These easy Grilled Fish Tacos feature crunchy and colorful citrus slaw, flaky well-seasoned fish, and tangy cilantro-lime mayo. All wrapped up in soft tortillas, they are delicious replicas of the fresh fish tacos at Disney's Polynesian Village Resort.
1(12-ounce) bag coleslaw mix (combination of green and purple cabbage, and carrots)
½cuppacked fresh cilantro leaves
Grilled Fish:
1 ½poundsfirm-fleshed white fish such as cod, halibut, or mahimahicut into approximately 1-inch-by-4-inch pieces
1 ½teaspoonskosher salt
1teaspoonchili powder
1teaspoonground cumin
½teaspoongarlic powder
½teaspoononion powder
½teaspoonpaprika
1 ½teaspoonsvegetable oil
To Serve:
14 to 16small flour tortillasfajita size (about 6-inch diameter), or corn tortillas (gently heated to soften)
Lime wedges
Instructions
Cilantro-Lime Mayo:
In the bowl of a food processor or blender add the fresh cilantro and spinach. Make sure the leaves are dry; if they are wet they won’t mince nicely. Process until the leaves are chopped fine. Add the garlic and blitz again until the garlic is minced. Then add the mayonnaise, lime juice, and salt and pepper to taste, and puree until smooth. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Citrus Slaw:
Meanwhile, whisk together the honey, lime juice, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Whisk in the oil, and adjust seasoning to taste. Right before serving, toss the dressing with the coleslaw mix and cilantro leaves in a mixing bowl.
Grilled Fish:
Combine the spices in a bowl, and sprinkle the spice rub over the pieces of fish. Drizzle with the oil and gently mix until evenly coated.
Heat up your grill to medium-high or high heat (grills can vary a bit on actual temperature), and grease the inside of a fish grill basket.
Line the fish pieces inside the grill basket and grill until cooked through, about 2 to 3 minutes per side (5 to 6 minutes total) or until a thermometer inserted into the center of a piece of fish reads 145°F. You may notice the fish pieces start to flake apart.
Remove from the grill, and carefully remove the fish pieces from the grill basket. If any of the pieces have stuck, use a small spatula to gently remove them. *NOTE* You can also cook the fish in a nonstick skillet if you’re unable to grill outdoors due to weather or lack of a grill basket.
To Serve:
On each tortilla, add a small scoop (tongs are good for this) of slaw, then a piece of fish, and finally a generous drizzle of the cilantro-lime mayo. Serve with lime wedges on the side for extra zing.
Notes
Plan to use a firm-fleshed white fish for these grilled fish tacos. Note that certain varieties of fish will flake less when cooked. My tacos are made with fresh cod, but a firmer mahimahi or halibut will be less likely to flake or break apart when cooked. Even if your strips of fish break apart, they are still delicious and can be used for the tacos.
Look for fajita-sized flour tortillas, which are 6-inches in diameter. Small taco-sized flour tortillas, about 5-inches in diameter, would also work for this recipe. You may also serve them on corn tortillas if you prefer. If you opt for corn tortillas be sure to gently warm the tortillas before serving to soften them.
Use a fish grill basket or try a veggie grill basket to grill your fish safely without the fish falling through the grill grates. Make sure to grease the basket in either case so your fish doesn't stick.
For a more polished look, drizzle the cilantro-lime mayo over your fish tacos using a plastic squeeze bottle.
You can make the cilantro-lime mayo and the dressing for the citrus slaw a day or more ahead of time. Wait to toss the dressing with the coleslaw mix until right before you are ready to serve in order to retain the crunchy texture of the slaw.
I have indicated 5 servings for this recipe, assuming you make about 15 tacos and each person eats 3 tacos, however you can also serve 2 tacos per serving (especially if you have a side dish too) and serve about 8 people with this recipe.
The nutritional information for this recipe was calculated using full-fat mayonnaise, however please note that you can use light mayo as well (which is what I normally use) to lighten it up.
This recipe uses kosher salt (aka cooking salt, kitchen salt, coarse salt outside of the US), preferably Diamond Crystal brand. If you are using table salt, definitely scale down the salt as that is a saltier type of salt!