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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.
Great and easy to follow recipe! The chipotle sauce is a must and I added avocado slaw for an extra crunch!
They tasted delicious and were so simple to make! Loved how fresh and flavorful it was!
Delicious! And the sauce is so simple and amazing! I didn’t know how i’d feel about radish on tacos, but I loved it.
These were delicious! So easy and simple to make! The chipotle sauce makes the taco though!
These tacos were a huge hit with my family! We’ve got 4 little ones, some who like fish and some who don’t, but we had absolutely no leftovers last night. I loved how quickly everything came together, and you’re right- the seasonings for the fish were simple but provided a lot of flavor, which went especially well with the chipotle lime sauce. We’ll definitely be having this again soon!
Delicious! Nave very easy to make. Will definitely be making this more often
This was delicious! I was afraid the sauce would be too spicy for me as I can’t tolerate much heat at all but it wasn’t, it was delish! Thank you for sharing this and for your fun contest! I made my own version of elote (for the first time ever!) to pair with this and my husband was so impressed with the whole meal!
Fish tacos are always a huge hit in our house! Love the spice rub for these, and the chipotle sauce is the bomb! These are quick, healthy, and scrumptious; what more could you ask for?♡
This was an awesome recipe! As a working mom of two I’m always looking for quick recipes with actual flavor and this hits the spot. Mine didn’t look quite as pretty as the pictures here, but the flavor was packed in and the family was asking for leftovers the next day. Definitely a recipe we’ll be repeating
I made this tonight and the family really liked it! Even my 8 year old granddaughter ate it all off her plate. And she is a picky eater. So I will keep this in my recipes list. It did take longer than 20 minutes but I’m disabled, old, & slow so it wasn’t unusual for me. All who are the sauce liked it too. Granddaughter doesn’t like spicy so she left it off. But ty for the recipe 😁 🤗.