Fish Tacos with Spicy Slaw

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Tempura-battered tilapia fish tacos with spicy slaw, pickled onions, shredded cheese, topped with cilantro and a squeeze of fresh lime served on flour tortilla shells.

When I first heard of 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 actually battered and fried, served with coleslaw, and realized that’s what fish tacos were all about!

Some of my family liked shredding the chicken into finer pieces and others left them whole like the photo above. The fish is tender and falls apart easily either way.

Ingredients for Fish Tacos with Spicy Slaw

For the fish:

• Tilapia Fillets
• Tempura Powder Mix
• Cold Water
• Salt
• Canola Oil
• Flour Tortillas

For the spicy slaw:

• Dole’s 14 oz Bag of Classic Slaw
• Mayonnaise
• Sriracha Sauce

For pickled onions:

• Shallot
• Lime
• Salt

Finishings:

• Cilantro
• Shredded Colby Jack or Crumbled Queso Fresco Cheese
• Lime

How is it made?

The tilapia tacos are mixed in a tempura batter and fried in canola oil (vegetable oil works too) to get a golden crispy coating.

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. I mixed 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.

Can fish tacos be refrigerated?

The tempura-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.

The fish lasts 3-4 days in the refrigerator after cooking.

To make it ahead: mix the tempura batter with the fish, and store it in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours prior to cooking.

The spicy slaw lasts in the refrigerator for 3-5 days, and the pickled onions for up to 2 weeks.

Try these other great recipes!

• 5-Ingredient Easy Mango Salsa
• Chicken-Stuffed Poblano Peppers
• Chicken Flautas
• Easy Pressure Cooker Pinto Beans
• Easy Homemade Refried Beans
• Instant Pot Street-Style Beef Tacos (with homemade Pico de Gallo!)
• Mexican Black Beans
• The BEST Copycat Chipotle Cilantro Lime Rice

Enjoy!

Fish Tacos with Spicy Slaw

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Recipe by Simply HappeningsCourse: Main CourseCuisine: Mexican, American

Servings

5

servings

Prep time

20

minutes

Cooking time

6

minutes

Tempura battered tilapia fish tacos with spicy slaw, pickled onions, shredded cheese, topped with cilantro and a squeeze of fresh lime served on flour tortilla shells.

Ingredients

• Fish Fry

• 1 lb Tilapia Fillets, cut into 1 1/2″ – 2″ Pieces

• 1 cup Tempura Powder Mix

• 3/4 cup Cold Water

• Salt to taste

• Canola Oil for frying

• Spicy Slaw

• Dole’s 14 oz Bag of Classic Slaw

• 2 tbsp Mayonnaise

• 2 tsp Sriracha

• Pickled Onions

• 1 Shallot, sliced thin

• 1 Lime, halved

• Dash of Salt

• Finishings

• Flour Tortillas

• Cilantro for Topping

• Shredded Colby Jack or Crumbled Queso Fresco Cheese

• 1 Lime, quartered

Directions

• In a small bowl, squeeze both halves of lime juice, add a dash of salt, and sliced shallots. Mix well and set aside.
• Place cole slaw in a medium bowl. Add mayonnaise and sriracha and blend well, set aside.
• Mix tempura batter with cold water in a bowl. Consistency should be like pancake batter. Add tilapia and coat each piece.
• In a large pan over medium-high heat, add canola oil. Once oil is hot, begin cooking battered tilapia in batches. Cook fish 2-3 minutes on each side until a golden brown. Place cooked fish on towel lined plate. Salt fish to taste.
• Serve fish in warmed flour tortilla shells, top with slaw, pickled onion, cilantro leaves, cheese, and a squeeze of lime. Enjoy!

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