Wes Ellis./ a personal notebook
Technology. Stories. Side projects.
A few things worth writing down.
SearchSubscribe
← Back to Short-Order Kitchen

Short-Order Kitchen

Fish Tacos with Lime Slaw

By Wes Ellis1 min read
Two battered fish tacos with onions, cilantro and cream on a white platter, with a bowl of pineapple salsa.
Recipe card
Servings
4 (8 tacos)
Prep
15 minutes
Cook
8 to 10 minutes
Method
Skillet
Heat
Medium-high heat
Difficulty
Easy
Jump to ingredients & directions ↓

Part 12 of the thread Weeknight dinners

THE SHORT VERSION4 points
  • Make the slaw first so it can sit while the fish cooks.
  • Tilapia takes about 8 minutes total, flipped once.
  • Don't skip the lime. The slaw is what makes the tacos.
  • Makes 8 tacos, about 180 calories each.
THE RECIPE · FISH TACOS WITH LIME SLAW

Ingredients

Slaw

Fish

To serve

You'll need

  • Large skillet
  • Large bowl
  • Spatula

Directions

Slaw

  1. Mix the cabbage, red onion, sour cream, lime juice and salt. Chill it while you cook the fish.

Fish and tacos

  1. Pat the fillets dry and coat both sides with the seasoning.
  2. Heat a little oil in a skillet over medium-high heat and cook the fish about 8 minutes total, flipping once, until it flakes easily.
  3. Flake it into bite-size pieces.
  4. Warm the tortillas in the skillet or microwave until they're pliable.
  5. Fill each one with slaw and fish, and finish with cilantro and lime if you like.
Notes Store the fish and slaw separately for 1 to 2 days, warm the fish gently, and build the tacos fresh. Corn tortillas or lettuce wraps work too. Roughly 180 calories and 15 g protein per taco, give or take.

wesellis.com/blog/fish-tacos/

Fish tacos live or die by the slaw. The fish is just seasoned tilapia in a skillet; the slaw is where the crunch, the tang and the cool creamy part come from. Make it first, let it sit, and by the time the fish is done it'll taste better than when you mixed it.

Give the slaw time

Salt and lime pull a little water out of the cabbage and soften it just enough, and the red onion mellows. Fifteen to thirty minutes is ideal. Five is still fine. Taste it before serving and add more lime if it's flat. It usually wants more lime.

Tip

Pat the fish really dry before seasoning. Wet fillets steam in the pan, and the seasoning slides off instead of forming a crust.

Flip once and leave it

Tilapia is thin and flaky. Move it around and it breaks apart before it browns. Lay it in the hot pan, let it cook undisturbed for about four minutes, flip it once with a wide spatula, and you're nearly done. It's getting broken into pieces anyway, so don't stress if it cracks.

Try this

Same idea, different protein: Air Fryer Shrimp Tacos. And if you have leftover cabbage, Thai Chicken Cabbage Salad will use it up.

LINKED FROM1 note

Keep reading