Cod Fish Tacos That Taste Like the Coast Came to Your Kitchen
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lbs fresh or thawed cod fillets
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- Juice of 1 lime
- 2 cups green cabbage, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup red cabbage, thinly sliced
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp honey
- Pinch of salt (for slaw)
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- Juice of 1 lime (for crema)
- 1 tsp hot sauce (optional)
- Pinch of salt (for crema)
- 8 small corn or flour tortillas
- Fresh cilantro, roughly torn
- 1 avocado, sliced or roughly mashed
- Extra lime wedges for serving
- Sliced jalapeño (optional)
Instructions
- Make the slaw first: toss green and red cabbage together in a bowl with apple cider vinegar, honey, and a pinch of salt. Mix well and set aside to soften while you prep everything else.
- Make the lime crema: stir together sour cream, lime juice, hot sauce, and a pinch of salt in a small bowl. Taste and adjust lime if needed. Refrigerate until ready to use.
- Pat the cod fillets completely dry with paper towels. Mix cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, smoked paprika, salt, and black pepper together, then press the spice mixture gently onto both sides of each fillet.
- Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add cod fillets and cook without moving them for 3 to 4 minutes until the edges turn opaque. Flip once and cook another 2 to 3 minutes. Squeeze lime juice over the top right at the end. Remove from heat.
- Warm tortillas directly over a gas flame for about 20 seconds per side, or in a dry pan, until slightly charred at the edges.
- Break the cod into chunks. Build tacos: tortilla, spoonful of crema, pile of slaw, chunks of cod, avocado, cilantro, jalapeño if using, and a squeeze of fresh lime over everything. Serve immediately.
Notes
Pat the cod completely dry before seasoning — wet fish steams instead of searing and you lose the slightly golden edge that makes these tacos so good. Also pull the fish off heat the moment it flakes easily; it keeps cooking from residual heat and overcooking by even a minute makes it dry.