These tasty Tilapia Fish Tacos start with charred corn tortillas and are loaded with a saucy cilantro-lime slaw, taco-seasoned Tilapia, and a scoop of guacamole. These light, flavorful tacos are packed with good-for-you ingredients!
Try some of our other favorite seafood tacos — these Shrimp Tacos and these Fish Tacos are our personal favorites!
Our Favorite Tilapia Fish Tacos Recipe
These insanely flavorful tacos bring all the right flavors and textures. They’re pretty easy to make — especially if you prepare the sauce ahead of time (which only makes it that much more flavorful!).
This Tilapia Fish Taco Recipe has four main components — tortillas, slaw, fish, and toppings. We’ll break down each below.
Tortillas
We like thin corn tortillas or crunchy taco shells best for these Tilapia Fish Tacos. My family enjoys Mission’s® extra-thin corn tortillas or these crispy Siete® taco shells — I’m obsessed with them and they are great in this recipe! (Bonus — they’re made with good-for-you ingredients and naturally grain/gluten-free!)
If you are going after Crispy Tilapia Tacos, definitely reach for the crunchy shells!
If using corn or flour tortillas, I recommend charring the tortillas for the best flavor and texture. To char, work with one tortilla at a time, leaving the rest in the bag so they don’t dry out too quickly.
Tilapia Fish Tacos Slaw Mix
The slaw is simply shredded green cabbage with our practically famous Cilantro-Lime Sauce. We use this to sauce up the slaw and to drizzle atop everything at the end.
- Angel hair coleslaw. Nothing fancy here — just a store-bought package of coleslaw works great here! If you check the ingredient list, it should list only green cabbage–that’s what we want. Most coleslaw mixes are in the produce section of the grocery store near other packaged salad mixes. (Or make this recipe by thinly slicing your own green cabbage.)
- Cilantro-Lime Sauce. The sauce combines cilantro, lime, jalapeño, mayo, and sour cream to create an explosion of flavor!
The Fish
- If using frozen, be sure to thaw the fish overnight in the fridge. If you forget, a cold water bath will do it quickly (here’s a quick how-to).
- Pat the fish dry, drizzle with olive oil, and press in the seasonings. The seasoning blend is quite mild, but for spicy tacos, add 1/4 teaspoon of ground cayenne pepper to the mix.
- Then cook. You can pan-fry the fish or use the air fryer. See the recipe card for both methods!
Quick Tip
How do you know if your fish is fully cooked? The best way to tell is by testing it with a fork. Pierce the fish at an angle, at the thickest point, and twist gently. The fish flakes easily when it’s done and it will have also lost its translucent (raw) appearance. A good rule of thumb is to cook the fish to an internal temperature of 140-145 degrees.
Tilapia Fish Taco Toppings
With the slaw and sauce ready, you really don’t need a whole lot of other toppings.
- Lime wedges. A squeeze of lime over the tacos adds a nice fresh flavor.
- Cilantro. We love the citrusy touch this herb adds.
- Cotija cheese. This cheese is fairly salty, adding the perfect finishing seasoning to the tacos.
- Guacamole or a ripe avocado. This adds an immense amount of creaminess and flavor to the tacos.
- An extra drizzle of cilantro-lime sauce. The remaining sauce finishes everything off beautifully!
Shortcuts
While homemade guacamole is amazing, store-bought is great too and saves a lot of time! I love this store-bought guac.
Tilapia Fish Tacos FAQs
How do you cook tilapia for this recipe?
I love Air Fryer Tilapia Tacos – the fish turns out crispy on the outside and tender inside! Just place the fish in the air fryer for 7-10 minutes.
I could also make Grilled Tilapia Tacos by cooking the fish on a grill.
Alternatively, I can bake or pan-fry the tilapia, then flake it and add it to charred tortillas with saucy slaw!
What kinds of fish make good tacos?
Lean and flaky white fish fillets are perfect for fish tacos because they’re inexpensive, mild in flavor, and cook quickly.
Popular choices include tilapia, mahi-mahi, bass, cod, catfish, snapper, and halibut.
More Favorite Seafood Recipes
- Baked Fish and Chips made in one pan!
- Shrimp and Sausage Recipe with a garlic-herb butter
- Blackened Tilapia with a pineapple salsa
- Shrimp Couscous with an addictive green herb sauce
- Tuna Casserole all prepared and baked in one pan!
Tilapia Fish Tacos
Equipment
- Air Fryer OR Large nonstick skillet
- Cooking Spray if using Air Fryer
Ingredients
Tacos
- 1 pound fresh tilapia (~3-4 filets)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon ground chili powder
- 1 teaspoon each: ground cumin, paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon each: onion powder, garlic powder, dried oregano, fine sea salt, pepper
- 1 pkg. (10 oz.) angel hair coleslaw or 1.5 cups shredded cabbage
- For serving: guacamole or avocado, extra-thin corn tortillas (we love Siete's crispy taco shells) Optional: lime wedges, cotija cheese (Note 1)
Sauce (Note 2)
- 1/4 cup fresh lime juice (+ 1 tsp. zest) (3 limes)
- 1 cup loosely packed fresh cilantro
- 1 tablespoon coarsely chopped jalapeño
- 1/2 cup regular full-fat mayonnaise
- 1/2 cup sour cream (low-fat works great)
Instructions
- START WITH THE SAUCE: Add the juice and zest to a powerful blender or mini food processor along with the cilantro, seeded coarsely chopped jalapeño, and mayo. Add salt and pepper to taste (I add 1/2 tsp salt & 1/4 tsp pepper). Blend until smooth. Add in the sour cream and blend once more to combine. Taste sauce and adjust to personal preference as needed. Refrigerate until ready to use.
- PREP THE TILAPIA: If frozen, thaw according to package directions and then pat dry with a paper towel. If fresh, rinse under cold water and then pat dry. Mix together seasonings in a small bowl.
- COOK TILAPIA: See Note 3 for pan-frying. Here's how to air fry: Preheat the air fryer to 400 degrees F for 3 minutes. Meanwhile, add fish to a large plate. Drizzle 1 tablespoon olive oil over all the fish, rubbing into each filet on both sides. Sprinkle evenly with the spice mix, pressing the spices to adhere to the fish. Once filets are evenly and well coated in spice, lightly spray with olive oil cooking spray. Add filets to the air fryer basket in a single layer. (We can only fit 2 filets at a time in our air fryer.) Cook for 7-10 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork (or registers 145 degrees F). Once cooked through, remove to a plate, flip on the other side, and use a fork to break apart into pieces. Season if needed with additional salt.
- ASSEMBLY: While the fish is cooking, set out the remaining ingredients. Pour the bag of coleslaw into a bowl and use tongs to toss with 1/2 cup of the sauce. Set aside. Char the tortillas (Note 4) or set out the hard tortilla shells. Divide slaw evenly among tortillas then add the fish. Add a scoop of guacamole or thin avocado slices to each taco. Drizzle on more sauce to taste preference. Squeeze a lime wedge over each taco and sprinkle on some cotija cheese (if using). Enjoy tacos promptly!
Video
Recipe Notes
- Spray both sides of the tortillas with cooking spray. I use an olive oil-based spray (canola works as well) and give each side a good spritz.
- Very lightly char each side of the tortilla over an open flame on the stovetop. If you don't have an open flame, warm for 10-15 seconds in a skillet.
- Immediately remove the tortilla from the heat and fold in half. Place under a towel (keeps them warm and soft!) and repeat until all the tortillas are charred.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Delicious and super easy to make!
So happy you enjoyed! Thanks SueAnn! 🙂
I had some frozen cod fish that I needed to use up, so I came to Chelsea’s site because she’ll never disappoint. Oh my! Definitely making this again! Excellent seasonings and yummy sauce! Thanks C!
You are so sweet! Seriously made my day! Thanks so much Claudia, so glad you enjoyed! 🙂