Believed to originate in Baja California, Mexico, circa 1950, fish tacos combine Indigenous, Asian, and European culinary traditions into one perfect bite. This extremely versatile version from Lourdes Castro is one of our favorite ways to make them on a weeknight. While Castro opts for corn tortillas, you can swap in flour tortillas if you prefer. Can’t find crema mexicana in your local market? Add a squeeze of fresh lime juice to sour cream (preferably a Mexican variety) and mix until it’s the right taco-drizzling consistency. (If you keep Greek yogurt on hand, you can swap it in, though you might want to thin it with a little water so things don’t get too tangy.)
Any flaky white fish will work for the filling, including cod, mahi-mahi, halibut, haddock, or tilapia. The smoky, herbal marinade, with cumin, oregano, and ancho chile powder, is fast to whip together and brings big, bold flavor, whatever you use. (Note that chili powder with an “i” tends to be a mix of spices, but chile with an “e” is used to refer to a single chile that’s been ground to a powder; if you have a chili powder you love, feel free to swap it in for the spice blend below.) Want to turn up the heat? Add a pinch of cayenne, hot smoked paprika, or diced canned chipotles.
This fish taco recipe is easily doubled, which makes it great for entertaining a crowd. They’re delicious as is, but you can also serve them topped with guacamole or pico de gallo, or round out the meal with crunchy red cabbage slaw or corn salad.
This recipe was adapted for style from ‘Simply Mexican’ by Lourdes Castro. Buy the full book on Amazon. Looking for crispy fried fish tacos? Try this recipe for Tacos de Salpicón de Pescado—and check out more of our best taco recipes.