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You are here: Home / Blog / Crispy Cod Tacos with Honey-Lime Cilantro Slaw

Crispy Cod Tacos with
Honey-Lime Cilantro Slaw

February 21, 2017 by Marisa Moore

3.4K shares
Oven Fried Fish Tacos with sauce on the side

Cornmeal-crusted and baked to perfection, these crispy fish tacos satisfy a craving for crunchy fish tacos with all the flavor – no deep-frying needed!

Jump to Recipe

Crispy fish tacos are the best fish tacos! These crunchy, baked fish tacos are the perfect weeknight meal!

To make this recipe, here’s what you’ll need:

Ingredients

Cod
Cornmeal
Spices (salt, garlic & onion powders, paprika, cayenne, black pepper)
Egg
Water
Green cabbage
Greek yogurt or sour cream
Fresh limes
Fresh garlic
Honey
Cilantro

Tricks for crispy oven-fried fish?

The keys to crispy oven fried fish is all in the breading and how you place the fish on the pan.

Only use as much egg or liquid as needed to get the breading to stick. A heavier than necessary coat of breading can weigh the fish down and may not get crisp by the time the fish is done.

Use a larger pan than you think you’ll need. Leaving plenty of space on the pan allows the heat to circulate around the fish for a crisp finish versus steaming which results in a soggy finish.

Use a rack if you have it. I usually cook my oven-fried fish using parchment, but if you have an oven-safe rack to fit over a sheet pan, place the fish on top of this for even better heat circulation.

You can also hop over to my air fryer fried fish which would be perfect in this recipe too!

The crunch you get from cornmeal is hard to beat. It works especially well in this baked version.

Crispy Cod Tacos with Honey Lime Cilantro Slaw

Best fish for tacos

Cod is a firm fish that lets the other flavors shine. It’s also affordable. My favorite at the moment is the wild-caught Alaskan cod from Target’s Simply Balanced line.

You can also use flounder for fried fish tacos. Salmon also works well but I usually skip the breading and toss with a flavorful salsa as in my Glazed Salmon and Grapefruit Avocado Salsa Tacos!

Sauce for fish tacos

I added a bit more protein to this recipe by swapping plain Greek yogurt for sour cream in the honey-lime cilantro slaw. Plenty of lime juice, garlic, and fresh cilantro help pump up the flavor. For a lighter, more traditional cream sauce, keep the sour cream option.

The shredded cabbage and cilantro with just a touch of honey make for the perfect topping in these. I buy bagged coleslaw mix to keep chopping at a minimum but feel free to shred your own.

Crispy Cod Tacos

I used white corn tortillas since I don’t personally like flour ones. But nowadays there are tortillas made from all kinds of flours from chickpeas to almond flour and coconut flour. I haven’t had a chance to try them all yet and tend to default to the corn tortillas at Trader Joe’s.

Before you head out, please tell me where on earth you’ve had the best fish tacos. I will be adding it to my list!

And be sure to check out the recipe and these other healthy taco recipe ideas below.

Healthier Taco Recipes

Chipotle Lime Shrimp Tacos with Avocado Salsa

Easy BBQ Salmon and Kale Tacos

Black Bean Breakfast Tacos

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Crispy Cod Tacos
Print Recipe
5 from 1 vote

Crispy Fish Tacos with Honey-Lime Cilantro Slaw

Cornmeal-crusted and baked to perfection, these crispy fish tacos satisfy a craving for crunchy fish tacos with all the flavor – no deep-frying needed!
Prep Time10 mins
Cook Time10 mins
Total Time20 mins
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: fish tacos, healthy taco recipes
Servings: 4 (2 tacos each)
Calories: 290kcal
Author: Marisa Moore

Ingredients

Crispy Cod Tacos

  • 1 pound cod, cut into 1 inch strips
  • ¾ cup whole cornmeal
  • 1 t garlic powder
  • 1 t onion powder
  • 1 t paprika powder
  • ¼ t cayenne pepper
  • ½ t ground black pepper
  • ½ t coarse salt
  • 1 large egg
  • ¼ cup water

Honey-Lime Cilantro Slaw

  • 4 cups shredded cabbage
  • ¼ cup plain Greek yogurt (at least 2%)
  • 1 lime, juiced
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 2 T honey
  • ¼ t ground black pepper
  • ¼ t onion powder
  • ¼ cup fresh cilantro leaves (plus more for garnish)
  • salt to taste

Instructions

  • Fish Tacos: Preheat oven to 425°F. Lightly spray a sheet pan with oil or cooking spray. Set aside.
  • In a shallow pan, stir the cornmeal and spices with a fork until blended. In a small bowl, whisk water and egg together. Pat the fish dry. Dip fish strips in the egg wash then the cornmeal mix. Press firmly to get it to stick. Add the fish strips to the prepared pan. Lightly mist the fish with cooking spray. Bake 10 minutes. While the fish bakes, make the slaw.
  • Honey Lime Cilantro Slaw: Add all ingredients except cabbage to a blender. Puree until smooth. Add salt to taste. In a medium bowl, toss the sauce and cabbage. Heat the tortillas in a dry skillet or get a slight char (as I have) by carefully heating them over an open flame using tongs.

Assemble the tacos

  • Add 1-2 fish strips to each tortilla. Top with the slaw, more lime juice, and sprinkle with fresh chopped cilantro. 

Notes

Best fish for fried fish tacos:
I like cod and flounder for this recipe. Use a firm white fish that can stand up to breading and baking. And I recommend a mildly flavored one like cod. 
 
Fish taco sauce substitutions:
You can swap sour cream, mayo and whole/full fat Greek yogurt equally. Note that the mayo will be less tangy so you might want to adjust the honey accordingly. 

Nutrition

Calories: 290kcal | Carbohydrates: 37g | Protein: 27g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 90mg | Sodium: 389mg | Potassium: 762mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 474IU | Vitamin C: 28mg | Calcium: 78mg | Iron: 2mg

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Crispy Cod Tacos with Honey-Lime Cilantro Slaw

Best fried fish tacos in Atlanta

Don’t get me wrong. I love grilled fish tacos and gourmet ones with special sauces and such. But, there’s something about a fried fish taco that lets me keep one hand in South Carolina while the other explores my love for Mexican food.

These Crispy Cod Tacos with Honey-Lime Cilantro Slaw do both!

Say. No. More.

If you know me at all, you know that one of my favorite things in the entire world is a good fried fish taco. When I get a hankering for one, I head to a local spot, Taqueria del Sol. They coat pieces of fish in corn masa and deep fry it. The hot fish is cradled in a soft corn tortilla with pickled jalapeno peppers and a poblano tartar sauce.

Now, these aren’t those, but they are deliciously crunchy and flavorful – which can be hard to get in a non-deep fried fish taco.

Make these Crispy Cod Tacos + Honey Lime Cilantro Slaw for #TacoTuesday! Click to Tweet

Being from the south, when it came time to make this recipe, I knew I’d have to go with a cornmeal breading. I grew up eating fried fish almost every Friday. If my grandpa didn’t catch and fry it at home, we’d get it from the only fishmonger (and seafood restaurant) in town. They always used cornmeal for frying and the fish was usually whole.

3.4K shares

Filed Under: Blog, Entrees, Popular, Recipes, Sides

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Sara | sarahaasrdn.com

    February 21, 2017 at 9:03 am

    Oh wow Marisa! These are GORGEOUS! And even though it’s 6am, I totally want them! Well done!

    Reply
    • Marisa

      February 21, 2017 at 9:08 am

      I may or may not have had them for breakfast yesterday. LOL. Thanks so much Sara!!

      Reply
  2. Karman | The Nutrition Adventure

    February 21, 2017 at 10:55 am

    You had me at cornmeal-crusted! These look absolutely delicious, Marisa!

    Reply
    • Marisa

      February 21, 2017 at 11:02 am

      Thank you, Karman! 🙂

      Reply
  3. Tara | Treble in the Kitchen

    February 21, 2017 at 3:04 pm

    Yum! I’ve never made cornmeal crusted fish, but it sounds restaurant-worthy! Going to have to give this a try!

    Reply
    • Marisa

      February 22, 2017 at 12:11 pm

      Thank you. I hope you love them too!

      Reply
  4. Brynn at The Domestic Dietitian

    February 21, 2017 at 8:43 pm

    Marisa these look amazing! Fish tacos are probably one of my all time favorite foods, can’t wait to try this recipe.

    Reply
    • Marisa

      February 22, 2017 at 12:11 pm

      Mine too! So good!

      Reply
  5. Anne|Craving Something Healthy

    February 21, 2017 at 10:25 pm

    Love LOVE fish tacos! Beautiful photos!!

    Reply
    • Marisa

      February 22, 2017 at 12:10 pm

      Thanks, Anne!

      Reply
  6. Rebecca

    February 22, 2017 at 12:31 am

    such a gorgeous photo! I’m dying looking at the brown rings around your tortillas OMG!!!!

    Reply
    • Marisa

      February 22, 2017 at 12:10 pm

      Haha! Thanks, Rebecca! That char is everything!

      Reply
  7. Sonali- The Foodie Physician

    February 22, 2017 at 7:59 pm

    Honey lime cilantro slaw sounds awesome! And now I’m craving fish tacos!

    Reply
  8. Helene

    February 27, 2017 at 9:17 am

    These look and sound so delicious! I’ve been searching for a good fish taco recipe! Can’t wait to try this!

    xo, Helene

    Reply
    • Marisa

      February 28, 2017 at 9:28 am

      Thanks and Thanks so much for stopping by!

      Reply
  9. Mollie

    June 20, 2020 at 10:37 pm

    5 stars
    A little late to the game making these, but so worth it. Loved how flavorful the slaw was and the fish had a nice kick. Definitely adding this recipe to the rotation. I might top them with avocado next time!

    Reply

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Marisa Moore

Hi! I'm Marisa, a registered dietitian nutritionist living in Atlanta, GA. I use this blog to share (mostly) vegetarian recipes, credible nutrition information and a peek into my Southern roots and travels!
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