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Fish tacos with mango salsa on a blue plate.
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5 from 1 vote

Fish Tacos with Mango Salsa

Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Total Time40 minutes
Servings: 2 servings (6 small tacos)
Author: Aleksandra

Ingredients

6 small tortillas

    fish:

    • 14 oz (400g) firm white fish 3 medium fillets
    • 2 teaspoons cajun seasoning
    • 2 tablespoons flour
    • 2 tablespoons clarified butter for pan-frying, or frying oil

    mango salsa:

    • 1 mango
    • 1 deseeded chili pepper or 1/2 ts red pepper flakes
    • 1 tablespoon lime juice
    • 1 tablespoon olive oil
    • 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
    • salt and pepper to taste

    mango sauce:

    • 1/2 mango
    • 1 tablespoon ketchup
    • 1 tablespoon sour cream
    • 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
    • 1 tablespoon lime juice
    • 1 teaspoon chopped cilantro
    • salt and pepper to taste

    red cabbage carrot slaw:

    • 1 cup thinly shredded red cabbage (3.5oz/100g)
    • 1 small carrot
    • 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
    • 1 tablespoon lime juice
    • salt and pepper to taste

    Instructions

    • Red cabbage carrot slaw: Cut the red cabbage into very thin strips (the more thinly the better), grate the carrot on the small holes of a box grater. Add the olive oil and lime juice, season with salt and pepper to taste, toss until combined. Set aside. It's good to make this slaw ahead and let it sit for 1-2 hours to let the cabbage soften.
    • Prepare the fish: pat dry the fish fillets with paper towels, then rub with cajun seasoning. My cajun seasoning already contains salt, so I haven't added any. Sprinkle the fish with flour, then rub the flour on all sides of the fillets. Set aside.
    • Make the mango salsa: Cut the mango into small cubes, toss with chopped cilantro, olive oil, lime juice, and chili flakes (if using). Season with salt and pepper to taste and optionally with more lime juice if your mango is very sweet.
    • Make the mango sauce: blend all the sauce ingredients in a food processor, season to taste with salt and pepper.
    • Pan-fry the fish fillets: Heat the clarified butter (or frying oil) over high heat in a frying pan. Coat the fish fillets once again in flour (after rubbing the fish with spices it will release some water and absorb the first portion of flour so now we can add more flour. Thank's to that, the flour coating with be thicker and more crispy). Once the pan is hot add the fish fillets. Cook on one side until browned then flip over and cook until cooked through.
    • How to check if the fish is cooked through: the color will turn from opaque to white and the fish can be easily flaked with a fork. To be sure it's best to measure the internal temperature of the fish with a thermometer. Stick the thermometer into the thickest part of the fish, the temperature should be 145°F/ 63°C.
    • Assemble: Place some slaw over the tortillas, top with mango salsa and fish cut into smaller pieces. Pour over the sauce. You can sprinkle the tacos with additional lime juice and cilantro.
    • Enjoy!

    Video

    Notes

    • Ingredient substitutions:
      • Best fish for fish tacos: it's best to use firm white fish fillets. I like cod or halibut. Don't use salmon or tuna, their bold flavor won't work well here. Instead of fish, you can use shrimp! They will taste just as good as with fish. Avoid very delicate fish like sole.
      • Fish seasoning - I used cajun seasoning, but you can also use blackened or jerk seasoning (or generally any fish and seafood seasoning you have on hand).
      • Clarified butter - this is my favorite fat to pan-fry fish with. It has an amazing flavor but won't get burnt so quickly like regular butter. If you don't have it on hand just use frying oil.
      • Mango salsa - feel free to add more chili flakes or maybe a jalapeno pepper for more heat. For us, the heat from the cajun seasoning was enough. You can also add finely chopped red onion instead of chili flakes.
      • Red cabbage slaw - you can omit the carrot and swap the red cabbage for white cabbage if you wish.
      • Tortillas - use small, wheat, or corn tortillas.
      • Other toppings that would also be delicious: avocado, guacamole, diced tomatoes, shredded lettuce, coleslaw.
    • How to avoid sticking the fish to the pan: This can be caused by low-quality fish. Make sure your fish is thawed, pat-dry, and your pan is really nicely hot.
    • How to bake the fish in the oven - it may be a better idea if you want to scale up the recipe. Pan-frying a larger amount of fish on the stovetop can be too labor-intensive. Rub the fish with seasoning (flour is not necessary) and place small pieces of butter over each fish fillet. Baking time at 375°F/180°C would be 10-20 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fish.
    • Storing tips/how to make it ahead: You can make the sauce and the slaw the day before and store it in the fridge. Pan-fry the fish and make the mango sauce just before serving.
    • Calories count = 1 serving (1/2 of the recipe) = 6 small tacos. This is only an estimate!

    Nutrition

    Calories: 644kcal