Crispy Fish Tacos

Your search ends here! This Crispy Fish Tacos will become your absolute favorite! From the lime juice, cumin, and chili marinade, to the crispy panko coating, to the delicious topping, you will be on a roller coaster of flavor! You will make these tacos over and over. You’re welcome!

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Fish Tacos – Easy to Make, Delicious to Eat!

First of all, don’t be intimidated by this recipe. It’s actually very easy to make! It may look intimidating, but it’s really quite simple

Fish Tacos have become a massively popular meal. They are loved by so many and have an endless variety. Some use fish that is fried, others are grilled, and others are seared. Then there’s the toppings. Whatever you want, you can put on fish tacos.

For my Crispy Fish Tacos, I found a balance of flavors starting with the marinade. The batter and the toppings have been carefully selected to have the perfect blend that everyone who eats these has rolled their eyes with shear delight from the exquisite mouthful of bursting flavor. They do take some time to prepare, but, without a doubt, they are worth ever bit of effort!

Crispy Fish Taco Toppings

The topping I use for my Crispy Fish Tacos are ones I use regularly for many different applications. So, below are links to that amazing recipes. I thought you’d appreciate them separately as well as I do. Below are some tips and other info.

I have the topping listed in the order I make them when preparing my Crispy Fish Tacos.

Pickled Onions – The pickled onions give a really nice tang and sweet flavor. You can skip these, but you’ll be missing out on the overall experience. This can be made a day or 2 ahead of time.

Cilantro Garlic Lime Sauce – I love Pollo Tropical, an awesome  Caribbean restaurant serving up fresh chicken fare. They have these amazing sauces that I just can’t enough of. This is my copycat version of their sauce. I make it & use it on so many of my Latin based meals. Optimally, I make this and let it sit in the fridge for an hour, but that’s not required.

Cabbage Slaw – This is simply shredded red and green cabbage with a thinned version of the Cilantro Garlic Lime Sauce.

Pico de Gallo – I love making fresh Pico. Whenever I make this, I like to make a large batch that will last for a few days. I love the crispy freshness. This also can be made a day or 2 ahead of time. Follow the link to this recipe to get tips on how to keep it crispy for days!

What Ingredients Are in Crispy Fish Tacos?

How are Crispy Fish Tacos Made?

Marinating the Fish

The simple marinade in this meal adds so much to the flavor. However, since it includes lime juice, you need to be careful how long you allow it to marinate. Citric acid cooks raw fish. So, if left too long in the marinade, the fish won’t be flaky when you fry it. So here’s how you do it.

Once you have everything prepped – the oil is heating up, all your ingredients are out in front of you, cut and ready to go – make the marinade and put the fish in it. Set it aside until the oil reaches the proper temperature.

Tempura Mix

Tempura is a common batter used in Japanese cooking. Like with many meals these days, many methods have been borrowed from other cuisines. Tempura batter works so well with these Crispy Fish Taco, and it’s really easy to make.

• 3/4 cup All-Purpose Flour
• 1/3 cup Corn Starch
• 2 tablespoons cup Baking Powder
• 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
• About 1 cup of ice water

The water needs to be really cold to give that crispy texture. Once you have the dry ingredients mixed, pour the water in the bowl in a thin stream while mixing. You may not need to use the whole cup of water. You want the consistency of pancake batter.

Between each batch of fish, you most likely will need to stir it again.

Cooking Instructions

Fish Tacos – Marinade

1. Heat the canola oil in a large heavy pot like a Dutch over to 375° F, or set your fryer to 375°F
2. Slice the fish into 1/2 inch thick by 2 inches long slices. Place the fish slices in a mixing bowl.
3. Add the lime juice, cumin, salt, pepper, and chili powder and mix thoroughly. Set aside until ready to cook.

Fish Tacos – Cooking

1. Set you oven to 200° F. Place a cooling rack on a sheet pan.
2. Place the panko breadcrumbs in a mixing bowl and get the tempura mix ready by, either, mixing according to the package instruction or by following the instructions in the Notes for this recipe.
3. Take some of the fish and submerge them in the tempura mix. Remove a few pieces at a time and let some of the batter fall off.
4. Place them in the panko breadcrumbs and coat the pieces on all side.
5. Carefully place several pieces in the hot oil and cook for 4-6 minutes.
6. Remove the pieces with a strainer or slotted spoon when the time is up and place them in bowl. Sprinkle with some salt and place the pieces on the cooling rack.
7. Repeat the above process until all the fish is cooked. As each batch is finished, place the sheet pan in the oven to keep the fish warm.
8. As the fish is cooking, warm the corn tortillas. Each taco needs 2 tortillas as they tend to tear easily.
9. Depending on the equipment you have at home, you can either heat 2 shells on a gas burner over a low flame, on a grill, or in a pan.
10. Place them on the heat for about 1 minute then turn over and heat for another minute. Repeat this until all the tortillas are warmed. Place the finished sets on a place and cover with a towel.

Fish Tacos – Assembly

Take a set of 2 tortillas and place about 2 pieces of fish on it. Top with some slaw, red onions, pico de gallo, cilantro garlic, lime sauce, and some torn fresh cilantro leaves.

Crispy Fish Taco FAQ’s

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Useful Kitchen Tools

I don’t know what I would do without these amazing kitchen tools. I use all of these at least once a week, some I use every day. None of these are sponsors. However, the links below are brands I trust and use regularly. I highly recommend these product to make your life in the kitchen easier.

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Other Amazing Recipes That You’ll Love!

Pico de Gallo

Easy Pickled Onions

Cilantro Garlic Lime Sauce

Baked Fish Tacos

Classic Chicken Fajitas

Best Carne Asada Tacos

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