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Spicy Grilled Fish Tacos

Posted by in Step-by-Step Recipes

Tasty Kitchen Blog: Spicy Grilled Fish Tacos. Guest post by Calli Taylor of Make It Do, recipe submitted by TK member John Dawson of Patio Daddio BBQ.

 
My husband and I LOVE fish tacos. We order them every chance we get. But since we live in a small community roughly 700 miles from the nearest ocean, a great fish taco is hard to come by.

When Patio Daddio’s Spicy Grilled Fish Tacos recipe popped up on Tasty Kitchen, I knew it might just be our lucky day. Patio Daddio (John) has a proven track record for wonderful recipes. Plus the recipe included some of my ingredients:

Corn tortillas. Check.
Grilled fish. Check.
Cabbage (with a twist). Check.
Lime. Check.
Cilantro. Check.
Spice and FLAVOR. Check.

I couldn’t wait to give them a try.

Guess what folks? These tacos rock. Yes, they are a little unconventional. But that’s what I love about them. The spicy recipe also includes a cool and delicious Avocado Cream instead of plain old sour cream. Yum. Patio Daddio also recommends topping the tacos with his crazy good chipotle and adobo Southwest Slaw.

I was surprised to see Frank’s Hot Sauce making an appearance on the fish but it really works. Buffalo Frank goes south of the border this time.

So if your mouth is watering like mine, here’s a step-by-step:

 
 
 
Tasty Kitchen Blog: Spicy Grilled Fish Tacos. Guest post by Calli Taylor of Make It Do, recipe submitted by TK member John Dawson of Patio Daddio BBQ.

Start by making the marinade for the fish. Since they only need to marinate for 30 minutes, this meal is doable for a weeknight meal. Yeah!

 
 
 
Tasty Kitchen Blog: Spicy Grilled Fish Tacos. Guest post by Calli Taylor of Make It Do, recipe submitted by TK member John Dawson of Patio Daddio BBQ.

The marinade is simple enough. Add canola oil, juice of two limes, and garlic salt into a small mixing bowl. Open up a can of chipotle peppers in adobo. Measure two tablespoons of the sauce and don’t worry, you’ll use more of the can for the Southwest Slaw.

 
 
 
Tasty Kitchen Blog: Spicy Grilled Fish Tacos. Guest post by Calli Taylor of Make It Do, recipe submitted by TK member John Dawson of Patio Daddio BBQ.

Whisk it all up…

 
 
 
Tasty Kitchen Blog: Spicy Grilled Fish Tacos. Guest post by Calli Taylor of Make It Do, recipe submitted by TK member John Dawson of Patio Daddio BBQ.

Pour it over your fish in a gallon zip-top bag. John recommends tilapia fillets for the fish and that’s what I used. I love tilapia for its mild flavor and texture and because it’s very budget-friendly, but you could also use mahi mahi, halibut or any white flaky fish.

Set it aside to let it work its magic, about 30 minutes.

 
 
 
Tasty Kitchen Blog: Spicy Grilled Fish Tacos. Guest post by Calli Taylor of Make It Do, recipe submitted by TK member John Dawson of Patio Daddio BBQ.

I’m not sharing the step-by-step photos for Patio Daddio’s Southwest Slaw, but trust me on this one and just make it. Adding the slaw really completed the taco. The chipotle in adobo is spicy and smoky all at once. I could (did) eat it by the spoonful.

 
 
 
Tasty Kitchen Blog: Spicy Grilled Fish Tacos. Guest post by Calli Taylor of Make It Do, recipe submitted by TK member John Dawson of Patio Daddio BBQ.

Now for the avocado cream. The first time I made it, I followed the recipe to smash the avocado on the cutting board with the side of a knife. The next time, I did it right in my mixing bowl with a fork. My way might take a little longer on the smashing part but I liked having less mess. A ripe, soft avocado works best.

 
 
 
Tasty Kitchen Blog: Spicy Grilled Fish Tacos. Guest post by Calli Taylor of Make It Do, recipe submitted by TK member John Dawson of Patio Daddio BBQ.

Add the juice of one lime, sour cream, garlic salt…

 
 
 
Tasty Kitchen Blog: Spicy Grilled Fish Tacos. Guest post by Calli Taylor of Make It Do, recipe submitted by TK member John Dawson of Patio Daddio BBQ.

And your favorite hot sauce. I opted for milder jalapeño Tabasco since I wanted the avocado cream to cool down the spiciness of the slaw and fish. I also liked the idea of a green sauce in the green cream.

 
 
 
Tasty Kitchen Blog: Spicy Grilled Fish Tacos. Guest post by Calli Taylor of Make It Do, recipe submitted by TK member John Dawson of Patio Daddio BBQ.

Stir it up and set it aside.

 
 
 
Tasty Kitchen Blog: Spicy Grilled Fish Tacos. Guest post by Calli Taylor of Make It Do, recipe submitted by TK member John Dawson of Patio Daddio BBQ.

Remove the fish from the marinade and pat dry with a paper towel. Then brush the fish with Frank’s Hot Sauce and canola oil.

 
 
 
Tasty Kitchen Blog: Spicy Grilled Fish Tacos. Guest post by Calli Taylor of Make It Do, recipe submitted by TK member John Dawson of Patio Daddio BBQ.

Oil the grill and toss them on. Cook them until they are just cooked through and flaky but still moist.

 
 
 
Tasty Kitchen Blog: Spicy Grilled Fish Tacos. Guest post by Calli Taylor of Make It Do, recipe submitted by TK member John Dawson of Patio Daddio BBQ.

Once off the grill, I poured a bit more Frank’s on my husband’s and my fish but left it off of the kids. ‘Cause they’re wimps. Break up the fish into nice-sized chunks.

 
 
 
Tasty Kitchen Blog: Spicy Grilled Fish Tacos. Guest post by Calli Taylor of Make It Do, recipe submitted by TK member John Dawson of Patio Daddio BBQ.

Quickly grill the corn tortillas to warm them up.

 
 
 
Tasty Kitchen Blog: Spicy Grilled Fish Tacos. Guest post by Calli Taylor of Make It Do, recipe submitted by TK member John Dawson of Patio Daddio BBQ.

We serve our tacos family style. I love sliced up limes, cabbage for the kids, rough chopped cilantro, and the Southwest Slaw and avocado cream, of course. Everyone gets to build their own just the way they like them. And like them we did, right down to the youngest.

Thank you John for bringing the perfect fish taco right into my own kitchen! Check out his blog Patio Daddio BBQ for more of this man’s incredible work. (I’d say more, but just … just go there. You’ll see.)

 
 

Printable Recipe

Spicy Grilled Fish Tacos

See post on patiodaddio’s site!
4.95 Mitt(s) 21 Rating(s)21 votes, average: 4.95 out of 521 votes, average: 4.95 out of 521 votes, average: 4.95 out of 521 votes, average: 4.95 out of 521 votes, average: 4.95 out of 5

Prep Time:

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Difficulty: Easy

Servings: 6

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Description

At the risk of being ridiculed by those in the know, I will call these “somewhat authentic.” Or, you might think of them as “Authentic Gringo Fish Tacos.” I was going to use that for the post/recipe title, but I had second thoughts.

Shoot, call me and the recipe whatever you want. Let’s get cookin’!

Ingredients

  • 6 whole Talapia Fillets (or Other Mild Flaky White Fish)
  • 2 Tablespoons Hot Sauce (I Use Frank's Red Hot)
  • Canola Oil
  • Lime Juice, To Drizzle On Grilled Fish
  • 12 whole Corn Tortillas
  • 1 cup Southwest Slaw (see My Recipe Box)
  • ¼ cups Cilantro, Chopped Medium-fine
  • _____
  • FOR THE MARINADE:
  • ⅓ cups Canola Oil
  • 2 whole Limes, Juiced
  • 1 teaspoon Garlic Salt
  • 2 Tablespoons Adobo Sauce (from A Can Of Chipotles In Adobo)
  • _____
  • FOR THE AVOCADO CREAM:
  • 1 whole Large Hass Avocado, Peeled, Seeded And Diced (I Recommend Calavo)
  • 1 cup Sour Cream
  • 1 whole Lime, Juiced
  • 2 teaspoons Your Favorite Hot Sauce
  • 1 teaspoon Garlic Salt

Preparation Instructions

Important: Make sure the fish is fresh! It should be firm, with good color, and a clean briny (not fishy) smell.

If you can’t find talapia, any mild white flaky fish would work. Mahi mahi, cod, red snapper, or halibut would be fine.

Combine all of the marinade ingredients in a small mixing bowl and whisk to combine.

Put the fish in a gallon zip-top bag and add the marindade.

Slosh the fish and the marinade gently in the bag to ensure that all of the fish is coated.

Seal the bag (removing the excess air) and set aside to marinate for 30 minutes.

Mash the avocado on a cutting board with the side of your knife.

Combine all of the avocado cream ingredients in an medium mixing bowl and whisk to combine, then cover and refrigerate.

Tip: The marinade and/or avocado cream can be made up to a day in advance.

Start your grill and prepare for direct cooking over a hot fire (450-500º).

Remove the fish from the marinade and drain well.

Pat each filet dry with a paper towel.

Smear each side of each filet with a teaspoon of hot sauce, applying it as evenly as you can.

Oil the grill grate and both sides of the fish lightly with the canola oil. The oil on the grate will smoke, so wait for it to dissipate.

Put the fish on the grill and cook for three minutes.

Flip the fish over and cook for another minute.

Move the fish to a warm platter, drizzle the fish with lime juice, and cover the platter with plastic wrap.

Quickly warm each tortilla on the grill.

To serve, offset two tortillas by half, smear the inside with avocado cream, add some fish chunks (separated with forks), then top with about two tablespoons of slaw and some cilantro.

Or, serve it family-style so that everyone can build their own.

Enjoy!

 
 
_______________________________________

Calli is truly a woman of many talents, from cooking, sewing, crafts, beautiful photography and gardening. Her blog, Make it Do is a treasure trove of recipes, household tips, crafts projects, sewing patterns … you name it. It’s also peppered with photos of her beautiful kids. Go visit her site, and visit it often. There’s always something new to learn there!

 

41 Comments

Comments are closed for this recipe.

Jean on 5.15.2011

Has the recipe for the Mexican rice been added? I am also searching for the perfect rice recipe and excited to try yours!

Laura on 5.6.2011

can’t wait to make these this weekend…we are huge Frank’s hot sauce freaks.

do you have a good mexican rice recipe you can share? i’m still searching for the perfect one

ern on 5.5.2011

I saw this the day before my birthday and decided this would be my birthday feast! Best. Birthday. Dinner. EVER.
Seriously. I could eat that slaw or the avocado cream by themselves. With a spoon.
Thank you!!!!!

carol on 5.1.2011

All I can say is YUM!

Jennifer on 4.29.2011

Yum I saw this, this morning and I bought all the stuff at lunch and now I have the fish marinating at home for dinner tonight! I think it’s going to be a new favorite!!

Jaime on 4.29.2011

These were a HUGE hit with my entire family!! I didn’t find the fish spicey, just beautifully marinated, my 1 year old twins ate the majority of it! Also the coleslaw is what made this meal! I would make it again and again just to be able to enjoy the fresh kick of that again! Thank you!

Niteowl Nancy on 4.28.2011

Love fish tacos! Since Rubio’s may never open a franchise near Chicago…I guess I’ll try to make my own fish tacos. Can’t wait to try this recipe!

Sally CC on 4.28.2011

I made these two nights ago for dinner and we loved them. When I told my husband what I planned on making, he was not very excited….things changed when he actually got to try one. Great directions and definitely a nice dinner! Very spicy! Thank you for the recipe.

Melanie Spjut on 4.27.2011

Oh these look fabulous, and I love that the fish is grilled. Defininately one to try. Thanks!

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tigli on 4.27.2011

I cannot wait to try these this weekend, since the weather will actually be nice enough for grilling out…my mouth is already watering…thanks for the easy-to-follow steps and the helpful review!

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callimakesdo on 4.25.2011

Thanks to the requests, I add the Mexican rice recipe to my TK recipe box this week and leave a link. I’ll need to make it to get the measurements right… since it’s one of those recipes that I’ve never written down : )

Laura on 4.25.2011

Sounds delicious. I got a new potato masher for Christmas and have found it makes great guac or other avacado-type yumminess.

Ashley on 4.24.2011

I made these last night for dinner. It was my first time cooking with cabbage and chiles and I didn’t realize that the chiles were spicy (I’m not a native Texan-don’t hold it against me!) so I put in three…YIKES! Still, they came out pretty good, as evidenced by the fact that I went back for seconds. Yummm!

Bee D. on 4.24.2011

Okay. We did Easter tacos. THE……..BEST………EVER! Do this recipe now, you’ll be glad you did. I’m gonna do it with flank steak next time. Love the slaw.

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stacysmom3 on 4.24.2011

I tried these this weekend and they were so easy and absolutely delicious! Don’t leave out the avacado cream – it is amazing.

WinterParkFLCowgirl on 4.24.2011

omg, oMG, OMG! Wonderful! Used mahi mahi for the fish and crunchy corn taco shells. DH says, “This is have-company-over delicious!” The combination of spicy cole slaw and cool avocado cream is outrageous. You’re the best, Ree.

Jean on 4.24.2011

These look great!! My mouth is watering and I can’t wait to try it with the rice. I LOVE mexican rice. Can you share your recipe for the rice?

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LibraLoves on 4.24.2011

These look amazing. You had me with the purple cabbage – my favorite on fish tacos! With lots of lime, too, of course.

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gordian1 on 4.24.2011

Fish tacos are one of my favorites and these are as good as it gets–really outstanding and delicious!

Your photography and how-to’s are superb!

Bee D. on 4.23.2011

I’m starting a new Easter tradition with fish tacos!

Lyndsay N. on 4.23.2011

Your rice looks awesome! I have a post suggestion, how to make perfect rice. I’m a new cook and I’m scared of rice. Weird I know!

Bernie on 4.23.2011

I use a potato “masher” for ripe avacados…..works like a charm, and is easier, and quicker than using a fork.

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Dishes of Mrs. Fish on 4.22.2011

I love fish tacos! Can’t wait to give this recipe a try. :)

kathy55 on 4.22.2011

This will be on the menu for Good Friday supper….perfectly perfect for this day…thanks so much for sharing this recipe! I’m always looking for any way to tweak fish tacos!

Amy | She Wears Many Hats on 4.22.2011

Ooooooh these do look delish! Will be trying this version next time we fix fish tacos. They’re a fave around here.

laura @ glutton for nourishment on 4.21.2011

i am a fish taco fanatic. these look incredible!

Suellen on 4.21.2011

Can’t wait to try this recipe! LOVE Fish Tacos and I make mine almost exactly like this with homemade pico de gallo but have been lamenting the fact that I am trying to eat healthier and my recipe has the fish deep fried. Can’t wait to try it grilled!

Tammy on 4.21.2011

Oh these look SO good. Since my hubby won’t eat fish, I’m thinking I’d just use chicken instead – all of the flavors would work! :) YUM

Marie on 4.21.2011

These look amazing! I made similar ones last week, except my chipotle went into the sour cream (hubby doesn’t like avocados).

Anyway – my brother taught me this fun trick…since you NEVER use the whole can of chipotle in adobo, you can divvy up the leftovers into snack-size zip-top bags, and throw them in the freezer. They freeze nicely, stay good for a long time, and they are surprisingly easier to work with frozen. Why? Because (a) they don’t completely harder, so they’re crazy easy to mince finely, and (b) they thaw really quickly, so they can go right in to whatever you’re making without having to take time to unfreeze.

:)

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kitchen-concoctions on 4.21.2011

I too love fish tacos! I think these would be perfect for Cinco de Mayo!

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strandjss on 4.21.2011

I love eating and making fish tacos but I think this recipe is over the top and is going to be much better than my current method. Thanks so much for the step-by-step. I love the idea of the chipotle peppers and the avocado cream looks heavenly.

Jessica @ How Sweet It Is on 4.21.2011

Adore fish tacos! They looks so delicious.

Jacqui McGregor on 4.21.2011

Wow I am so excited to try this recipe it looks fabulous!! Thanks for the great tutorial. I too would love to see your recipe for the rice.

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callimakesdo on 4.21.2011

I make my dad’s Mexican Rice recipe… which I’ve never photographed step by step. But his recipe is similar to Ree’s Good Ol’ Mexican Rice recipe… which she did post about. Here’s the link: https://tastykitchen.com/cooking/2009/11/good-ol-basic-mexican-rice/

Christa on 4.21.2011

looks fabulous….can you get us the recipe for your rice too?! Thanks

Karen M. on 4.21.2011

Your step by step photo instructions are very helpful. Do you have a recipe for the rice that accompanies the fish tacos? Thanks!

Beki - TheRustedChain on 4.21.2011

Good gracious, this looks delicious!

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Jeanne (aka NanaBread) on 4.21.2011

Good gravy! These look awesome. I LOVE fish tacos, and these are much better for us than our usual method of dredging the fish in crushed blue corn tortilla chips and frying it. Thanks for sharing!

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patiodaddio on 4.21.2011

Wow! I am so deeply flattered and humbled that you chose my recipe for your beautiful step-by-step post.

Thank you for your very kind and gracious comments. I love happy eaters and it’s my great joy to share. As I say, food is a gift on a plate.

Heather @ Heather's Dish on 4.21.2011

We just had the most amazing fish tacos last week on Maui…I can’t wait to use this recipe to recreate them!

Leslie Ison on 4.21.2011

This looks amazing.I love the photos and I think I’ll make it for dinner tonight. I love your blog and read it everyday. Keep up the good work!