I love fish tacos; it’s one of my favorite dinners to make at home. But while I love fried food a ton (who doesn’t?!), I actually don’t like fish tacos with fried fish very much. I think the combination of frying the fish and adding a bunch of toppings masks the delicate flavor and texture of the fish.
I prefer my fish for tacos grilled, sauteed, or, in this case, baked which allows the fish to shine through all of the toppings better. The spices amplify but don’t hide the flavor of the fish like a heavy batter or breading does.
♥ Related: Shrimp Pasta with Tomatoes & Summer Squash
This is truly a no fail way to cook the fish for your tacos. First, you rub the fish in a super simple but flavorful spice and oil mixture. Then you just place the fish on a parchment lined sheet pan and let it cook in the oven for about 6 minutes. Using parchment paper ensures that your fish doesn’t stick so it’s easy clean-up too!
Keeping with the theme of ease, I like to serve the fish on a platter with my favorite toppings and let everyone go to town making their own taco creations. I included a recipe for an extremely simple slaw to serve with these tacos, but you’d also be fine just grabbing one of those prepackaged coleslaw kits if you are really short on time.
♥ Related: Restaurant-style Salsa in Less than 10 Minutes
Oven Baked Fish Tacos
Ingredients
Oven Baked Fish
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- ½ tbsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp Kosher salt
- 1 lb thin, flaky, white fish tilapia or flounder work well!
Simple Slaw
- ⅓ head green cabbage about 5 cups shredded thin
- 3 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp Kosher salt
- 1 lime juiced
Serving Garnishes
- 6 corn or flour tortillas warmed
- ½ avocado sliced
- sour cream to taste for serving
- salsa to taste for serving
- cilantro to taste for serving
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Whisk together the olive oil, chili powder, cumin, and salt.
- Spread a baking sheet with parchment paper or spray with non-stick spray or rub a thin layer of olive oil over the sheet.
- Place the fish on the baking sheet and use a pastry brush or spoon to spread the paste you just made over both sides of the fish.
- Place the fish in the heated oven for about 6 minutes or until the fish is cooked through and flaky.
- To make a simple slaw, add shredded cabbage to a large bowl. Sprinkle with sugar and salt and massage the cabbage and the salt and sugar with your hands breaking down the cabbage a bit. When it starts to wilt a little, add the juice of a lime.
- Serve on the tortillas with the slaw and avocado. Add sour cream, salsa, and cilantro to your taste.
Notes
- You can use any flaky white fish you want here and it will be good. For a speedy supper, I’m suggesting flounder or tilapia because it cooks in about 6 minutes. But halibut, haddock, or cod will work, but it will just take a bit longer in the oven. Any of these fish is done when it’s opaque and flaky.
- Need a quick salsa recipe? Check out my recipe for restaurant-style salsa which comes together in 10-minutes!
Shrimp Pasta with Tomatoes and Summer Squash