Looking for a new way to fix up fish? Look no further than these delicious, perfectly seasoned Best Fish Tacos with Slaw. Tender, meaty, tasty tilapia or cod meets cool, crispy slaw – the perfect summer meal!

For more tacos recipes, head on over to my popular posts for Kalua Pork Tacos, Jamaican Jerk Chicken Tacos, and Caribbean Chicken Tacos.

overhead view of plate of tacos with limes on table

These easy fish tacos with slaw is one of my favorite go-to recipes for busy nights and special occasions. And honestly, I didn’t even like them till a few years ago and now I crave them more than chicken, pork, or beef tacos (though those are wonderful too).

There’s just something about the light and flaky goodness of a perfectly seasoned piece of fish topped with crisp, cool, crunchy slaw and a good dollop of my 5-Minute Fish Taco Sauce that’s so tasty I have literally woken up at night craving them.

up close fish tacos with slaw and avocado slices on plate

Why This Recipe Works

Easy – Not sure what to do with that tilapia you have in your freezer? It was meant to be fish tacos. Just thaw,season, bake, and eat!

Versatile – While I like to use tilapia or cod, you can also use any other meaty white fish, shrimp, or even chicken!

Healthy – White fish has almost zero fat and tons of protein. Add corn tortillas, the slaw, and a bunch of salsa, and you have yourself an entirely healthy meal! No guilt here!

Great for meal planning – Are you the sort of person who likes to plan out meals on Sunday for the week? This fish tacos with slaw should definitely go on your plan for Taco Tuesday! It’s great for a weekday meal on those busy days and comes together in a flash.

Recipe Ingredients

White fish – My favorite fish to use for these tacos is cod, and tilapia is a really close second!

Olive oil – I use extra virgin olive oil.

Tortillas – Any tortilla is fine, you could use corn or flour. I prefer the smaller tortilla sizes though for these fish tacos.

Fish Taco Sauce – Make your own if you have the time and the ingredients – it’s really easy, flavorful, and totally worth it.

Avocado – I think you can’t have fish tacos without avocado, but adding fresh avocado is optional.

Chili Powder – Use your favorite chili powder on these fish tacos for a little bit of kick.

Garlic Powder – Using store-bought garlic powder is great for getting that garlic flavor on the fish easily.

Ground Cumin – Store-bought ground cumin is perfectly fine here. Any well-known brand will do.

Shredded cabbage – Shred your own green cabbage for this cabbage slaw or you can purchase bagged, unprepared coleslaw mix in the produce section.

Cilantro – I chop the fresh cilantro pretty fine and focus on the leafy parts more so than the stems.

Mayo – Any kind of mayonnaise that you like is fine in this recipe.

Lime Juice – Freshly squeezed is best but if you don’t have it, than the bottled kind is perfectly fine.

Honey – Any kind of honey brand will work just fine in this green cabbage slaw recipe.

Salt and Cracked Black Pepper – Just enough to taste to your own personal preferences.

Here’s How You Make It

Making the fish tacos

First, preheat the oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper (or use cooking spray if you don’t have parchment paper). Lay the thawed fish on the paper. (not pictured)
Rub the fish with the 2 teaspoons of olive oil. (Careful not to over oil.) (photo 2)
In a small bowl, stir together the seasonings and sprinkle them all over the fish on both sides. Then top the fish off with a squeeze of fresh lime juice. (photos 1, 3-4)
Put the baking sheet in the oven and bake for 10-14 minutes. For extra-crispy fish tacos, switch the oven to “broil” for the last 2 minutes of baking time. (photo 5)

Prepping the slaw

Start prepping the slaw while the fish is baking. First, stir together the mayo, lime juice, honey, pepper, and salt. (photo 7)
Pour the dressing onto the cabbage and cilantro and toss. Set it aside. (photo 8)

Putting it together

And now onto the best part: putting the easy fish tacos together! Use a fork to pull the fish apart into bite-size pieces. Serve them on top of tortillas with slaw, avocado slices, and a drizzle of the fish taco sauce. Serve with extra limes for squeezing if you prefer. (photo 6)

Expert Tips

While I use cod in this recipe, any mild white fish (such as tilapia) would work in this fish tacos recipe too!
If your fish was frozen, it can thaw with too much moisture around it, which will make it hard for the seasoning to stick. I suggest patting the fish dry first before adding the seasoning so it will stick to it much better.
Take care not to over oil the fish before adding the seasoning blends. See the note above – if you pat it dry, you want to add only a little oil (2 teaspoons is plenty, trust me) to crisp up the fish without allowing the seasonings to slide right off.
Instructions for grilling: If you would like to grill the fish tacos rather than bake them, that’s great. What you should do differently though is, once they are seasoned, is to brush the grill grates with oil to make sure the fish doesn’t stick to the grates. You’ll only need to cook them about 3-4 minutes on each side. If you are worried the fish will stick to the grill or fall through use a grill pan or first lay down aluminum foil, then brush that foil with oil before grilling fish.

Toppings and Variations

I love topping these fish tacos with a yummy cabbage slaw made from green cabbage but really you could top them with anything you like. Some of my other favorite toppings includes: salsa, pico de gallo, sour cream, more cilantro, pickled red onions, jalapeno slices, shredded lettuce, and roasted corn.
Instead of white fish, you could use tuna or salmon.
Shrimp are also an amazing seafood option and work great as a substitute for white fish in these tacos.
Instead of making the seasoning listed here, you could instead use Cajun seasoning or a blackening seasoning or create your own!
Make these fish tacos spicy with the addition of your favorite hot pepper and some hot sauce.
Swap corn or flour tortillas for a low-carb or no-carb option.

overhead view of five tacos and bowl of sauce with spoon on a plate with lime wedges

More Amazing Taco Recipes

Did you make these super tasty fish tacos? YAY! Please rate the recipe below!

5 from 81 votes (71 ratings without comment)