Fish Taco Dinner

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Some fancy restaurants make a killing from their upscale fish tacos.  But what if I told you that it’s simple and easy to make your own fish tacos at home?

This fish taco dinner recipe also includes mango salsa, cilantro-lime rice, spiced black beans, and lime crema.  I’m not sure how authentic this recipe is, but even here in the deep south of Texas, these tacos go over well with my family. 

Jump to Recipe

Before you get started on this dinner, you’ll need to gather all of your ingredients.  For the fish, I prefer pre-packaged frozen tilapia fillets, which I run under warm (not hot) water prior to cooking.  I use Knorr’s chicken bouillon powder and knock-off brand taco seasoning for my spices.  Rice and beans are staples in my kitchen, but you can make things easier on yourself by buying (or using homemade!) canned black beans instead of cooking them from dry (cooking from dry beans is cheaper, but more time-consuming, so it’s a matter of what you value more: time, or a few dollars’ difference; this will vary family by family, budget by budget).  Street-taco-sized corn tortillas are easily available at my local Walmart, but check availability in your area.

For the fresh ingredients, you’ll want ripe tomatoes, ripe mangos, cilantro, limes (at least 4, more if using key limes), garlic, and red onion.  You’ll also need cotija or queso fresco cheese, as well as sour cream or Mexican crema.

I usually start by making the salsa.  Rinse and finely chop cilantro leaves until you have about ¼-½ cup.  Rinse and finely chop the tomatoes (two or three tomatoes should suffice).  Rinse, peel, and finely chop the red onion (about a quarter of a large red onion should suffice).  Then, rinse, slice, and dice one ripe mango.

When slicing the mangos, make it easy on yourself.  Rinse the mango to make sure any contaminants (which your knife might carry as it slices through the pulp) are washed off.  Then, slice off-center from the stem scar so that your knife slides through the fruit beside the flat of the seed, leaving you with a mango-skin bowl full of delicious fruit pulp.  Do the same thing on the other side of the seed.  You can use a spoon to scoop out the pulp as is, or you can score it with your knife (first vertically, then horizontally, or vice versa) and scoop it out pre-sliced.  To free the pulp closest to the seed, use your knife to gently skin the remaining middle portion.  Then cut as much of the pulp as you can from the seed and discard the rest.

Pro tip: Make your salsa a few days in advance.  This gives the flavors a chance to combine and meld deliciously.  Salsa is like soup—usually best a few days after it’s been made. 

When I’m ready to start dinner, I pull the fish fillets from the freezer and thaw them gently under warm water.  Next, I start the beans and rice on the stovetop.  In one pot, add your black beans.  If using canned beans, add 1 teaspoon of chicken bouillon powder and 1 teaspoon of minced garlic per can (two cans is enough for my family to enjoy for dinner and still have leftovers).  Set this on medium low to warm slowly and allow the flavors to meld, stirring occasionally.  In another pot, start heating 2 cups of water for the rice.

While the water comes to a boil, chop another ¼-½ cup cilantro leaves and juice 2 limes (you can also zest them to increase the limey flavor of the rice).  Add these to the rice water.  Rinse 1 cup of rice (rinsing removes the starch and makes the rice fluffier and stickier) and add to the boiling water.  Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes, or until the water has cooked off and the rice is tender.

Note: If you buy your limes (instead of growing your own) and plan to use the zest, consider buying organic.  Non-organic limes sold in stores may have an artificial wax coating to protect them and keep them fresh longer.  This wax is notoriously difficult to rinse off.  While this isn’t a problem if you’re just after the juice, I’d hesitate to grate the wax into my dinner.  The same caution could be given if you buy tomatoes to use in your salsa.

While the rice cooks, start on the fish.  Oil a large flat pan (I like to use butter for this recipe), add some seasoning, and bring to medium heat.  When the pan is hot, lay the fillets on the oil, two or three at a time.  Season the tops of the fillets generously, cover, and allow to cook.  After a few minutes, check the doneness; it’s okay if you break the fish apart.  As they finish cooking, chop the fillets in the pan, mixing them with the spices, so that you have nice, small pieces to use in your tacos.  I find that 4-6 fillets provides enough taco filling for several meals for my family.

While the fish cooks, juice and zest another lime.  In a small bowl, combine half a cup of sour cream (or Mexican crema) with the juice and zest.  Mix well.

Juice (and zest, if you choose) one more lime.  When the rice finishes cooking, mix it well (the cilantro tends to clump at the edges of the pot) and stir in the last of the lime juice.

When you’re ready to serve, you can assemble the tacos or have your family members assemble their own.  Each fish taco is best served with mango salsa, crema, cotija or queso fresco cheese, and (if you wish) a lime garnish/additional lime juice. 

Homemade Fish Tacos

Recipe

Ingredients:

Mango Salsa

1 ripe mango

1 red onion

2-3 tomatoes

Fresh cilantro

Spiced Black Beans

2 cans low-sodium black beans

1-2 tsp chicken bouillon powder

1-2 tsp garlic (or more to taste)

Cilantro-Lime Rice

1 cup rice

2-3 limes (or more to taste)

Fresh cilantro

Lime Crema

1 lime

½ cup sour cream or Mexican table cream

Fish

Oil (for pan-searing)

4-6 frozen tilapia fillets

1-2 Tbsp chicken bouillon powder

3-4 Tbsp taco seasoning

Assembly

Corn tortillas ("street taco" sized)

Cotija or queso fresco

(Optional) lime wedges for garnish

Directions:

1. Start with the salsa (ideally made a few days ahead of time).  Rinse and finely chop cilantro leaves until you have about ¼-½ cup.  Rinse and finely chop the tomatoes.  Rinse, peel, and finely chop the red onion (about a quarter of a large red onion should suffice).  Then, rinse, slice, and dice one ripe mango.

2. (If using frozen tilapia fillets) Thaw the fish gently under warm water.

3. In a stovetop pot, add the black beans, chicken bouillon powder, and minced garlic.  Cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, to allow the flavors to meld.

4. In another stovetop pot, bring 2 cups of water to a boil.  Rinse and finely chop cilantro leaves until you have another ¼-½ cup.  Juice (and zest, if you choose) 2 limes.  Add these to the water.  Rinse the 1 cup of rice to remove the starch and add to the boiling water; reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes.

5. Oil a large, flat pan and add some seasoning.  When the pan is hot, lay the fillets on the oil, two or three at a time.  Season the tops of the fillets generously, cover, and allow to cook.  After a few minutes, check the doneness; it’s okay if you break the fish apart.  As they finish cooking, chop the fillets in the pan, mixing them with the spices.

6. Juice (and zest, if you choose) one more lime.  When the rice finishes cooking, mix it well (the cilantro tends to clump at the edges of the pot) and stir in the last of the lime juice.

7. Assemble the tacos (corn tortillas, seasoned fish, cotija cheese, mango salsa, and lime crema).  Serve with cilantro-lime rice and seasoned black beans.  If you wish, garnish with lime wedges. 

Have you tried this recipe?  Would you add any other seasonings or sides? Let me know in the comments!