These simple, crispy fish tacos topped with a crunchy purple cabbage slaw and a homemade avocado cilantro cream are always a delight!
For the longest time, I was against the idea of fish tacos without even trying them. Something about fish and tacos just didn’t add up in my head. I typically have my fish as side or in a curry. But, last summer I had some fish tacos that completely changed my mind. There was something about it that’s just so light and fresh. The version I had was beer battered, fried fish on a taco with a red cabbage coleslaw and a crema. So I wanted to remake it… but healthier and in the airfryer. this recipe is easy, quick and delicious!
What You Need
- The Crispy Fish : for these tacos, you can use any white fillet fish such as cod, tilapia, or halibut! I personally prefer tilapia cause it’s easier for me to find. Listed below are the seasoning spices that you will mix together and rub into the fish. You can alternatively use whatever spice mix you prefer!
- Spices : chili powder, garlic powder, oregano, paprika, salt
- Mustard
- Panko Breadcrumbs
- The Purple Cabbage Slaw: I highly recommend pairing fish tacos with a fresh, crunchy slaw to balance it out. I recommend slicing your cabbage and onions fresh, but you can also buy a pre-sliced mix and just add in your other ingredients. Listed below is what you need to whip up this delicious slaw:
- light mayo
- Greek yogurt
- lime juice
- hot sauce
- garlic powder
- freshly sliced cabbage and onions
- The Cilantro Avocado Crema: This avocado, cilantro, and lime crema is the final topping in this mouth-watering taco and perfectly pairs together with the flakey fish and tangy salsa.
- avocado
- sour cream
- cilantro
- spices
- lime juice
What fish should I use for fish tacos?
Although I prefer tilapia as my go-to choice for fish tacos, you could essentially use any white fish fillets. Cod, tilapia, and halibut all work very well with this dish, as do any other white fillet varieties. Presentation is not key, rather taste is! If you want, you can also choose a fish like salmon but the flavor can be a bit overpowering.
I do recommend buying fillets that have been skinned for you already. Trust me, it will make your life much easier when you start cooking this recipe. Fun fact: if you’re buying fresh fish from a counter, you can often ask to have them remove the skin for free!
Step By Step Fish Tacos
These fish tacos are very quick and easy to make! They’re refreshing and will be ready to enjoy in about half an hour! Here’s a quick step-by-step:
- Mix up your spices and the mustard to make your marinade. Rub it into the slices of fish on both sides! Lightly bread each strip of fish in the panko breadcrumbs. Airfry or bake them until crispy.
- Whip up some of the delicious cabbage cole slaw by chopping up some cabbage and onion and then adding in the seasoning and sauces.
- Grind or blend together the ingredients to make the cilantro avocado crema.
- Lightly heat some tortillas until they start to puff and char.
- Assemble the tacos! Add the fish to your tortilla shell, top with the cabbage slaw, and drizzle the crema over the taco.
- Serve!
Variations & Substitutions
Customizing recipes is so fun & convenient – and tacos are perfect for that! Get creative and mess around with the ingredients list, cooking times, etc so your tacos are different every time! If you have allergies or other dietary restrictions, don’t worry, you can make this recipe work for you!
- Gluten-Free: use corn tortillas!
- Vegan: swap out the fish for tofu or avocado slices and the sour cream, mayo & greek yogurt for vegan sour cream and vegan mayo
- Dairy-Free: Use vegan mayo and vegan sour cream as a replacement for the mayo, greek yogurt, and sour cream!
- Swap the Fish: If you want to try something very different, swap the fish out with shrimp instead!
- Fruit: On top of all the fresh ingredients, a fruity salsa using as mango, pineapple, blueberries, etc would be an amazing addition to the tacos!
Crispy Airfryer Fish Tacos
Description
These simple, crispy fish tacos topped with a crunchy purple cabbage slaw and a homemade avocado cilantro cream are always a delight!
Ingredients
Purple Cabbage Slaw
- 1/2 cup purple cabbage, thinly sliced (or white)
- Thinly sliced carrot
- 1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced
- 2 tbsp light mayo
- 1 tbsp greek yogurt
- Juice of 1/4 lime
- Hot Sauce, to taste
- Garlic powder, to taste
Crispy Fish
- 1–2 fillet white fish (300g) – cut into strips
- 2 tsp mustard
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp oregano
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- Large pinch Salt
- 1/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
Avocado Crema
- 1/2 avocado
- Small bunch of cilantro
- Handful of pickled jalapenos
- 1/4 cup light sour cream
- Large pinch of salt
For the Assmbly
- 6 Corn Tortillas
Instructions
- In a bowl, mix together the mustard, chili powder, garlic powder, oregano, paprika and salt. Spread the spice mixture all over the fish (cut into strips). Then, dip each piece of fish into the breadcrumbs until lightly breaded. Airfry or bake at 400F for 10 minutes. or until cooked through.
- In a bowl, mix together all the ingredients under the “Purple Cabbage Slaw” section. Set aside.
- In a blender, blend all the ingredients under the “Avocado Crema” section, add a tablespoon of water as needed to help it blend.
- Heat up the corn tortilla, layer on the crispy fish, slaw and crema. Enjoy!