Fish Tacos

Last Updated on October 29, 2019 by Annie

These quick and easy fish tacos are a delicious recipe. You will not be disappointed with these fresh tacos with a dairy free fish taco sauce.

Now that we have been doing this Taco Tuesday trend for the past few weeks, it’s time for a confession. Growing up, the tacos I ate were nothing like the tacos I eat now. For many different reasons, but the most important being cheese.

Taco night as a child meant two kinds of tacos, a meat taco or a cheese taco. Both options were served in a lightly fried corn tortilla with no additional toppings. I LIVED for the cheese tacos. The slight crunch of the tortilla and that deliciously gooey cheese seeping out of the taco… please pardon the drool I just wiped off the keyboard…

One fish taco in a flour tortilla laying flat on a blue plate garnished with cilantro and green onion.

When I made the decision to go dairy free, trying new foods became my mission. So I began ordering things without dairy on the menu, this lead me to many different tacos, burgers, and pastas that I would not have normally ordered. Thus leading me to try fish tacos.

Pro Tips for this Fish Tacos Recipe

Prep the cilantro lime dressing in advance. This will save some time when you make the tacos and it will keep for 5-7 days in your fridge.
-Make sure your knife is sharp when you cut the fish.
-Toss the lettuce with the dressing for an even dressing distribution.
-Use one hand to dip fish in the egg wash and the other hand to dip in the bread crumbs.

Simple Dairy Free Taco Swaps

Whether you make your tacos at home, or get them out with friends here are a few simple swaps that make the idea of going dairy free feel less daunting.

-Use guacamole instead of sour cream to help keep your tacos from being dry.
-Make your dressings with dairy free milk. The cilantro lime dressing is based on a recipe I found from Two Peas and Their Pod. I also found a delicious vegan cilantro lime dressing at Trader Joes, which works beautifully in this recipe.
Ditch traditional shredded cheese. When you order out, remind your servers not to include shredded cheese on your order. I can’t tell you the number of times I have ordered a taco without the cheese only to have it come out with those pesky shreds on top. If you believe you MUST put cheese on your taco, try Daiya’s Pepper Jack Shreds.

A blue plate with three fish tacos on a wooden table.

More Tacos to Try

Shrimp Tacos
Turkey Taco Meat
Breakfast Tacos

Did you make these fresh fish tacos?!? Tag them on Instagram with @mylifeafterdairy so I can share your life after dairy creations. Also follow along on Pinterest for other delicious dairy free dinner ideas!

Forward looking picture on three fish tacos in flour tortillas dressed with cilantro, green onion, and dressing on a blue plate.

Baked Fish Tacos

These crispy and delicious oven baked fish tacos make an excellent Taco Tuesday dinner recipe!

Course Dinner
Cuisine Tex-Mex
Keyword easy, Fish Taco, Taco
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Servings 8 Tacos

Ingredients

  • 1 lb. Cod or White Fish cut into 1 inch cubes
  • ½ c. Bread Crumbs Plain
  • 1 tsp. Chili Powder
  • 1 tsp. Paprika
  • 1 tsp. Garlic Powder
  • tsp. Salt
  • ½ tsp. Black Pepper
  • 1 tsp. Dried Parsley
  • 1 egg raw, stirred
  • 8 Flour Tortillas

Spicy Sriracha Mayo

  • 3 Tbsp. Mayo
  • 1 Tbsp. Sriracha
  • 1 tsp. Soy Sauce
  • 1 tsp. Coconut Milk

Cilantro Lime Jalapeño Dressing

  • 1 Bunch of Cilantro Rinsed and stems removed
  • ½ c. Coconut Milk
  • 1 Garlic clove, peeled
  • 2 tsp. Lime juice
  • ½ tsp. Salt
  • c. Olive Oil
  • 1 Jalapeño Seeded

Garnish

  • Cilantro Chopped
  • Green Onion Cut
  • 1 c. Shredded Lettuce
  • Avocado or Guacamole

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Cover a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil.

  2. In a medium-small bowl, mix together bread crumbs, chili powder, paprika, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and parsley. Set aside.

  3. In a small bowl, whisk an egg. Set aside.

  4. On a cutting board, dice the fish into 1 inch chunks.

  5. I like to create an assembly line here. From left to right set your baking sheet, the bread crumb bowl, the egg bowl, and then the diced fish.

    Starting from the right, pick up a piece of fish, dip in into the egg with your right hand. Toss to coat, then move to the bread crumb bowl. With your left hand toss the fish in the bread crumbs. With your left hand, move the coated fish to the baking sheet. Repeat until all fish have been coated.

  6. Bake in the oven for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, turn the fish over then bake another 5 minutes.

  7. While the fish is baking, toss the shredded lettuce with the cilantro lime dressing.

  8. Make the spicy mayo by mixing together the mayo, sriracha, soy sauce, and coconut milk in a small bowl.

Cilantro Lime Jalapeño Dressing

  1. In a blender or food processor, blend the cilantro, coconut milk, garlic, lime juice, salt, olive oil, and jalapeño until smooth. There will still be flecks of cilantro, thats OK.

Assemble The Tacos

  1. Place a layer of shredded lettuce with the dressing on the bottom of a flour tortilla. Top with desired amount of fish pieces, 4-5 should do.

  2. Next drizzle the top with the spicy mayo and garnish with cilantro, green onion, avocado or guacamole and feel free to top with some extra cilantro lime dressing.

Recipe Notes

The breaded fish pieces last for 5 days in the fridge. To re-heat them simply heat a skillet with some olive oil and cook until crisp or bake in the oven at 375°F for about 5 minutes. 

Cilantro Lime Jalapeño dressing inspired by Two Peas and their Pod

Like with any taco recipe, you may top your taco however you see fit. Above I have listed how I topped my fish tacos but it does not have to be set in stone. 

Helpful Kitchen Tools for Fish Tacos

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