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Home » Recipes » Seafood Recipes

Baja-Style Fish Tacos

Published: Oct 12, 2020 · Modified: Mar 17, 2021 by Chef Dennis Littley

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When it’s time for taco night at our house my Baja-Style Fish Tacos are one of the tacos you’ll often find on my home menu. They’re great for entertaining, game day, or just for treating yourself to deliciousness.

four baja fish tacos on a white cutting board


 
Table of Contents:
  • Audio Player
  • Ingredients to Make Baja-Style Fish Tacos
  • How to make an Asian Slaw
  • How do I make Sweet Chili Sauce?
  • I’m not a fan of heat is there anything else I can add to my Sweet Chili Sauce?
  • Chef Dennis Tip:
  • How do I cook the fish for Baja Style Fish Tacos?
  • More Taco Recipes You’ll Love!
  • Recipe: Baja-Style Fish Tacos

Audio Player

It wasn’t so long ago that tacos meant the same old ground beef seasoned with cumin on a preformed crispy shell that you bought in boxes at the supermarket.

Now I’m not saying that I didn’t eat those delicious reminders of home and my childhood. But tacos have evolved into a culinary masterpiece, driven by the fusion styles that have turned Taco Night into an event.

A delicious example is my Baja Fish Tacos. With a marriage of Asian and Mexican cuisines, these tacos deliver deliciousness in a way we never expected.

Ingredients to Make Baja-Style Fish Tacos

ingredients to make recipe

Creating fish tacos isn’t difficult and can have as many or as few ingredients as you desire. It’s all about personalizing dishes you create with foods you enjoy eating.

For my Baja Fish Tacos, I made an Asian Style Slaw and Sweet Chili Sauce to go along with my crispy mahi-mahi bites and corn tortillas.

How to make an Asian Slaw

ingredients to make asian slaw

Making an Asian inspired slaw is a nice addition to your fish tacos. It adds crunch and tanginess to the taco.

asian slaw mixture and dressing in glass bowls

For my slaw, I used green cabbage, carrots and cilantro for the crunch but you can add other veggies to make your own variation.

  • red cabbage
  • bok choy
  • shredded broccoli
  • shredded brussels sprouts
  • red bell peppers

You can have fun interchanging ingredients or using what you have on hand. You can also buy premade slaw mixes at the grocery store.

asian slaw in a glass bowl

If you want to vary the dressing you use some of these ingredients:

  • sesame oil
  • rice wine vinegar
  • brown rice syrup
  • soy sauce

Or use your favorite Asian style salad dressing.

How do I make Sweet Chili Sauce?

ingredients to make sweet chili sauce in glass bowls

Making your own sweet chili sauce is really easy. And the nice thing about making your own is you can control the heat and your sauce won’t contain anything you can’t pronounce!

The two ingredients that give sweet chili sauce its heat are Sambal Oelek and crushed red pepper flakes. If you’re not a fan of heat you can cut down the amount of these ingredients or simply eliminate the crushed red pepper flakes.

three images showing how to make sweet chili sauce
  • Place all of the ingredients except for the cornstarch mixture in a small saucepan and bring it to a boil, stirring regularly.
  • Once the sugar is dissolved stir in the cornstarch mixture, stirring continually until thickened, about 1 minute.
  • Let the sauce cool completely and refrigerate until needed. The sauce can be kept for up to one week in a sealed container.

It might take a bit of experimentation but once you find the right amount of heat, you’ll have your very own signature sweet chili sauce.

I’m not a fan of heat is there anything else I can add to my Sweet Chili Sauce?

Absolutely. Think of the recipe as a starting point and add or delete items to your tastes.

Some of the items you can add to your sweet chili sauce to calm the heat are:

  • pineapple
  • mango
  • peaches

Finely chop the fresh fruit so it blends into the sauce. Use any of the fruits or combinations, depending upon your preference.

Chef Dennis Tip:

**A quick cheat would be to add pineapple preserves to the sauce. Keep some on hand to add to the sauce if you make it too hot.

How do I cook the fish for Baja Style Fish Tacos?

ingredients to make crispy mahi-mahi for fish tacos

With the sweet chili sauce and slaw finished, it’s time to move on to the main ingredient, the crispy mahi-mahi.

flour mixture for fish

Mix the flour, cornstarch, and blackening seasoning together in a bowl. Dredge the pieces of Mahi in the flour mixture and pan fry in a large skillet over high heat with about ½ inch of vegetable oil in the pan.

fried crispy fish pieces and heated corn tortillas

Remove the fried pieces of Mahi from the pan and drain the pieces of fish on a wire rack or paper towels. Heat your tortillas in a skillet or on the grill.

finished ingredients to assemble baja fish tacos

Serve the pan-fried Mahi with the slaw, sweet chili sauce, and warmed tortillas. You can even let your guests build their own tacos, making the night into a fun event!

close up of baja fish taco

Wouldn’t you love to sit down to a few of these delicious Baja Fish Tacos? I loved the crunch of the slaw with the tender flaky Mahi. Add in a drizzle of sweet chili sauce and you’ve got a flavor combination that you and your guests are going to love!

If you love seafood tacos, my Fish Tacos are sure to please.

More Taco Recipes You’ll Love!

  • Grilled Shrimp Street Tacos
  • Blackened Chicken Taco Bar
  • Buffalo Chicken Tacos
  • Etoufee Street Tacos

close up of baja fish tacos

Baja-Style Fish Tacos

Chef Dennis Littley
When it's Taco Night at your house, kick up your game with my easy to prepare and oh so delicious Baja-Style Fish Tacos with an Asian Slaw and Sweet Chili Sauce. Your family will be happy you did!
5 from 29 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe Listen to the Post
Prep Time 20 minutes mins
Cook Time 15 minutes mins
Total Time 35 minutes mins
Course Entree
Cuisine Mexican, mexican-american
Servings 8
Calories 210 kcal

Ingredients
 
 

Slaw

  • 2 cups cabbage fine shred
  • 2 tablespoons carrot grated
  • 1 teaspoon cilantro chopped
  • 2 tablespoon lime juice (approx. juice from one lime)
  • 3 teaspoons honey
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt
  • ⅛ teaspoon black pepper

Sweet Chili Sauce

  • ⅓ cup rice vinegar
  • ⅓ cup rice wine
  • ⅓ cup Karo
  • 1 tablespoon Sambal Oelek use more or less according to taste (you can substitute Sriracha or garlic chili sauce)
  • 1 teaspoon dried red chili flakes use more or less according to taste
  • 1½ teaspoons garlic finely minced
  • 1½ teaspoons ginger finely minced
  • 1 teaspoon soy sauce
  • 2 teaspoons Argo Corn Starch dissolved in 1 tablespoon water
  • red food coloring optional

Fish Tacos

  • 16 ounces mahi-mahi (Mahi cut into one-inch pieces and patted dry with paper towels)
  • ½ cup flour
  • 2 tablespoons Argo Corn Starch
  • 1 tablespoon Cajun (blackened) seasoning (or seasoning of your choice)
  • 8 corn tortillas (or flour tortillas)

Instructions
 

Slaw

  • In a medium mixing bowl combine the cabbage, carrots, cilantro, lime juice, honey, salt, and pepper. Combine slaw ingredients well and set aside until ready to serve.
     **add additional lime juice or honey to taste.
    **make this ahead of time if possible to allow the slaw to soften.

Sweet Chili Sauce

  • Place all of the ingredients except for the cornstarch mixture in a small saucepan and bring it to a boil, stirring regularly.
  • Once the sugar is dissolved stir in the cornstarch mixture, stirring continually until thickened, about 1 minute.
  • Let the sauce cool completely and refrigerate until needed. Sauce can be kept for up to one week in a sealed container.

Fish Tacos

  • In a medium bowl, add flour, Argo corn starch and cajun seasonings. Mix well and set aside until needed.
  • Add oil to a large skillet or saute pan over medium-high heat. Dredge the pieces of mahi-mahi in the flour mixture and fry for 2-3 minutes per side or until crispy and brown. Don't overcrowd the skillet with fish, give them room to cook.
    **Be careful not to overcook the fish. It will cook faster than you think.
  • Drain the Mahi on a screen or paper towels briefly.
    **fried Mahi can be held in a 200-degree oven for 10-15 minutes until needed

Assembly

  • Warm tortillas on a griddle or grill
  • Add slaw to tortilla followed by fried fish and sweet chili sauce

Nutrition

Calories: 210kcalCarbohydrates: 28gProtein: 14gFat: 3gSaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 41mgSodium: 458mgPotassium: 373mgFiber: 2gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 2222IUVitamin C: 8mgCalcium: 51mgIron: 2mg
Tried this recipe? Pin it for Later!Mention @askchefdennis or tag #askchefdennis!

Comments

    5 from 29 votes

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    Recipe Rating




  1. Terri A Steffes says

    October 13, 2020 at 9:09 am

    I love fish tacos but hadnt found a recipe that would stay within my carb allotment. These do, and they look crazy delicious. Thanks for including the nutritional information.

    Reply
  2. Jennifer Van Haitsma says

    October 13, 2020 at 7:22 am

    I’ve never had fish or shrimp tacos, but I’ve been meaning to try it! These look really good, so I’ll have to make them some time.

    Reply
  3. Catalina says

    October 13, 2020 at 6:02 am

    5 stars
    These fish tacos are everything I want from this life right now! They look divine!

    Reply
  4. Connie says

    October 13, 2020 at 1:34 am

    5 stars
    I LOVE fish tacos! And this flavor combo is just amazing!

    Reply
  5. Nikki Wayne says

    October 13, 2020 at 1:11 am

    5 stars
    This sounds great and it’s new to me. Thanks for sharing.

    Reply
  6. Nikki Wayne says

    October 13, 2020 at 12:50 am

    5 stars
    This sounds great and it’s new to me, thanks for sharing.

    Reply
  7. Nikki Wayne says

    October 13, 2020 at 12:50 am

    5 stars
    This sounds great and it’s new to me, thanks for sharing.

    Reply
  8. Beth says

    October 12, 2020 at 8:27 pm

    5 stars
    Fish tacos are one of my favorite things to order in a restaurant. I need to try this recipe as soon as possible.

    Reply
  9. Brandy Ellen Writes says

    October 12, 2020 at 7:55 pm

    I would use this recipe as a fun appetizer or perhaps a finger food meal with the fam. I love the idea of trying baja style fish tacos, since I’ve never had them before and your recipe seems easy enough for me to try.

    Reply
  10. Amy says

    October 12, 2020 at 6:35 pm

    5 stars
    I’m a massive fan of fish tacos. This recipe was delicious!

    Reply
  11. Emily Flint says

    October 12, 2020 at 6:22 pm

    5 stars
    Love all of this! The fish, the sauce and the slaw…YUM!

    Reply
  12. Pam Wattenbarger says

    October 12, 2020 at 4:27 pm

    It has been forever since I had fish tacos. I only get them when I go to the beach so I can have fresh fish. I will have to rethink that policy and try your recipe.

    Reply
  13. Mar Wahrer says

    October 12, 2020 at 4:19 pm

    5 stars
    These look delish! Mahi is perfect for fish tacos. If I cannot find it, I substitute cod instead.

    Reply
  14. Taleen | Just As Tasty says

    October 12, 2020 at 3:31 pm

    5 stars
    I love fish tacos! Can’t wait to make these for dinner!

    Reply
  15. Sue says

    October 12, 2020 at 11:16 am

    5 stars
    Taco night is very popular here, and I LOVE fish tacos. Will be making these very soon!

    Reply
Newer Comments »


My name is Chef Dennis Littley, creator and owner of Ask Chef Dennis Productions. As a classically trained chef with 40+ years of experience in the kitchen, I share my time-tested recipes, knowledge, and chef tips to help you create easy-to-make restaurant-quality meals in your home kitchen.

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