Crispy Baja Fish Tacos
These Crispy Baja Fish Tacos are not only quick and easy, but packed with delicious flavor, too! They’re the perfect way to celebrate the arrival of warmer days!
Disclosure: This Crispy Baja Fish Tacos post was sponsored by Gorton’s, but the recipe and opinions are entirely my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that support Spiced!
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Taste buds are an amazing thing. Taste buds change every 7 years, and I’ve definitely found myself gravitating towards stronger flavors like blue cheese and olives…and blue cheese-stuffed olives! Even though they are constantly changing, our taste buds have the ability to transport us instantly across time and space. When we take a bite of food, our brains rely on all 5 senses to build a taste profile for that food. And then our brains link that taste profile to a certain memory or setting…kinda cool, huh?
So what does this science about our brains have to do with these Crispy Baja Fish Tacos? Well, the flavors in these tacos immediately transport me to somewhere warm. The combination of lime and cilantro just evokes memories of sunshine and bright, flavorful food. (And the timing is appropriate as we are finally breaking into some warm Spring weather here in the Northeast!)
Laura has always loved fish tacos. Even way back when we first met in Atlanta, we’d often stop by a little taco shack (it was literally a shack in the middle of a parking lot) for delicious fish tacos. These Crispy Baja Fish Tacos use a combination of flavors that instantly whisks you away to somewhere warm and relaxing…like say the Baja peninsula of Mexico! We actually enjoyed these tacos for dinner while sitting outside on our back deck. It was the first evening when it was warm enough to eat outside, so the setting and taste combined to create a perfect meal to welcome in the warm weather. See ya next December, Old Man Winter!
Baja fish tacos are a classic street food in the Baja region of Mexico, and they’re typically made with beer-battered fish. Now as tasty as beer-battered fish is, we’re being careful with our calories lately as we have a vacation coming up soon (and vacation is no time to count calories!). Even though we’re watching calories lately, I’m still not willing to give up on tasty, flavorful meals. No way, no how! So this past weekend, I picked up some Gorton’s Smart & Crunchy Fish Fillets in the freezer section of our grocery store. These fish fillets are packed with flavor, and the crunchy texture comes from a coating of bread crumbs rather than beer batter. A serving of 2 fillets checks in at just 190 calories. That’s a win in my book!
Gorton’s classic Crunchy Fish Sticks are one of Robbie’s favorite meals. I kid you not. Like winner of the all-time favorite meal medal. Whenever Robbie’s babysitter comes over, we make him fish sticks for dinner because we know he’ll eat ’em without any trouble. But now I think I’m going to transition the little guy over to these Smart & Crunchy Fish Fillets from Gorton’s Smart Solutions line. That way we’ll always have these fish fillets in the freezer for when Laura and I are craving Crispy Baja Fish Tacos!
A fun side story here is that Laura and I actually walked right by Gorton’s main offices in Gloucester, Massachusetts. We drove over to the Massachusetts coast a couple of years ago to go whale watching, and Gorton’s offices are located just a block or two from where we hopped on the boat. Gloucester is the oldest seaport in America (thus making it the birthplace of the US fishing industry), and Gorton’s has called Gloucester home since 1849. What a small world!
As I mentioned above, these Smart & Crunchy Fish Fillets are baked not fried. They’re also made from 100% wild-caught Alaskan pollock…and the taste is noticeable! Of course, add in flavors like lime and cilantro, and you’ve got one heck of a tasty summer meal! Oh, and I should mention that the Baja sauce also adds a ton of flavor to these tacos. The sauce is just a simple combo of mayo, sour cream, lime juice and minced chipotle peppers, but it really brings the flavor when used as a topping for these tacos! And the fact that I can make these tacos on a weeknight? Bonus points!
If you’re looking for a delicious meal to celebrate the arrival of warmer days, then these Crispy Baja Fish Tacos deserve a spot on your dinner menu! They’re easy to make and packed with delicious flavors. Enjoy!
Crispy Baja Fish Tacos
Ingredients
For the Sauce
- ¼ cup mayo
- ½ cup crema or sour cream
- 1 Tbsp chipotle pepper finely diced (see note)
- 2 tsp lime juice
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
For the Cabbage Slaw
- ½ small head red cabbage very thinly sliced
- 2 Tbsp mayonnaise
- ½ Tbsp sugar
- ½ Tbsp white vinegar
- 1 tsp lime juice
- ½ tsp salt
Instructions
For the Sauce
- Using a small mixing bowl, combine all ingredients and whisk together until smooth; set sauce aside.
For the Cabbage Slaw
- Using a large bowl, combine all ingredients and toss until well combined; set slaw aside.
For the Tacos
- Bake the fish fillets according to package instructions.
- Lightly char the corn tortillas by placing them in a dry skillet over medium heat for 1-2 minutes, flipping occasionally.
- Lay tortillas flat and top with cabbage slaw and sliced avocado. Lay one fish fillet on top of cabbage and then drizzle sauce over fish. Top with chopped cilantro and a squeeze of fresh lime juice.
Notes
Fish tacos are probably my favorite kind of taco and I haven’t had one in forever. I have to go to the grocery store later so I’m going to look for those fish fillets–anything baked but still crispy is OK by me :). I’m also going to pick up some blue cheese stuffed olives because now I’m craving them. Happy Wednesday, David!
Yes to blue-cheese stuffed olives, too, Kelsie! Just the mere thought of those a couple of years ago would have left me running to the hills. Hah! And these tacos? So much awesome flavor going on in there! They’re seriously one of our go-to weeknight meals now as everything can get prepped in advance for easy assembly. Thanks so much, my friend!
Fish tacos have been pleasing my taste buds for years. It’s interesting to find out that our taste buds change every seven years.
Yes, our taste buds do change every 7 years…at least I remember reading that somewhere. It makes sense as there are a lot of flavors (ahem, blue cheese) that I love now but wouldn’t have touched a few years ago. But these fish tacos? I’d take a plate of these anytime and anywhere! 🙂 Thanks so much, Gerlinde!
Keith and I both love fish tacos! And they absolutely trigger great memories from vacations, in fact it’s the first thing we ate when we landed in Honolulu last year!
Love that these have that nice crunch too. Must try soon!
It’s funny how recipes are tied to memories, isn’t it? I haven’t been out to Hawaii (yet…one day), but these fish tacos still whisk me away to a warm beach somewhere. 🙂 Thanks, Marissa!
Oh yes ! Hot days are really getting closer and this will be great solution for week dinners ! Thank you David !
I felt like warmer days would never arrive this year…but now they’ve arrived here in upstate New York. (And they’ve arrived with a vengeance, too…it was downright steamy yesterday!) These fish tacos really are quite perfect for a weeknight dinner in the summer. Thanks so much, my friend!
I find it so interesting how our taste buds change through the years… I used to hate coconut, and then all of a sudden I started liking it. I think olives may be something that I start to like more when I get older – love olive oil, but olives not so much – but we shall see!
Yes! I think you are definitely on the path to liking olives. I used to love olive oil as well, but olives were off the table. I started with some of the milder olives, and now I’ve progressed to the stronger ones…even stuffed with blue cheese! Crazy how that works. Thanks so much, Nicole!
I know that taste buds change over a life coarse (This happened to me with blue cheese, olives, and sun-dried tomatoes), but I didn’t know there’s some sort of cycle. 7 years. Well, I’ve known you for over 3 years, so there’s a good chance we can convince your buds to start liking lavender. I promise I’m going to work hard developing many lavender ideas for the next 4 years. I will even probably tackle lavender tacos although this might sound way too peculiar. But first I should try these fish tacos which sound and look delicious!
Hahaha…you and your lavender. I must applaud you for your unwavering commitment to lavender, Ben. 🙂 And, yes, maybe one day I’ll like it. There’s hope. Perhaps in a lavender ice cream maybe? But I can promise you that lavender tacos will not work. (Unless you made dessert tacos…) Either way, these fish tacos are the way to go for the main course. They’re easy and really, really tasty! That Baja sauce could be used in so many different ways, too. Thanks so much, my friend!
Really??? Taste buds change every 7 years??? Well, I hope my taste for fish tacos doesn’t change! I love a great fish taco and these look amazing! These look perfect for a weeknight dinner when you have to get dinner on the table!
I’m with ya, Kathy! So I’ve heard about our taste buds changing every 7 years…but I’m not so sure that we start disliking a flavor we used to like. Maybe? I feel like our taste buds just evolve over the years so that we like more flavors than before…I dunno, though. Either way, these fish tacos are seriously delicious! Laura and I didn’t say a thing while we ate these for dinner…we were too focused on how tasty they were! 🙂
Taste buds are an amazing thing, I love how they have the ability to transport us across time and space. I had no idea they are constantly changing. Now that it is almost summer I am trying to watch my weight too, incredible that 2 fillets are only 190 cal, that sounds amazing and it’s a filling & delicious meal as well. I like that they are wild caught, quality ingredients make all the difference. Have a great weekend ahead, my friend!
Yes! We’ve been on a calorie-counting thing lately trying to be good for our upcoming vacation…so I was quite pleased when I found out that 2 fillets checked in at just 190 calories. Corn tortillas are low in calories, too, so these tacos are not bad for the calorie-counter at all! And, yes, I agree that the wild caught fish makes a huge difference in flavor. So tasty! Thanks so much, Miriam!!
We’ve been on a taco kick lately in our house, too. They’re a great weeknight dinner option, so quick and easy to make. And like pasta, tortillas go with just about anything you want to pair them with. Last night it was chorizo and rajas of chile poblano, the night before pork carnitas, other times chicken in mole. Or you can go vegetarian with beans and cheese, or creamed calabacitas (zucchini) and corn… The possibilities are just endless.
Tacos really are a great weeknight meal! Plus, as Laura has proven over the years, all sorts of leftovers can be turned into tacos. Seriously. You name it. You can probably turn it into a taco. Man, you’re making me hungry listing out all of those flavor ideas, Frank! So many delicious tacos…so little time. Haha!
Yum! Fish tacos are some of my favourites and these look delicious.
Thanks so much, Caroline! And these tacos really are quite tasty, too! 🙂
I don’t know if I want my taste buds to change….I kinda like where they are now, lol!! Seriously, though I could get tacos every.single.day! Love how crispy and golden these look. Definitely wishin’ these were my lunch! Have an awesome weekend, David!
Hah! I hear ya, Dawn…I kinda like where my taste buds are right now, too. 🙂 And tacos. We share that love for tacos. I could eat tacos everyday and not get tired of ’em! Definitely put these fish tacos on your list! The crispy fish + that Baja sauce are one heck of a tasty combo. Have a great weekend yourself, Dawn!
Dude, Laura is my tastebud sister from another mother and father!!! Every time you talk about something she loves am sitting here nodding my head! I love fish tacos too- so does Lil Shashi (we got in late to Layton last night and were so excited to find that the Moe’s here was selling three tacos on their menu) – anyhoot – using crispy Gordon’s fish in these tacos is such a fun and delicious idea! So so good!
Haha! I do think you and Laura are somehow sisters from another planet or something. 🙂 You gals have tastebuds that line up perfectly! Tacos are always a winner in our house, and we both loved (!!) this Baja version. So easy to make, and so much flavor! Thanks, Shashi!
Oh gosh. Just the thought of fish tacos reminds me of Hawaii last year when I ate them in a restaurant on the beach front in Maui. They were wonderful. So I know if I were to bite into these David, I would immediately be transported back there too! Yum. I’m also intrigued now to know where you’re going on vacation? Bet you can’t wait! 🙂
Oh yeah! I totally remember you talking about that trip to Hawaii. In fact, your series of posts totally made me want to head out and visit the west coast of the States. One day…one day. As far as this year’s vacation, we’re heading off to Italy (Venice and Florence) soon. There may or may not be a truffle-hunting expedition involved. Stay tuned on that front! 🙂 Thanks, Neil!
Can you believe it I have never had a fish taco? These look so yummy that now I know that I have to try them.
Wait…you’ve never had fish tacos, Dawn?? Like ever? We need to fix that! As your friend, I feel like it’s my responsibility to introduce you to fish tacos. Haha! And I must say that these Baja tacos are delicious. They’re definitely a good place to start! 🙂
ughhhh those look so good! I can tell how perfect that sauce is! Just spectacular 🙂 I’ve only had fish tacos a couple of times but can tell these guys would be hard to pass up! Great recipe David 😀
P.s. Did I miss something I swear you didn’t have posts for awhile then all of a sudden is was like I missed a week haha. Oh well, hope all is well! Have a great weekend!
Hey Matt! So these tacos really are delicious. They raced right up to the top of our list of favorite summer recipes to make! (Heck, they’d even be good in the winter, but it’s summer now…so I’m all about some Baja Fish Tacos on the back deck!) And you’re right about that sauce. It’s the perfect way to tie all of the flavors together!
As far as posts, I’m not sure? I’ve been trucking along like normal up to recently. We were on vacation for the past week or so, so I don’t post as often…but up until then everything was on regular pace. Not sure what’s going on there? Keep me updated? If something wonky is going on, I need to know about it! Thanks, buddy!
Fish tacos are very popular here in Florida…being surrounded on three sides by water may have something to do with it. Glad your weather has finally started to warm up. Yes, warm weather and fish tacos on the patio sound good.
Haha! Yes, I suspect being surrounded on 3 sides by water would lead to an uptick in fish taco consumption. 🙂 Weather up here is finally nice, and we’re all about some dinners on the back porch now! Thanks so much, Karen. I hope it’s not too hot down there in your area already!
I host a recipe blog hop – What’s For Dinner? and would be honored if you shared this recipe there. It looks delicious!
http://www.lazygastronome.com/whats-for-dinner-sunday-link-up-149/
Thanks so much, Helen! I’ll check it out!