Whole Grilled Fish Tacos Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What kind of fish is good for grilled fish tacos? ›

For a traditional-style fish taco, stick with cod or tilapia. Other choices include pollock, haddock, striped bass, snapper, and catfish, which is excellent fried.

Pete Scherer is a cook and baker with a decade of experience across many facets of the Southern California food scene. That tangy, slightly spicy white sauce that often accompanies Baja style fish tacos is usually made with sour cream, mayonnaise, and lime juice.

White-fleshed, mild, saltwater fish

Whether snapper, mahi-mahi, grouper, flounder, halibut, or cod, wild, local fish are the tastiest choice for Baja-style tacos.

Try cod, mahi mahi, grouper or sea bass for fish tacos and be sure to season the batter well—that's where most of the flavor will come from. Try your fried fish tacos topped with chipotle mayonnaise, shredded lettuce, or chopped fresh onion and cilantro.

Fish that are a bit 'sturdier' tend to work better for the grill, as they are less likely to flake and fall apart during the cooking process. Salmon and swordfish both provide excellent options, as do tuna and mahi-mahi.

It's easy: Have no fear of your prized perch sticking to hot grill grates. Take the gamble out of grilling fish by making a foil basket instead. It's quick: The foil conducts heat and helps to steam fish in just minutes. It holds up: Delicate, flaky fillets can't stand up against many forms of cooking.

Delicate fish like sole, tilapia, or flounder don't fare so well on the open flame. They're more likely to become flakey, break apart or fall through the grates.

Flour fish fillets and dust off excess flour – place in egg wash – place in crumb and coat evenly. Check oil is hot enough by dipping a wooden skewer into your oil. Oil should bubble if hot enough. Place your crumbed pieces of fish in oil.

Fish such as tuna, salmon, halibut, and swordfish, whose texture is more like beef or pork, should be grilled directly on the grate. (More delicate fish, such as tilapia, sole, and flounder, sometimes fare better when grilled in a foil packet or grill basket.)

Can you overcook fish on grill? ›

Overcooked fish is a sad result of cooking the fish for too long or not sealing in the moisture with a coat of oil before cooking. Avoid overcooking your fish with an adequately hot grill, making sure your fish is nice and dry, and some oil.

Baja Fish Tacos: Corn

While the Baja Peninsula is in the border region where flour tortillas are still commonly eaten, fish tacos are an instance where the flavor of the corn itself comes through stronger than it does with other tacos.

The prototypical fish taco originated in Baja California, Mexico, and the preparation referred to in this country as “Baja-style” is similar to what you might find on the Mexican peninsula. It usually involves deep-fried white-fleshed fish, shredded cabbage, and a creamy white sauce.

The best fish for fish tacos:

We use cod in this recipe, but any flaky variety (like tilapia) will work just fine. Whatever fish you choose, we highly recommend marinating it in our simple mixture of lime juice, chili powder, and cumin.

You should use mahi mahi

Welsh echoes Deleon's suggestion of mahi mahi, putting it on the same level as halibut in terms of lean, flaky, mild fish perfect for fish tacos. And for Miranda, should you decide to venture away from the fried route, mahi mahi also lends itself particularly well to grilling.

Tilapia – tilapia is arguably the mildest tasting fish there is. It's not fishy at all and has a mild sweetness. Tilapia is easy to prepare and goes well with a variety of different flavor profiles. Cod – cod has a mild flavor that's slightly sweet like tilapia.