Love fish tacos? Well, these are the end-all-be-all. You don’t need to deep fry to make terrific Fish Tacos. You just need a really great marinade! A seriously delicious way to serve up white fish fillets. Either way, they’re healthy, fresh and bursting with serious taco goodness!
No grill, no deep-fryer, no problem. Our summery tacos rely on our go-to fish-cooking method—slow-roast, baby!—for tender, flaky fish every time. All you need to do is cover the fish with our special jalapenos-cilantro sauce and slow baked it. Serve it with cheese, lettuce and tomatoes – it is finger-licking good.
Jalapeno & Clilanto Marination
If you love Mexican food you’re going to love this cilantro lime marinade. It’s really easy to make and can be used to marinate chicken, beef, fish, shrimp, and even vegetables.
To begin light chop the cilantro, garlic, and jalapenos and toss them in the food processor. Add the lemon juice, olive oil and salt & pepper to taste. Process for less than one minute or until you have a nice and chunky texture. Don’t over-process because the mixture will turn into a paste rather than chunky. The jalapenos are not mandatory but they add a wonderful flavour and a kick of spice. If you don’t want the marinade spicy remove the inside of the jalapenos and wash them under cool water; be sure not to get any in your eyes.
Where to get the Jalapenos?
It is not easy to find Jalapenos everywhere, all we get is capsicum and chilli in our own locate supermarket. We are glad that we have this Mexican supermarket – La Mexicana in Singapore where it has everything that we need. You can expect to find a multitude of Mexico-imported products, such as all kinds of Jalapenos and Tacos.
Slow-baked Fish
You can use all kinds of white fish from cod to tilapia and covered it in a garlicky cilantro-jalapenos sauce before cooking. You’re not going to get the same char or crunch as you would in grilled or fried fish tacos, but a cabbage slaw (and the fact that you don’t have to deal with grilling or frying) more than makes up for it.
Use any mild white fish you like, remembering that cook time varies based on the thickness of the piece. So keep an eye on the fish as it cooks and cooks to the visual indicator, not the timer. People can be intimidated by cooking fish for tacos, but don’t be! Let the fish rest a few minutes before using a fork to flake it into pieces.
*Ps: Remember to leave some jalapenos-cilantro sauce for the tomatoes slaw!
Mexican Tomatoes Slaw
We often serve fish tacos with a classic coleslaw or onion slaw but if this time we decided to have a tomatoes slaw to add in some juiciness and colour. Combine quarter tomatoes, 2 tbsp of jalapeno-cilantro sauce, chopped onion, lime juice in a bowl. Mix it lightly as we don’t want to smash the tomato. A little reminder – You only want to do the tomatoes slaw last, as you don’t want it to get soggy.
Assemble them in a platter
Presentation is what you need to make your food look even better. You can serve your fish straight from the pan, for us we serve them on a small plate.Warm 24 corn tortillas or 12 flour tortillas one at a time over a burner set to medium heat until blackened around the edges in some spots, about 30 seconds per side. Keep tortillas wrapped in a stack in a clean kitchen towel to keep warm until serving.Arrange avocado. cabbage, pico de gallo, and remaining cilantro and lime wedges on a platter as well. And you are ready to serve at your party!
xoxo, Joe
Baked Cilantro Fish Taco
Ingredients
1 1½-lb. piece white fish
3 tsp. kosher salt, divided, plus more
2 jalapeños
⅓ cup vegetable oil
2 garlic cloves
1 large bunch of cilantro, divided
1 pint cherry tomatoes
¼ white onion
4 limes, divided
¼ head of green cabbage
1 avocado
24 corn tortillas or 12 flour tortillas
Hot sauce (for serving)
Methods
- Place a rack in the centre of the oven; preheat to 300°. Place 1 1½-lb. piece white fish in a 13×9″ baking dish. Season all over with 1½ tsp. salt.
- Trim and discard stems of 2 jalapeños, cut in half lengthwise, then coarsely chop. Coarsely chop three-quarters of 1 bunch of cilantro leaves with tender stems.
- Transfer jalapeños and chopped cilantro to a blender or food processor. Add ⅓ cup vegetable oil and 2 garlic cloves. Blend on high speed until a coarse purée form. Scoop out and transfer 2 Tbsp. sauce to a medium bowl (you’ll be building your pico de gallo in this.) Pour remaining sauce evenly over fish, spreading with the back of a spoon.
- Bake fish until it flakes away with light pressure from the tines of a fork in the thickest part, 18–25 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fillet and what type of fish you’re using. Start checking on the early end of things so it doesn’t overcook!
- While fish bakes, work on the rest of your toppings. Quarter 1-pint cherry tomatoes and transfer to bowl with reserved cilantro sauce. Peel ¼ white onion, then finely chop. Add to sauce and toss to combine. Cut 1 lime in half and squeeze the juice of both halves into the bowl. Season with 1 tsp. salt and toss to combine.
- Shave off the core of ¼ head of cabbage. Thinly slice crosswise into shreds and transfer to a medium bowl. Cut another lime in half and squeeze the juice into a bowl; season with salt. Toss with your hands to combine.
- Cut remaining 2 limes into wedges for serving.
- Run a knife around the pit of 1 avocado lengthwise to split in half. Open avocado. Using the bottom half of the knife, remove the pit by securing the blade in the pit, then turning it sideways to release. Using a large spoon, scoop out the flesh, then cut into thin lengthwise wedges. Transfer to a large platter or board. Season avocado with salt.
- Arrange cabbage, pico de gallo, and remaining cilantro and lime wedges on a platter as well.
- Warm 24 corn tortillas or 12 flour tortillas one at a time over a burner set to medium heat until blackened around the edges in some spots, about 30 seconds per side. Keep tortillas wrapped in a stack in a clean kitchen towel to keep warm until serving.
- Using a large spoon, gently flake apart fish into large irregular pieces and transfer to a plate. Serve fish along with all the accoutrements and your fave hot sauce for a DIY taco party.
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