Taco Tuesday just so happens to fall on Cinco De Mayo this year. So, to celebrate I’m sharing my family’s favorite Baja Fish Taco Recipe! If you have never tried fish tacos I highly recommend giving them a try. Taco Tuesday’s will never be the same. You’re going to love them. ♥

Or WATCH THE VIDEO! 🙂

Fresh Ingredients For This Baja Fish Taco Recipe Will Make All The Difference!

That is the truth in any recipe. This dish and your tastebuds will suffer without fresh ingredients.

Period.

Fresh fish, fresh fruit, fresh cilantro and cabbage, and fresh homemade tortillas. You won’t be sorry that you took a few extra steps and put in a little extra effort.

**Fresh fish that has been properly frozen is just as good as fresh!!** A future post is coming on this, I promise!!

Is There Taco Seasoning on Fish Tacos?

NO!

This is super important! A fish taco is not just replacing the meat in a regular taco with fish. I can hear some of you laughing. Before I had ever had an authentic fish taco Jeff and I tried to make them at home and we did just that. It wasn’t great. I had no idea, we were just winging it.

Just don’t.

What’s on a Fish Taco?

Since this is a Baja fish taco recipe that is obviously what we’re going to focus on. There are different styles of fish tacos but they all pretty much have a few main elements that make them a “fish” taco.

1. Fish ~ Of course, either grilled or fried. It is important to use a white fish like cod, crappie, flounder, walleye, white bass, wiper, etc. They hold up well and have incredible flavor without having to do anything to it. Today I’m using some Mackinaw that Jeff caught this winter off the ice. Not a white fish but it’s amazing! If grilled it is very lightly seasoned with salt and pepper, lime, and cilantro. Fried fish is what we like and we use a light breading that crisps up perfectly. Oh, and fried in coconut oil sends these fish tacos absofreakinglutely OVER, THE, TOP! Click here for The Best Fish Fry Breading Recipe You Will Ever Try!

1. Cabbage ~ I don’t know why cabbage instead of lettuce but who cares. It’s delicious. You can use purple or green cabbage. Purple sure does make for a gorgeous presentation!
2. Cream sauce ~ The most versatile part of any fish taco is the cream sauce. Baja fish tacos have a chipotle cream sauce. But an avocado lime cream sauce, a cilantro lime cream sauce, or even a tomatillo cream sauce would be amazing. You can do whatever you want here. We use this Chipotle Cream Sauce Recipe For Baja Fish Tacos, Only 3 Ingredients!

So, What Makes a Fish Taco “Baja” Style?

There are five things that make Baja fish tacos, authentically, “Baja”. Fried white fish, shredded cabbage, fresh cilantro, chipotle cream sauce, and fresh-squeezed lime juice. So simple right?

The first “real” fish taco I ever had was at a Bass Pro Shop restaurant and it was DELICIOUS!! The name of the place is Islamorada Fish Company.

I haven’t had a whole bunch of fish tacos at restaurants, but the ones that I did have, also were not great. Majorly lacking in flavor.

Anyway, the fish tacos from Islamorada Fish Company had fresh diced mango and a chipotle cream sauce. The combination was INSANE! And I have never looked back!

Pineapple!

In my humble opinion, a Baja fish taco must have fruit. Our favorite, hands down, is grilled pineapple!

We have done mango and strawberries too. They are all VERY good! However, as I said, we are partial to the grilled pineapple. You don’t have to grill it but it sure does bring out the sweetness and unique flavors of the pineapple.

Fresh Tortillas!

You can use flour or corn tortillas. We prefer fresh homemade tortillas! They are so easy to make and taste one million times better than store-bought. I have been using THIS homemade tortilla RECIPE for years. It consistently produces a perfect, tender tortilla. Just an FYI, olive oil is not great in these. The flavor is too strong. I have had the best results with pork lard, coconut oil, vegetable oil, and canola oil. 

If you use corn tortillas, the packaged fresh is best. You know, the ones that you have to fry up if you want them crispy. We like to char them over the gas flame on the stove.

PRO TIP: If you don’t have gas you can char them up in a skillet on an electric stove. 

Cheese?

Yes.

You don’t have to put cheese on your fish tacos but to me, it is a must. It’s good without the cheese but better with it. The tang of the cheese pairs beautifully with the sweet pineapple and smokey chipotle cream sauce!

We use sharp cheddar. Cojita cheese would be good too of course!

**YOU WILL NEED TO PRINT MULTIPLE RECIPES, YOU CAN FIND EACH ONE BELOW**

First Things First.

Click here to get the fresh homemade tortilla recipe from thecafesucrefarine.com! You will want to make these first and keep them warm. Here’s what I use to keep mine warm, works like a charm!

If you decide to use corn tortillas and char them, you will want to do that LAST. Just before you’re ready to serve your Baja fish tacos.

Print these recipes! Fish Fry and Chipotle cream sauce.

For best results when frying fish read this post: CRISPY FRIED FISH

Fish Fry Recipe, Printable:

The Best Fish Fry Breading Recipe

Perfectly golden brown fried fish every time! This fish fry creates a thin crisp crust around your fish. Let the flavor of the fish be enhanced and shine with this dry batter. ♥

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Servings 5

Ingredients

  

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cups yellow cornmeal
• 1 1/2 tsp seasoned salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1 1/2 tsp cajun or creole seasoning

Instructions

 

• Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and store at room temperature in an airtight container.

Keyword black pepper, cajun seasoning, cornmeal, dry batter, fish batter, fish flour, fish fry, flour, fried fish, fried fish dry batter, salt, seasoned salt

Chipotle Cream Sauce Recipe, Printable:

Chipotle Cream Sauce For Fish Tacos

Creamy, smokey, a little spicy, and just the thing for your Baja style fish tacos!

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine Mexican

Servings 6 People

Ingredients

  

• 1/3 cup Daisy sour cream If you don't like sour cream, feel free to use mayonnaise or greek yogurt. It will still be delicious!
• 2 tbs Tobasco chipotle pepper sauce
• 1 pinch chipotle powder

Instructions

 

• Mix all ingredients together in a small bowl. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week.

Keyword chipotle cream sauce for fish tacos, chipotle sour cream, cream sauce for fish tacos, fish taco sauce, taco cream sauce

Baja Fish Taco Recipe, Printable:

Baja Fish Taco Recipe

Crispy fried white fish, wrapped in a fresh warm flour tortilla, topped with grilled pineapple, thin-sliced cabbage, cheddar cheese, cilantro, smokey chipotlé cream sauce, and a squeeze of fresh lime.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine Mexican

Servings 6

Ingredients

  

• 1/2 head thin-sliced green or purple cabbage
• 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese Optional. You can leave the cheese out or use Cojita cheese. Cojita has a mild flavor!
• 1 fresh pineapple. Cored, sliced into strips, grilled.
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 whole limes cut into wedges
• 1 recipe chipotle cream sauce **print above**
• 1-2 lbs fried fish **print fish fry recipe above**
• 1 batch fresh homemade flour tortillas or fresh store-bought corn tortillas **print above**

Instructions

 

• Make your fresh tortillas, place them in a warmer, and set aside.
• Thinly slice the cabbage and chop your cilantro, shred the cheese, cut up, and grill the pineapple. Set aside. *You can sprinkle the chopped cilantro on the grilled pineapple instead of the top of the finished taco to prevent it from falling off.*
• Prepare the chipotle cream sauce. Set aside.
• Fry up your beautiful fish!
• Build your tacos and enjoy! ♥ Don't forget to add a squeeze of fresh lime on top. 🙂

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Mexican food is just one of the many things that I am thankful for. I hope you will celebrate the rich Mexican culture we are blessed to have in the United States.

Happy Cinco De Mayo!

Leigh Ann ♥

Leigh Ann

Leigh Ann Schooley is the owner and founder of Making My Abode, a blog dedicated to helping homemakers live well and simply on one income. She is a believer, wife, and mother of three with more than sixteen years of homemaking experience. Leigh Ann is the recipient of the Wife of The Year award eighteen years running. She has also won the Mother of The Year award every year for the past sixteen years. She is a Colorado native raised by her dad who taught her almost everything she knows. Leigh Ann lives with her husband and family in Colorado.