A perfect meal – these Fish Tacos with Sriracha Aioli Slaw are light, packed with flavor, and super easy to make!
Several weeks ago my husband and I drove down to Florida to visit my parents. The day after we arrived, my husband and I thought we’d go for a quick bike ride (in 90+ degree F heat – brilliant). Coming from hilly Atlanta, the flat terrain of FL made for quick ground coverage, and before we knew it we were 15 miles out.
The temperature was climbing as the sun rose higher in sky. Stopping at traffic lights became a double-edge sword – on one hand it was nice to have a break from peddling, on the other hand the breeze in your face from riding suddenly stopped and all you were left with was air so hot and still that you could feel your heart beating in your head (I was sure heat stroke was just around corner). We pushed on through the heat and humidity and onto our destination, The Old Salty Dog – my favorite seafood shack overlooking the Gulf Coast of Sarasota.
After being seated and downing approximately a gallon of water, we looked over the menu. Suddenly I became VERY hungry. Ravenous! After burning 800+ calories, I eyed their deep-fried hot dog, but then realized that I would have to bike another 15 miles through the blazing sun to get back home. I needed something to satisfy my hunger pangs, yet light on my stomach -or run the risk of seeing my lunch again on the ride home. I played it safe and ordered the grilled fish tacos. They were everything my body needed, lightly grilled fish, crisp slaw, and a bit of tang from a fresh lime – delicious! After consuming the tacos in record time and downing another gallon of water, I felt renewed, re-energized! HA! Well that feeling lasted for about 10 miles. The last 5 miles… I wasn’t sure I was going to make it.
- Fish
- 1 pound tilapia
- ¼ cup orange juice, preferably fresh
- 2 limes
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- Sriracha Aioli Slaw
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- pinch cayenne
- 1 teaspoon sriracha
- 1 cup red cabbage, finely shredded*
- 1 cup green cabbage, finely shredded*
- 2 carrots, shredded*
- ½ cup cilantro, finely chopped
- Kosher salt
- black pepper
- Other Ingredients
- 8 (6 inch) corn tortillas
- 1 avocado, sliced
- sour cream
- Place the fish in a medium sized baking dish. Whisk together the orange juice, zest and juice of 1 lime, minced garlic, and soy sauce and pour over the fish. Allow to marinate for 15 to 20 minutes in the refrigerator.
- To make the Sriracha Aioli; in a large bowl add the mayonnaise, garlic, ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, cayenne, and sriracha. Stir well to combine.
- Then add the red cabbage, green cabbage, carrots, and cilantro. Toss the slaw to incorporate. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cover and refrigerate.
- Warm the tortillas in a grill pan or other heavy-bottomed skillet. Heat the pan to medium-high heat and warm each tortilla 1 to 2 minutes per side – you want to heat the tortillas just enough to slightly char and add a bit of crispness, but not so much that when you fold it, it cracks. Wrap the tortillas in a clean tea towel to keep warm and set aside.
- In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high heat. Remove the fish from the marinade. Working in batches if needed, add the tilapia fillets cooking 2 -3 minutes per side – until white and opaque. Transfer the fish to a plate and break it up into large pieces.
- Quarter the remaining lime. To assemble: place a heaping spoonful of sriracha aioli slaw onto the center of the tortilla. Top with the fish, sour cream, sliced avocado, and lime wedges. Serve and Enjoy!
Tip: Heating tortillas on a skillet certainly adds a nice texture to your tacos. However, it serves a dual purpose with corn tortillas (not so much with flour tortillas). Corn tortillas easily fall apart - which is why if you don't heat them, they are generally served with two tortillas per taco. By very slightly charing the corn tortillas, you are making them stronger and more pliable. Careful - you don't want heat them so much so that they become crispy and break when you fold them.
I made this for dinner tonight and my oh my! She’s a keeper!!!
This looks good although it’s not low calories. That’s o.k. I get a lot of pleasure just looking at all your lovely photos. BTW, I love grey and cloudy days. Being from the Puget Sound area of Washington State, I miss them down here in the Valley of the Sun. We love rain when it comes and the overcast makes it cozy staying inside and fiddling around with reading, cooking and just being here.
I say everything in moderation, including moderation 😉 I’m so glad to hear that you enjoy my photos – I certainly get a lot of pleasure out of taking them… and then of course eating what I shoot! I’m a fan of a good grey rainy day too! Sometimes you just need a few of those to snuggle up and just enjoy those in your home 🙂 Cheers!
Hi Kathleen, it’s April. I just want to say how much David and I love this recipe!! We have made it probably 6 times now!! We have made lots of different fish taco recipes and this is hands down the best one!! Thank you for the yummy recipe!
Hi April! That’s so awesome, I’m so glad you and David enjoy the recipe! And thanks so much for the note! I hope you guys are doing well – I love seeing what you’re up to on FB 🙂
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe with us! Found it today, made it tonight. It is fabulous!! The flavors are rich and layered, a festival for the palate.
Hi Janelle! Thanks so much for your note! I’m so glad that you enjoyed the dish – that makes my day 🙂
These were absolutely delicious! The only modifications we made were no cilantro (we’re not big fans of it), a little extra Sriracha (love that stuff) in the slaw, and we just bought a bag of shredded cabbage/carrots to make it easier on us. Even still, so tasty, thanks for this awesome recipe!
I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe! I’m all for adapting a recipe to fit your tastes, and using pre-shredded cabbage/carrots is a great idea for a weekday dinner! Btw, love you photography – your use of color is really lovely!
Where do u get sriracha?? Have never used,is it a spice??
Hi Laura. Sriracha is a chili sauce frequently used in southeast Asian cooking – though over the past few years it has become extremely popular in the US. These days, I believe it’s carried in just about every general grocery store – check the Asian/International food aisle first. If you don’t find it there, it could be stocked along with the condiments. Give it a try! It’s amazing on all sorts of things! Here are a few of my favorite ways to use this awesome ingredient: Sriracha BBQ Chicken Pizza , Double Garlic and Scallion Baked Fries , or Pulled Pork Sliders with Sriracha BBQ Sauce (a big-time family fav).
Yum! These tacos look and sound awesome!! I love anything with sriracha, and sriracha+mayo combo is probably my favorite!! Grilled fish tacos and a bike ride in Florida sounds like a really fun day! (a 15-mile ride is probably a bit much for me, though.) 😉
Thanks! I also love anything with a sriracha/mayo combo – tacos, sandwiches, fries…I want it all! 🙂