Air fryer fish tacos made with battered tilapia, a spicy slaw, and pickled onions, topped with a squeeze of fresh lime juice and served on warmed tortilla shells.
When I first heard about fish tacos, I imagined a mushy taco of shredded baked fish. It didn’t sound too appetizing.
Then I saw a friend order them at a restaurant where the fish was battered and fried, served with coleslaw, and realized that’s what fish tacos were all about!
I decided I should try to do fish tacos in the air fryer.
Some of my family liked shredding the fish into finer pieces, and others left them whole. The fish is tender and falls apart easily either way.
These air fryer tilapia tacos are mixed in seasoned flour and fried to get a golden, crispy coating.
Ingredients for Air-Fried Fish Tacos
- Tilapia Fillets
- All-Purpose Flour
- Cumin
- Oregano
- Garlic Powder
- Onion Powder
- Salt
- Cayenne Pepper
- Flour Tortillas
- Slaw Mix with Cabbage and Carrots (Found with the salad in the produce area)
- Mayonnaise
- Sriracha Sauce
- Shallot
- Salt
- Lime
How to Air Fry Fish Tacos
Air fryer tacos are easy enough to put together on a weeknight. I like to start off with preparing the toppings.
I used Dole’s Classic Coleslaw mix from the produce section with all of the salad mixes. It’s a dry mix with no sauces added to it. Mix the dry slaw with mayonnaise and sriracha to give it a little kick.
The onions are pickled in lime juice with a hint of salt to give acid to this dish.
After combining the flour with all of the spices, the fish is then coated and added to the air fryer, where it gets a spritz of cooking oil. I prefer canola or olive oil.
It cooks in the air fryer at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 9-11 minutes total, flipping halfway and getting another light spray of cooking oil.
Once they’re crispy and golden, add them to a warmed tortilla shell with spicy slaw, pickled onions, and a squeeze of lime juice on top.
No cheese or heavier toppings are needed for fish tacos. They’re meant for a lighter, fresh bite that the coleslaw and pickled onions lend it.
Storing Leftovers
Air fryer battered fish keeps pretty well. I made extra, and we were eating it 3 days later.
They tasted great and still had a bit of a crisp coating, which surprised us all. Fish lasts up to 3-4 days in the refrigerator after cooking but is best within a day or two for quality.
Make Ahead
To make it ahead: mix the seasoned flour with the fish, and store it in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours before cooking.
The spicy slaw lasts in the refrigerator for 3-4 days, and the pickled onions last for up to 2 weeks.
Side Dishes
Fish tacos are lighter than traditional beef tacos, and you can keep that lightness with street corn in a cup or balance it with something like Mexican black beans, Chipotle’s cilantro lime rice, or homemade refried beans.
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Easy Air Fryer Fish Tacos with Spicy Slaw
Equipment
Ingredients
Fish Fry
- 1 pound Tilapia Fillets cut into 1.5" – 2" Pieces
- 1 cup All-Purpose Flour
- 1 teaspoon Cumin
- ½ teaspoon Oregano
- ½ teaspoon Garlic Powder
- ½ teaspoon Onion Powder
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ¼ teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
Spicy Slaw
- 14 ounces Dry Classic Slaw Mix or chopped cabbage
- 2 tablespoon Mayonnaise
- 2 teaspoon Sriracha
Pickled Onions
- 1 Shallot sliced thin
- 1 Lime halved
- Dash of Salt
Finishings
- Flour Tortillas
- 1 Lime quartered
Instructions
- In a small bowl, squeeze both halves of lime juice, add a dash of salt, and sliced shallots. Mix well and set aside.
- Place coleslaw in a medium bowl. Add mayonnaise and sriracha and blend well, set aside.
- Mix together flour and all seasonings for the fish in a bowl. Coat fish with a light layer of flour.
- Lightly spray air fryer basket with cooking oil. Add a single layer of fish and lightly spray with cooking oil so allow them to crisp.
- Cook in the air fryer at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 9-11 minutes total, flipping halfway and getting another light spray of cooking oil after flipping.
- Serve fish in warmed flour tortilla shells, top with slaw, pickled shallot, and a squeeze of lime.
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