Grilled Fish Tacos

4.60 from 5 votes

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Grilled Fish Tacos are a fast, flavorful, and healthy dinner! Top them with shredded cabbage, a creamy white sauce also known as “crema”, and slices of avocado.

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Three Grilled Fish Tacos topped with cabbage, avocado, and white sauce on a plate.

Grilling season is upon us and to say I’m excited is an understatement! I love to grill just about anything. Meat on skewers, like my favorite Greek Lemon Chicken Skewers with Tzatziki Sauce.

Vegetables to go in salads and side dishes. This Grilled Zucchini Corn Tomato Salad and Lemon Parmesan Grilled Asparagus are a must for spring and summer.

I’ll even occasionally grill something for dessert, like this Grilled Pineapple with Rum Sauce or Grilled Peaches with Cinnamon Honey Ricotta.

So it shouldn’t be a surprise that these Grilled Fish Tacos are making an appearance just as the weather is warming up. The fish is marinated in chili powder, cumin, garlic, and lime juice, and then grilled until it’s perfectly flaky.

As with any good fish taco you need that signature creamy white taco sauce, which you won’t regret making. In fact you should probably double the recipe. These fish tacos won’t disappoint and should definitely be enjoyed with an ice cold beer or a spicy watermelon margarita!

Grilled Fish Tacos ingredients on a sheet pan.

Ingredients For Grilled Fish Tacos

Cod Fillets – Cod is a mild tasting white fish that holds up well on the grill. It also soaks up the flavor of the Mexican spices and lime juice well without a strong fish flavor competing with them. You can use frozen or fresh cod for these tacos.

Limes – You will want to use fresh limes versus bottled juice for the best flavor. Look for limes at the grocery store that aren’t rock hard and have smooth skin. These will likely yield more juice.

Hot Sauce – This is an optional ingredient, but if you like a little spicy flavor add it in. Cholula hot sauce is my go-to.

Chili powder, ground cumin, garlic powder, smoked paprika – This blend of spices is used to season the cod. It’s a combination I use often in both Mexican and Southwest inspired recipes.

Plain Greek Yogurt – Instead of using just mayonnaise or sour cream for the fish taco sauce, I like to use 2% plain Greek yogurt. It keeps the sauce a little lighter, but you still get a rich, creamy, flavor and consistency.

Honey – Adds a touch of sweetness to the taco sauce. You can also replace the honey with agave nectar, sugar, or maple syrup.

Mayonnaise – Mayonnaise is generally the main ingredient in creamy fish taco sauce. I like to use it more sparingly in combination with the Greek yogurt. It does have a very specific flavor that’s hard to replicate and even adding just a small amount works well for the sauce. *NOTE* – If you are opposed to mayonnaise you can omit it and just use Greek yogurt.

Corn Tortillas – To keep the corn tortillas from falling apart, be sure to either warm them over an open flame on a gas stove or grill. You can also wrap them in a damp paper towel and heat them in the microwave or wrap them in foil and warm them in the oven.

Shredded Cabbage – A classic topping for fish tacos. It adds a fresh and crunchy element to them. You can use red, green, or a combination of both types of cabbage.

Avocado – Slices of avocado add a creaminess to the tacos and make them a bit heartier since cod is quite lean.

Queso Fresco – A mild flavored, crumbly Mexican cheese. Similar to feta, but not nearly as salty. Queso Fresco can be replaced with Cotija cheese.

Grilled Fish Taco topped with cabbage, avocado, and white sauce.

How To Make Grilled Fish Tacos

Combine the spices, lime juice, hot sauce, and olive oil in a bowl or freezer bag. Place the cod into the marinade and flip it around a few times to coat it. Let the fish marinate for 30 minutes.

While the fish is marinating shred the cabbage and slice the avocado. I squeeze lime juice over my avocado slices to keep them from browning as quickly.

In a small bowl combine the Greek yogurt, mayonnaise, hot sauce, honey, garlic powder, lime juice, salt and pepper. Whisk it together until it’s smooth and taste it for seasoning.

Preheat your grill to medium-high heat, or approximately 400° F. Once the grill is hot oil the grates. Remove the cod fillets from the marinade and place them onto the hot grill grates.

Grill the cod for about 3-4 minutes then flip it over and grill another 3-4 minutes or until you can easily flake the middle with a fork. Remove the fish from the grill and let it rest for a few minutes.

Use a fork to flake the cod apart. Warm the corn tortillas and then assemble the tacos. Add some of the cod to the tortillas then top it with a few slices of avocado, shredded cabbage, crumbled queso fresco, and drizzle on the white sauce.

What Kind Of Fish Is Best For Fish Tacos?

A mild white fleshed fish such as cod, halibut, mahi mahi, or tilapia are all great for fish tacos. You can also use salmon for fish tacos like I did with these Grilled Salmon Tacos with Strawberry Avocado Salsa.

Three grilled cod fillets on a white plate.

How To Grill Fish For Tacos

Preheat your grill to 400° F. or about medium-high heat. I let the grill heat for at least 10 minutes before adding the fish to it.

White fish cooks pretty quickly on the grill, especially if you are using fillets. The cod fillets that I used took about 3-4 minutes per side. You’ll know the fish is done when it flakes easily in the middle with a fork.

Be sure to oil the grill grates well so the fish doesn’t stick to them. Since white fish is so lean you’ll want to rub the fillets with a little oil or make sure your marinade has oil in it.

Let the fish rest for a few minutes before flaking it apart with a fork to use in the tacos.

Hand picking up a grilled fish taco.

Side Dishes To Serve With Tacos

More Taco Recipes

Did you make these Grilled Fish Tacos? I’d love if you’d leave a recipe rating and review below.

Grilled Fish Tacos topped with cabbage, avocado, and white sauce.
4.60 from 5 votes

Grilled Fish Tacos

By Danae Halliday
Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 8 minutes
Additional Time: 30 minutes
Total: 58 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
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Ingredients 

  • 1 1/2 pounds cod fillets
  • 2 tablespoon fresh lime juice
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon hot sauce optional
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • Salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

White Sauce

  • 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt 2% or whole work best
  • 1 tablespoon mayonnaise optional, but recommended
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
  • 2 teaspoons honey
  • Several dashes of hot sauce
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
  • Salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

For Serving

  • 8 corn tortillas warmed
  • 2 cups shredded cabbage
  • 1 avocado peeled and sliced thin
  • Crumbled queso fresco
  • Cilantro
  • Lime wedges

Instructions 

  • In a bowl or freezer bag add the lime juice, olive oil, hot sauce, spices, salt and pepper. Whisk together and add in the cod. Coat the cod in the marinade and let it marinate for 30 minutes.
  • Preheat your grill to medium-high heat, about 400° F. While the grill heats, shred the cabbage, slice the avocado, and make the white sauce.
  • To make the white sauce combine all of the ingredients in a small bowl and whisk together. Taste for seasoning.
  • Once the grill is hot, oil the grates and then place the cod fillets on them. Grill for 3-4 minutes and then flip them over and grill another 3-4 minutes or until it flakes in the center easily with a fork. Remove the cod from the grill and let it rest for several minutes before flaking it apart with a fork.
  • To assemble, fill the warmed tortillas with some of the cod and top them with sliced avocado, shredded cabbage, crumbled queso fresco, white sauce, and cilantro. Serve with lime wedges.

Nutrition

Serving: 1gCalories: 463kcalCarbohydrates: 35gProtein: 45gFat: 17gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 13gCholesterol: 96mgSodium: 212mgFiber: 8gSugar: 7g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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4.60 from 5 votes (5 ratings without comment)

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1 Comment

  1. Lana says:

    Delicious fish tacos. Saving the recipe to make again another day.