These Blackened Baja Fish Tacos are bursting with flavor and have a little something for everyone. The best part? You can pick and choose which components to include! While the recipe features a spicy, flaky fish paired with a refreshing cilantro red cabbage slaw, a creamy chipotle sauce, and bright salsa verde, you don’t need to make all of them every time. In fact, this dish can be ready in minutes, making it a great choice for a quick weeknight dinner!
Customize to Your Taste 🎣
These tacos are a fantastic base to build on, with each layer adding a new dimension of flavor and texture. The fish is seasoned with a mildly spicy blackening mix, but don’t be afraid to dial up the heat if you like things extra fiery. With the creamy chipotle sauce to balance things out and the crunch of the slaw, every bite is a perfect balance. Skip the salsa verde if you’re short on time (although I highly recommend including it because it pairs so well!).
Top It Off 🥑
What makes these tacos so fun is the endless variety of toppings you can use to make them your own. I love adding jalapeños, lime wedges, red onions, and extra cilantro for a burst of fresh flavor. But feel free to experiment—add crumbled cotija cheese, fresh guacamole, or even a sprinkle of pickled radishes for a tangy twist. You can switch it up every time you make these tacos, making each meal a new experience.
Final Thoughts
Fish tacos should never be bland, and this recipe ensures they’re anything but! Use this as a starting point and build on it to suit your tastes. Whether you stick to the original or mix and match with your favorite toppings, you’ll have a flavorful, flaky taco that’ll have everyone coming back for seconds.
This recipe may have a lot of steps, but in reality all you need is 20 minutes to marinate your fish. While the fish is marinating, you can make the slaw and creamy chipotle sauce. Sear the fish (less than 10 minutes) and assemble! This dish is as close to a weeknight perfection as it gets. Out of this world tasty and quick!
If you are making salsa verde, make it first (scroll down to the recipe.) Refrigerate until needed.
Slice the fish horizontally into 3/4" thick sticks.
Place the fish in a bowl or re-sealable plastic container, and add oil and spices; rub them in to evenly distribute over the fish. Marinate for 10-20 minutes, but not more.
Next make the slaw. Place cabbage into a colander or strainer, sprinkle with salt and gently toss it. Let the cabbage drain in the colander for at least 15 minutes.
While it's draining, work on the next step of the taco preparation.
After it drained, don't squeeze the cabbage as it will impact its texture, but try to gently toss the cabbage with a fork, encouraging some of the juice to drip down, to avoid your taco from being soggy. Transfer to a bowl, add cilantro and lime juice. Set aside until ready to assemble the taco.
Next, slice your red onions and submerge them with cold water. This will take their pungency away while retaining the crunch.
Right before serving, simply drain them and dry them on paper towels.
While the fish is marinating, make the creamy chipotle sauce. Process mayo or sour cream and chipotles in adobo in a food processor or a blender until smooth. Stir in other ingredients (lime juice, salt, honey, if using) tasting as you add them, to get the sauce to taste in accordance to your preference.
Chipotle chilis in adobo are not always easy to find. Feel free to simply add around 2 TBSP of hot sauce, chili sauce, sriracha to your mayo/sour cream instead of chipotles. Perhaps add a pinch of smoked paprika or chipotle powder for extra heat and smokiness.
Pour about 2 TBSP of oil in a heavy skillet over medium high and heat it until very hot and almost shimmering. Do not overcrowd the pan, cook in batches if necessary.
Combine all of the blackening seasoning ingredients together, dip only one side of your marinated fish into the blackening seasoning. Place seasoned side down into hot pan.
We will be cooking the fish 80-95% of the way just on one side. The goal is to get it quite blackened, nicely seared and almost fully cooked through. You should observe the top of the fish turning opaque and starting to look cooked. But be sure not to burn it. We are likely looking at around 5 minutes for this step.
Flip the fish gently to sear the other side. You may only need seconds and likely no more than a minute or two on the other side, but again, it will depend on the thickness of your fish. The fish should flake easily and the internal temperature should register 145. Do not overcook.
To assemble the taco:
Top each warm tortilla with the slaw, place some fish on top, add drained red onions, jalapeno slices, avocado, cilantro, lime wedges and any other garnishes you may be using. Drizzle with the creamy chipotle sauce. Serve along with salsa verde, recipe follows, optional. Enjoy!
Ingredients
Directions
If you are making salsa verde, make it first (scroll down to the recipe.) Refrigerate until needed.
Slice the fish horizontally into 3/4" thick sticks.
Place the fish in a bowl or re-sealable plastic container, and add oil and spices; rub them in to evenly distribute over the fish. Marinate for 10-20 minutes, but not more.
Next make the slaw. Place cabbage into a colander or strainer, sprinkle with salt and gently toss it. Let the cabbage drain in the colander for at least 15 minutes.
While it's draining, work on the next step of the taco preparation.
After it drained, don't squeeze the cabbage as it will impact its texture, but try to gently toss the cabbage with a fork, encouraging some of the juice to drip down, to avoid your taco from being soggy. Transfer to a bowl, add cilantro and lime juice. Set aside until ready to assemble the taco.
Next, slice your red onions and submerge them with cold water. This will take their pungency away while retaining the crunch.
Right before serving, simply drain them and dry them on paper towels.
While the fish is marinating, make the creamy chipotle sauce. Process mayo or sour cream and chipotles in adobo in a food processor or a blender until smooth. Stir in other ingredients (lime juice, salt, honey, if using) tasting as you add them, to get the sauce to taste in accordance to your preference.
Chipotle chilis in adobo are not always easy to find. Feel free to simply add around 2 TBSP of hot sauce, chili sauce, sriracha to your mayo/sour cream instead of chipotles. Perhaps add a pinch of smoked paprika or chipotle powder for extra heat and smokiness.
Pour about 2 TBSP of oil in a heavy skillet over medium high and heat it until very hot and almost shimmering. Do not overcrowd the pan, cook in batches if necessary.
Combine all of the blackening seasoning ingredients together, dip only one side of your marinated fish into the blackening seasoning. Place seasoned side down into hot pan.
We will be cooking the fish 80-95% of the way just on one side. The goal is to get it quite blackened, nicely seared and almost fully cooked through. You should observe the top of the fish turning opaque and starting to look cooked. But be sure not to burn it. We are likely looking at around 5 minutes for this step.
Flip the fish gently to sear the other side. You may only need seconds and likely no more than a minute or two on the other side, but again, it will depend on the thickness of your fish. The fish should flake easily and the internal temperature should register 145. Do not overcook.
To assemble the taco:
Top each warm tortilla with the slaw, place some fish on top, add drained red onions, jalapeno slices, avocado, cilantro, lime wedges and any other garnishes you may be using. Drizzle with the creamy chipotle sauce. Serve along with salsa verde, recipe follows, optional. Enjoy!
Notes
And if you decide to make salsa verde, which goes so amazingly well with this dish, here’s the recipe:
Preheat the broiler to high. Set your oven rack 4" from the heat source.
Place tomatillos and jalapenos on aluminum lined baking sheet. Broil until quite charred. The goal is to get them very dark and blackened without burning them. This process may take 8-12 minutes. Remove from the oven, flip your veggies upside down and broil the other side until charred and the veggies are very tender and cooked through, about another 8 minutes or so. Watch closely not to burn.
Transfer charred veggies to a blender or food processor, along with their juices, add onion and cilantro. Blend them until smooth, no large chunks remain but the salsa is still a bit rough, not perfectly smooth like baby food.
This next step may or may not be needed. If your salsa is too runny, you may reduce it in a skillet on the stovetop. I usually do not need this step and it only happens when tomatillos are very large and juicy.
Season your salsa with salt. Start with about 1/2 tsp kosher salt (half as much if using fine table salt,) and adjust according to taste. Add some lime juice, again, start with a tablespoon or two, and keep adding more according to taste. Refrigerate for at least half an hour for all the flavours to meld.
Feel free to omit jalapenos, use only one of them and/or remove membranes and seeds for less spicy version.
If your salsa is not spicy enough for your taste, feel free to add a pinch of cayenne or a dash of hot sauce.
Ingredients
Directions
Preheat the broiler to high. Set your oven rack 4" from the heat source.
Place tomatillos and jalapenos on aluminum lined baking sheet. Broil until quite charred. The goal is to get them very dark and blackened without burning them. This process may take 8-12 minutes. Remove from the oven, flip your veggies upside down and broil the other side until charred and the veggies are very tender and cooked through, about another 8 minutes or so. Watch closely not to burn.
Transfer charred veggies to a blender or food processor, along with their juices, add onion and cilantro. Blend them until smooth, no large chunks remain but the salsa is still a bit rough, not perfectly smooth like baby food.
This next step may or may not be needed. If your salsa is too runny, you may reduce it in a skillet on the stovetop. I usually do not need this step and it only happens when tomatillos are very large and juicy.
Season your salsa with salt. Start with about 1/2 tsp kosher salt (half as much if using fine table salt,) and adjust according to taste. Add some lime juice, again, start with a tablespoon or two, and keep adding more according to taste. Refrigerate for at least half an hour for all the flavours to meld.
Feel free to omit jalapenos, use only one of them and/or remove membranes and seeds for less spicy version.
If your salsa is not spicy enough for your taste, feel free to add a pinch of cayenne or a dash of hot sauce.
