I have a long-standing love affair with fish tacos. I am also insanely picky about them–I am almost always disappointed by fish tacos I eat in restaurants (Dear North-of-Baton-Rouge Louisiana: Cornmeal-crusted fish is great fine for fish fries…please don’t do it to my tacos.)
So it is a big deal when I say these fish tacos may be the best I’ve ever eaten.
This recipe calls for tilapia, but I’m using cod. I love cod in fish tacos (actually, cod is kind of my go-to fish in general)–odor, fishy taste, and weird texture are the biggest complaints when it comes to fish, but good cod is not a huge offender in any of those areas. It’s kid-friendly (and in my case, husband-friendly) and usually very affordable.
The cod in these tacos is perfectly seasoned, baked, and while it’s baking, you can throw together the tangy, slightly-spicy slaw (you can definitely adjust the heat depending on how much jalapeño you add–start with just a little and then you can add more as you go if you need to.) Throw in some hot, slightly charred corn tortillas and you have an easy weeknight meal you could serve to guests. Unless your guests don’t like fish. Then you’re at an impasse.
To get started, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Spray the foil with non-stick cooking spray and set the pan aside.
For the fish, take a tablespoon of MIRACLE WHIP Dressing…
and whisk it together with 2 teaspoons of minced garlic and 1 teaspoon of chili powder.
Rinse a pound of cod fillets and pat them dry with paper towels.
Spread the seasoned dressing all over the fish.
Place the cod on the prepared baking sheet and place the sheet in the oven for about 20 minutes or until the fish flakes easily with a fork, all the way down to the center.
While the fish is cooking, assemble the slaw ingredients.
Toss together the radishes, pepper, cilantro, green onions (if you want them) and lime juice.
Add the remaining 3 tablespoons of MIRACLE WHIP and toss until evenly distributed.
Heat a skillet (cast-iron if you have one) over medium heat. When hot, add the tortillas, 1-2 at a time, until hot and slightly charred. Flip for another minute or so, then keep warm (an oven turned to the lowest setting works great) until you’re ready to serve the tacos.
When the fish is done, remove it from the oven and flake it with a fork. Divide the fish evenly among the warm tortillas,
then top with avocado…
Or don’t. Whatever. Either way, I’m pretty sure it’s the most delicious fish taco I’ve ever eaten, and that is saying a lot. No matter what, though, serve with a lime wedge or two and squeeze the juice onto the tacos before eating.
Spicy Fish Tacos
- Yield: 4
Description
Ingredients
- 1 pound cod fillets
- 1/4 cup MIRACLE WHIP
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 4 radishes, thinly sliced
- 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and finely chopped
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
- 2 green onions, chopped (optional)
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
- 3 cups coleslaw mix
- 8 corn tortillas
- 1 avocado, cut into slices
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with non-stick cooking spray; set aside.
Rinse the cod and pat it dry with a paper towel. Set aside.
In a very small bowl, whisk together the garlic, chili powder, and 1 tablespoon of MIRACLE WHIP. Spread the mixture over the cod and place the fish on the prepared baking sheet. Place the sheet in the oven and bake for 20 minutes or until the fish flakes easily with a fork.
While the fish is baking, toss together the radishes, pepper, cilantro, green onions (if you want them) and lime juice. Add the remaining 3 tablespoons of MIRACLE WHIP and toss to combine.
Heat a skillet (cast iron, if you have one) and heat the corn tortillas, 1-2 at a time, until they are hot. Keep warm until ready to serve.
When the fish is done, flake it with a fork and divide among the tortillas. Top with avocado slices (if desired) and slaw. Serve with lime wedges. Makes 4 (2 taco) servings.
Notes
Nutritional Info:
Calories: 370
Fat: 15
Carbs: 36
Protein: 28
Fiber: 8
WW Points Plus: 10
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 tacos
NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION (for 2 tacos and a LOT of slaw)
Calories: 358
Fat: 12
Carbs: 39
Protein: 25
Fiber: 8
WW Points Plus: 10
Questions & Reviews
Cod is definitely better than tilapia, but mahi mahi is easily better than cod for a fish taco. That’s what I will use with this recipe. We get it in the frozen section at Costco.
I need to try this recipe! It’s officially on my grocery list. My husband and I adore fish tacos too! You need to venture to Durango, CO and eat at Mountain Taco. Those are by far the best tacos (fish or otherwise) I’ve ever had. And I live in New Mexico. ?
Planning to try this recipe soon but will have to substitute mayo for Miracle Whip. That stuff is straight from satan’s lair.
I make my fish tacos almost the same way!!! I use the chili powder/mayo (I usually sub Greek yogurt) as a separate sauce on the tortillas instead of on fish (still marinate that with lime and garlic) and add a dash of chipotle Tabasco. Also,try a little green apple in your slaw-its awesome.
Does the cabbage get mixed with other salad ingredients and dressing? I think it may have been left out.
Husband was recently diagnoses with high cholesterol. Been trying to eat more fish. The only way my husband will eat it, is fish tacos. We loved this recipe! We used the cod and loved that too. The only thing I changed was to use real mayo instead of miracle whip — just can’t do it.
Thanks for the recipe! Will use again and again !
I’m not a big fan of fish, or Miracle Whip for that matter, but my husband and son are always begging me to do more seafood so I thought I’d try these. I’m happy to report that they were delicious and the boys were ecstatic! Thanks!
I had tilapia filets I needed to use, and some eggless mayo from TJ’s I accidentally bought (seemed similar to Miracle Whip, which I grew up on), so I thought, why not! I doctored things up a bit by adding Cayenne Pepper and Paprika to the Chili Powder mix, to use on the fish. Divine. And I used real minced garlic and put the mixture on top instead of coating the fish – it was just easier. The flavor on the fish was great!
Would mayo work as a substitute? I dislike miracle whip and can’t imagine keeping a bottle for one recipe.
Yep, absolutely!
I love seafood and these look easy and inexpensive… I also recently found out I may have Celiac or at least a gluten intolerance so thank you so much for a gluten free dinner idea!
These look awesome! And since I love fish tacos, these might just be on the menu for dinner sometime this week!
Great recipe and pictures. I’m looking forward to making this fish taco dish soon for my family and my friends.
Fish tacos, awesomeness! Plus that slaw looks so tasty!
I loves me some fish tacos!!!
Oh yum. LOVE fish tacos. On our last trip to California, I ate them 12/15 days. These look great, plus I love miracle whip!
Thank you for the paragraph about cod! Most kinds of fish that I like are really expensive and I think tilapia tastes like frozen fish sticks no matter how much you try to dress it up. I’m going to get some cod and give it a try.
Yes, give it a shot! I can get a pound of (frozen) wild-caught Alaskan cod at Kroger for $4.99–better than $20 for a pound of halibut, haha!
What brand do you get? I looked for frozen fish and had no luck. Also, if you use frozen fish here do you just thaw it first?
Sounds great, but cod (and tilapia) are kinda hard to get here. I think I’m gonna give some shrimp a try with this recipe though…the slaw sounds amazing and it will be worth making this for the slaw alone I think.
I LOVE fish tacos, and this recip
This looks soooo good, but I have a question. Are you using some sort of prepared minced garlic? From the picture it looks like it and I am wondering what you use.