Easy 15-Minute Fish Tacos with Avocado Corn Salsa

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15-Minute Tilapia Fish Tacos with Corn Salsa — Tons of big flavors in a fast, fresh, and healthy meal!! A clean-eating taco recipe that tastes like comfort food!

15-Minute Tilapia Fish Tacos with Corn Salsa — Tons of big flavors in a fast, fresh, and healthy meal!! A clean-eating taco recipe that tastes like comfort food!

Quick Fish Tacos with Corn and Cabbage Salsa

This is an easy, family-friendly tilapia fish taco recipe that’s ready in 15 minutes. You may even change the mind’s of those who say they, ‘don’t like fish’ with these tacos.

The fish is lightly floured and pan-seared for a barely-there crispy crust while retaining a moist, flaky, and tender interior.

Add the fish to the fajita or taco shells, top with cheese right away so it melts a bit, and then add the salsa. It’s a refreshing salsa that’s both creamy from the avocado with lots of crunch from the corn, cabbage, and cucumbers.

It’s a satisfying and healthy dinner at home faster than you can call for take-out!

Easy 15-Minute Fish Tacos with Avocado Corn Salsa - Tons of big flavors in a fast, fresh and healthy meal!! A clean-eating recipe that tastes like comfort food!

Tilapia Fish Taco Ingredients

This is a simple, no-frills taco recipe with the best ever cabbage and corn salsa (or slaw, call it whatever you want — it’s delicious!).

For the fish tacos:

  • Butter
  • Olive oil
  • Flour
  • Tilapia filets
  • Salt and pepper
  • Taco shells
  • Shredded Mexican cheese blend

For the corn and cabbage fish taco slaw:

  • Red cabbage
  • Corn
  • Cucumber
  • Avocado
  • Fresh cilantro
  • Salt, pepper, cayenne pepper
  • Lime juice
  • Apple cider vinegar
  • Agave (or honey)

Can Another Type of Fish Be Used?

I used tilapia because it’s sustainable, neutral-tasting, and oh yes, cheaper than most. But you may try another white fish, including halibut, catfish, or cod.

Easy 15-Minute Fish Tacos with Avocado Corn Salsa - Tons of big flavors in a fast, fresh and healthy meal!! A clean-eating recipe that tastes like comfort food!

How to Make Tilapia Fish Tacos

Making tilapia fish tacos with corn salsa is super easy! Here’s an overview of the recipe:

  1. Make the salsa: Add all the salsa ingredients to a mixing bowl and toss to combine.
  2. Dredge the tilapia in flour, season to taste, then cook in a greased skillet until golden brown on both sides.
  3. Remove the fish from the skillet and warm the taco shells one by one, if desired.
  4. Slice fish, add to fajita shells, top with cheese, salsa, and serve immediately.
15-Minute Tilapia Fish Tacos with Corn Salsa — Tons of big flavors in a fast, fresh, and healthy meal!! A clean-eating taco recipe that tastes like comfort food!

Tips for Making Fish Tacos with Tilapia

I’m a cilantro fiend and use plenty because I love the flavor it adds, but play with the ingredient ratios based on your preferences.

You can make a double batch of salsa and eat it with chips, which is what I do. The vegetables soften as time passes from the apple cider vinegar and lime juice and the flavors marry and it tastes even better. 

I love the flavor of tilapia and don’t think it needs much more than salt and pepper, but you’re welcome to use your favorite taco or fajita seasonings on the fish if desired.

15-Minute Tilapia Fish Tacos with Corn Salsa — Tons of big flavors in a fast, fresh, and healthy meal!! A clean-eating taco recipe that tastes like comfort food!

What to Serve with Fish Tacos

Serve the tilapia fish tacos with all of your favorite Mexican recipes! Here are some of the fish taco sides that we love:

And make sure to wash them down with a 3-Ingredient Margarita or a Mango Pineapple Frozen Margarita.

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5 from 1 vote

15-Minute Tilapia Fish Tacos with Corn Salsa

By Averie Sunshine
Tons of big flavors in a fast, fresh, and healthy meal!! A clean-eating taco recipe that tastes like comfort food!
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 8 minutes
Total Time: 18 minutes
Servings: 4
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Ingredients  

Salsa (extra is great with chips or make a double-batch)

  • ¾ cup red cabbage, sliced thin
  • ¾ cup corn, I use frozen that I thaw before adding
  • ¾ cup cucumber, peeled and diced
  • ½ to 1 medium ripe avocado, peeled, pitted, and diced
  • ¼ cup minced cilantro leaves, or to taste
  • ¾ teaspoon salt, or to taste
  • ½ teaspoon pepper, or to taste
  • pinch cayenne pepper, optional and to taste
  • 3 to 4 tablespoons lime juice, lemon juice may be substituted
  • 3 to 4 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
  • 3 to 4 tablespoons agave, honey may be substituted, or to taste

Fish

  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • flour, for lightly dredging fish
  • 2 large tilapia filets, about 1 pound
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • fajita or taco shells
  • about 1 cup white cheese or a white cheese blend, such as queso quesadilla, oxaca, asadera, Monterrey Jack, etc.

Instructions 

Salsa

  • Add all ingredients to a large bowl in the order listed, toss well to coat evenly, taste, and make any desired flavor adjustments; set aside.

Fish

  • To a large skillet, add the butter, oil, and heat over medium-high heat to melt butter.
  • Dredge fish through flour, coating both sides.
  • Add fish to skillet, season with salt and pepper, and cook for about 3 to 4 minutes on first side.
  • Flip, season with salt and pepper, and cook for about 3 minutes on second side, or until fish is lightly golden browned on both sides and cooked through.

Assembly

  • If desired, lightly warm each fajita shell momentarily on a dry skillet over medium-high heat before adding fish.
  • Slice fish, add to fajita shells, top with cheese, salsa, and serve immediately. Tacos are best warm and fresh. Extra salsa will keep airtight for up to 2 days, noting that avocados will oxidize and vegetables will continue to soften and release water as time passes.

Nutrition

Serving: 1, Calories: 1061kcal, Carbohydrates: 86g, Protein: 76g, Fat: 47g, Saturated Fat: 17g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 25g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 185mg, Sodium: 1460mg, Fiber: 9g, Sugar: 18g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

More Easy Taco Recipes:

10-Minute Grouper Fish Tacos — Fast, fresh, and healthy! An easy fish taco recipe everyone loves! Lemony, buttery fish with a honey mustard-lemon sauce on top! Perfect for busy nights because they’re so quick!!

Chicken Tinga Tacos — FAST, super easy, and the super juicy chicken has AUTHENTIC smoky chipotle FLAVOR!! When you’re craving tacos, these are the tacos to make! 

Vegan “Beef” Tacos — The ultimate comfort food. Juicy, meaty, beefy, cheesy, filling, and packed with big, bold flavors. They just happen to be vegan and healthy! 

Vegan beef tacos on a white plate

Cauliflower Tinga Tacos with Avocado Crema — Roasted cauliflower is drenched in a smoky, perfectly spicy chipotle sauce, then folded into corn tortillas, cheese is added, and baked to crispy perfection!

Instant Pot or Slow Cooker Barbacoa Beef – Learn how to make authentic-tasting barbacoa beef in your Instant Pot or slow cooker!! EASY, tastes BETTER than a restaurant, and is a dinnertime WINNER!!

Instant Pot or Slow Cooker Barbacoa Beef - Learn how to make authentic-tasting barbacoa beef in your Instant Pot or slow cooker!! EASY, tastes BETTER than a restaurant, and is a dinnertime WINNER!!

Easy Carne Asada Tacos — EASY carne asada at home that rivals your favorite restaurant!! Tender juicy beef that’s seasoned to perfection and topped with pico de gallo and salsa make these carne asada tacos INCREDIBLE!!

overhead view of a carne asada taco

About the Author

Welcome to AverieCooks! Here you’ll find fast and easy recipes that taste amazing and are geared for real life. Nothing fussy or complicated, just awesome tasting dishes everyone loves!

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Please note: I have only made the recipe as written, and cannot give advice or predict what will happen if you change something. If you have a question regarding changing, altering, or making substitutions to the recipe, please check out the FAQ page for more info.

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Comments

  1. My husband is trying to eat more lean proteins, so seafood has been on the menu a LOT lately.  I made these tonight in the dead of winter (ok, so it’s a California winter, but still!) using frozen tilapia from Target, bagged cabbage (pre-shredded), and an avocado from Mexico, which seems to provide CA with a steady supply, even out of our regular spring-summer avocado season.  My husband LOVED them and already had me email the recipe to his mom and siblings!  One shortcut I often take when it comes to cilantro is substituting paste (I get this one from Albertsons: http://www.gourmetgarden.com/en-us/product/526/cilantro-stir-paste) for the fresh stuff – saves so much time on chopping but gives you the same great flavoring.  Thanks for sharing!  I look forward to making more recipes from your website. :)

    1. I live in San Diego and it’s as cold now as I want it! It’s definitely ‘winter’! Glad that the recipe came out great for you with the ingredients you used! LMK if you make anything else from my site!

  2. Made these tonight (for the second time!) and they are amazing!  Confession:  I make extra salsa and eat it like a salad.  It’s THAT good!  These are easily on the dinner rotation.  The first time I made them I didn’t flour the tilapia since I’m also fearful of frying.  I can’t believe the difference it made this time-and the fish still turns out light and not heavy at all!  Love!

    1. Thanks for trying the recipe and I’m glad it came out great for you – both times! And I make extra salsa and eat it like a salad too! :) Great minds!

      And yes the very, very light flour coating makes ALL the different. I hate frying in the true sense of the word but this is just giving it that little bit of a wonderful crust that goes so far overall.

  3. I had these ready to put on the table this evening when Jon walked in the door. Sooo good and I’m glad I made extra salsa–I think I could make a meal just out of that (I used a boatload of cilantro)! Really love this recipe!

    1. I loveeeed this salsa too. I made extra and kept dabbling with it and ‘stretching’ it by adding more veggies that I had on hand b/c I loved it so much and didn’t want it to be done :) Glad you loved it like I did and used a boatload of cilantro and that you and Jon enjoyed this one! Thanks for trying it a mere 48 hours after I posted it :) Happy Memorial Day weekend!

  4. These are too gorgeous, love all those colors going on! Food should always look pretty :) 

  5. Fish Tacos are my go to at most restaurants…I really do need to just make them at home.  Especially seeing how easy and awesome these are.  I love that colorful salsa you have on top too!  Delicious!!!

  6. I remember the first time we heard of fish tacos. My wife and I both thought, yuk, that doesn’t sound good at all!

  7. I love the color in the photos! And I love fish tacos, so this is perfect. Plus it’ll get me in the mood to eat allthetacos in Hawaii!

    1. I loved the colors too but it was so hard to shoot. BRIGHT fish, cheese, wraps. With darker colors. My camera (and me) were struggling :)

      You are on an amazing-trip-bonanza lately!!

  8. I don’t know why, but I never make fish tacos.  I love them at restaurants, but I never make them.  Too much fish growing up?  

    You make them look so easy though!

    1. They were SO easy and this salsa, you would love love love. I could eat just boatloads of it!

  9. There is nothing more amazing than cilantro my friend.  I am pretty addicted to it.  I am a big lover of tacos, especially fish and shrimp tacos.  These are a serious must try!

    1. I am a cilantro addict. And mega congrats on your book. Been seeing your FB posts and Carla did your forward and you are just a mover and a shaker and so proud of you!! :) xo

  10. These fish tacos look AWESOME! So much color and flavor and texture! You go girl!!

  11. I LOVE fish tacos. These colors are simply gorgeous. Definitely need to add to the menu pronto!

    Have a beautiful Wednesday Averie!

  12. Fish tacos aren’t really a thing up in Wisconsin where I live, but I’m thinking I should TOTALLY make them a thing because these seriously look all kinds of amazing and perfect for summer! That avocado salsa looks so ultra-fresh and packed with flavor!

    1. I grew up in MN but have been living in San Diego for 15 years. I can relate that fish tacos aren’t really a midwest thing but you should start a trend :)

  13. That avocado salsa alone looks just delicious! I’ve been loving avocados lately! I typically don’t eat too much fish but you’ve made me want to make this!

  14. I love that the fish isn’t deep fried as I still have a fear of frying…and your pictures are gorgeous so colorful can’t wait to try your version…cabbage on fish tacos is a must.

    1. Thanks for the photo compliments. The white taco shells, the white cheese, the light fish, it was all so bright and super sunny the day I made these that the photos were so bright! And I totally understand about frying. In 6 years, I have 1 recipe for fried food, the coconut shrimp I posted 10 days ago!

  15. 15 minutes and fish tacos in the very same sentence? I am ALL about that! This dish just has “summer time eating” written allllll across it’s deliciousness! Pinning!

  16. I need to get my cilantro and basil planted outdoors this weekend and I need to make these fish tacos! We have some yard work planned so a couple of  quick recipes will come in handy. Thanks for providing them for me this week….I won’t have to think too hard for Friday’s grocery shopping!!

    1. Glad you’re enjoying the easy dinner options. After 6 years of lots of sweets, I just have to branch out and glad they’re coming in handy for you!

      I really need a patio herb garden and should get on that idea myself!

  17. I’m a cilantro fiend, too! Cilantro tastes like summer to me. This is the time of year when I want to stand outside and eat street food. Or make tacos like this!
    You are very lucky to live in a city that has a year-round summer thing going on. I’m pretty jealous.

    1. Cilantro tastes like summer to me <--- that is so true and yes I know I am super fortunate! I'd rather pay the sunshine tax and deal with the cost of living here than live in the cold or anywhere else, that is for sure! Hope your parents enjoyed their time out here!