacos, with Lime-Cilantro Crema
Course lunch/dinner
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 9 minutes
Total Time 24 minutes
Author www.monicaswanson.com

Ingredients

  • INGREDIENTS: recipe to serve four---Our family needs about one and a half of this :.)
  • TACOS:
  • 1 tsp. cumin
  • 1/2 tsp. paprika
  • 1/4 tsp. ground red pepper
  • 1/4 tsp. salt
  • 1/4 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 1/2 pound fresh fish fillets. We usually use Ahi, or Mahi Mahi, but red snapper or other flakey white fish would be great.
  • cooking spray
  • 8 to rtillas of choice
  • *toppings:
  • 1 cup shredded cabbage
  • 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
  • 2 to matoes finely chopped
  • 1 avocado finely chopped
  • INGREDIENTS:
  • CREMA: recipe makes plenty, no need to double.
  • 1/4 cup mayonnaise can substitute with plain or greek yogurt.
  • 1/4 cup sour cream
  • 1/4 cup fresh cilantro or 1 tablespoon dried cilantro.
  • 1/2 tsp. dill
  • 1/2 tsp. cumin
  • 1/2 tsp. ground chili pepper
  • 1/4 tsp. salt
  • Juice of one medium lime or lemon.
  • 1 tsp grated lime or lemon rind.

Instructions

  1. DIRECTIONS:
  2. Heat oven to 425 degrees.
  3. To prepare crema, combine all ingredients well in a medium bowl, cover, and refrigerate until ready to use.
  4. To prepare tacos, cut fish fillets into bite-sized pieces. Place them on a baking sheet covered with aluminum foil and sprayed with cooking oil.
  5. Combine cumin and next four ingredients in a small bowl. Then sprinkle fish with spice mixture and use a spatula to spread it evenly around all sides of fish pieces.
  6. Bake fish at 425 degrees for 9 minutes, or until fish flakes easily, but is not tough. (check it early.) Stir fish to spread the spices even more evenly.
  7. (Heat tortillas as desired.)
  8. Divide fish evenly among tortillas. Top each with cabbage, cheese, avocado, and creme.
  9. ENJOY!

 

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Do you do Taco Tuesdays?  Or, do you have any consistent food traditions in your family?
Inspire me, I dare you!

XOXO
Grommom

Another favorite fish recipe: Mac-nut crusted Mahi Mahi.

Aloha, Monica

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Comments

  1. Six years ago our family came to the Big Island for our oldest daughter’s wedding. I had been hearing about fish tacos and thought what better place to give them a try than while we were there – couldn’t get enough of them! Have tried many recipes since here at home and haven’t quite got the recipe yet – these sound delicious – am going to try this week! Thanks for sharing!

    Reply

    • Thank you Sue! I do hope you’ll try these as my family cannot get enough of them at home. I spent five weeks in California last summer and I was also on a mission to find my favorite fish tacos. I tried a lot of good ones, but came home still liking mine just as much! 🙂 XO

      Reply

  3. As East Coast Hawaii-lovers (and fish taco-lovers), these are our new family favorite fish tacos! The recipe is easy enough for my 8 and 10 year-old girls to follow (yay, crema that’s ready early in the day because my girls love to help cook – I handle the fish :)), quick to prepare, and soooo delicious! We have a family of 8 (9 in March!), and doubling the taco recipe without doubling the crema is perfect for us! Thanks for sharing!!! We love these!

    Reply

    • SO glad to hear that Heather!! I’m so impressed with your big family–Love it! And yes, I always have extra crema and I have hopes of using it for all kinds of things but often don’t–So good for you! Thanks for letting me know! aloha

      Reply

  4. I never cook fish because I don’t like the smell, but I may have to change my ways and try these.

    I’ll be honest, I grew up eating TexMex so the thought of fish on my tacos sounded gross, but I tried them at North Shore Tacos and loved them!! Maybe fresh fish is the key!

    Reply

  5. Yum! The crema sounds delicious, too. I can’t wait to give these a try. My husband likes having pizza so we’ll have it about twice a month, usually on Friday evenings. Boring, right? 😉 It’s totally cool though. I literally scour the internet and my cookbooks every week when meal planning, just to make sure I’m making new recipes. I guess I just don’t like eating the same stuff all the time unless it’s oatmeal with peanut butter. Haha!

    Reply

  6. ooh these look amazing! i love a good fish taco. the sauce especially sounds good. But please….lets talk about your table cloth!!!!!!! i love it =)

    Reply

  7. Thanks for the recipe! I have never gotten the crema just right. Can’t wait to give this a try. My crew likes tacos any day of the week with any filling. Sometimes, in a time pinch I pop chicken breasts and a jar of salsa in the crockpot and shred to make a filling in the evening. This sounds way more delicious.

    Reply