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An easy and flavorful Tilapia Fish Tacos recipe that’s ready in only 20 minutes! Pan-seared and drizzled with a delicious chipotle lime sauce, these tacos are filled with flaky and tender tilapia and are perfect for weeknight meals.
Tilapia fish tacos are one of my go-to weeknight meals! Ready in only 20 minutes, they’re easy to make, super flavorful, filling, and healthy!
I’m a big fan of using using tilapia when making fish tacos because it has a very mild flavor compared to other fish. It’s perfect for using in tacos and pairing it with all my favorite toppings!
How to Make Tilapia Fish Tacos
First, pat the tilapia fillets with a paper towel on both sides to remove any excess moisture.
Then, season the fish on both sides with a mixture of ground cumin, onion powder, garlic powder, and salt.
It may sound like a very simple mix of seasonings, but it compliments the fish beautifully and doesn’t overpower any of the flavors in the tacos. Trust me, these simple spices are totally enough and add a TON of flavor!
Next, pan-fry the fillets in a large hot skillet with a little olive oil. Tilapia fillets are typically on the thin side and the fish cooks very quickly, so about 3-5 minutes per side should do it!
Once the fish is cooked, transfer it to a plate and flake the fish with a fork into large bite-sized pieces. Serve it in tortillas with a drizzle of this chipotle lime sauce!
Don’t forget the sauce!
Though it may be tempting to skip making the chipotle lime sauce, don’t do it!
It takes the tacos to a whole new level and really completes the whole fish taco experience by adding a creamy and tangy element to every single bite.
And it’s super easy to make! Simply add some plain greek yogurt, a chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, a little extra adobo sauce, lime juice, and salt to a blender. Blend until smooth and it’s ready to serve!
Tips, Substitutions, and Variations
- To add a little extra crunch, serve each taco with shredded cabbage, lettuce, or this easy jicama slaw.
- Don’t have tilapia? You can use cod, flounder, or sole instead.
- To make the chipotle lime sauce spicy, add an extra chipotle pepper in adobo sauce. The yogurt really tames the heat of the pepper, so you may need to add more if you like it hot!
- These tacos are great served in corn and flour tortillas! You can use your favorite store-bought tortillas or make your own using these corn tortilla or flour tortilla recipes.
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Tilapia Fish Tacos
Ingredients
For the tacos
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 pound tilapia fillets
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 12 warm tortillas (corn or flour)
For the sauce
- 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, plus 1 teaspoon adobo sauce
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Suggested toppings
- chopped cilantro
- sliced radishes
- shredded lettuce or cabbage
- lime wedges
Instructions
For the tacos
- In a small bowl, add the ground cumin, onion powder, garlic powder, and salt. Stir to combine.
- Pat the tilapia fillets with a paper towel on both sides to remove any excess moisture.
- Season both sides of the fillets with the seasoning mixture.
- Heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Lay the fish in the skillet and cook for 3-4 minutes per side until cooked through.
- Transfer fish to a plate and flake it into big bite-sized pieces with a fork.
- Serve in warm corn tortillas and top with chipotle lime sauce, sliced radishes, shredded lettuce or cabbage, chopped cilantro, and lime wedges.
For the sauce
- Add all ingredients to a small blender and blend until smooth. Serve immediately or chill in the fridge until ready to eat.
Notes
- To add a little extra crunch, serve each taco with shredded cabbage, lettuce, or a creamy topping like my Fish Taco Slaw or this easy jicama slaw.
- Don’t have tilapia? You can use cod, flounder, or sole instead.
- To make the chipotle lime sauce spicy, add an extra chipotle pepper in adobo sauce. The yogurt really tames the heat of the pepper, so you may need to add more if you like it hot!
- These tacos are great served in corn and flour tortillas! You can use your favorite store-bought tortillas or make your own using these corn tortilla or flour tortilla recipes.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
If you’ve been a long time reader of Isabel Eats, this recipe might look a little familiar! This recipe is an update from an old Fish Tacos with Chipotle Lime Crema post that I published back in 2016. I’ve updated the photos, recipe instructions, and recipe to be as helpful as possible.
These were great! My meat and potatoes hubby even liked them! You were spot on about the spices, they are perfect!
Made these for dinner tonight and they were pretty delicious! The seasoning was just perfect and the chipotle sauce so good!
We made these tacos last night and absolutely LOVED them!!! They were so easy and delicious! The chipotle lime sauce was incredible – you can adjust the spice level easily by adding more or less chipotle peppers. So excited to make these again!
So quick, easy, and delicious! My boyfriend is new to cooking, and he made this tonight with a little coaching – always a win in my book 🙂
Fan of the recipe and made much more chipotle sauce with way more chipotles for my spicy likes. Hence next time will utilize Salmon or Cod.
exactly as described and so delicious! Everyone took home thirds.
THE SAUCE IS EVERYTHING! best way to make tilapia! Recipe was so easy to follow. Made dinner so efficient.
Amazing! I made this for dinner and I wish that I doubled it! lol I added purple cabbage to the taco for crunch and color and sprinkled in cotija cheese. I wasn’t a fan of the sauce by itself, but when I added it to the taco, the wonderful flavors mixed together perfectly and I was wishing I had more sauce to slather it in!
Really like this recipe, I’ll definitely be checking out your other stuff!
These are delicious and easy to make. I used sour cream in place of Greek yogurt (had no yogurt) and the sauce came out tasty – we’ll keep using sour cream when we make it again. This is so easy, we’ll make it often.
I have everything except the Greek yogurt. Can I use sour cream instead?
Yes! Sour cream will work perfectly!