When it comes to grilled fish tacos, there are three main components — the meat, the toppings and the sauce or spice mix that you use to season them. The type of grill used and whether hot or cold is another factor.
With all those variables, finding the perfect balance can be tricky. Some people like their fish extra crispy with just olive oil and salt as a sauce, while others prefer more spicy sauces such as wasabi mayo.
So instead of making your hungry audience add too much butter or cream to make their own recipe, we compiled our favorite recipes for the most delicious grilled fish tacos out here! Read on for these recipes and try one for yourself tonight 🙂
Disclaimer: All of these recipes were created by writers who wanted to share their love of grilled fish with the world. If you have a different taste than us then maybe give one of these a try but still keep in mind they’re not designed to be over-sauced. They were also written within a limited ingredient list so if you cannot find some item, feel free to improvise or look up a similar flavor substitution.
Swordfish tacos
Swordfish is an oily fish that can be cooked in many ways- broiled, grilled, or roasted. It has a very flavor profile of buttery taste and seasonings such as olive oil, lemon, and garlic blend with its natural oils. When cooking swordfish, make sure to check it every few minutes to ensure it does not burn!
For this recipe, we will grill the swordfish up until medium– just make sure to keep a close eye on it so it does not overcook. Once done, let it cool down before cutting into pieces.
To cook the tartar sauce, whisk together mayonnaise, pickled onions, and pepper until combined. Add more salt if necessary and mix again.
To assemble the taco, layer rice paper onto a plate, then spread a thin layer of tapioca starch – about 1 tablespoon per square foot. Then pour in some water and stir gently to create a wet dough. Let sit for 5 minutes and roll out the sheet.
Lay the parchment paper on top of the rolled out rice paper and put a piece of plastic wrap over that. Pull the plastic off and flip the rice paper over the other side of the plastic to use as a lifting tool to remove the breading.
Spread some tapioca starch on both sides of the fish strip and coat completely. Repeat these steps for the second swordfish stick.
Tuna tacos
When it comes to grilled fish tacos, most people seem to have a favorite flavor or style of taco. For example, someone may love crunchy tortilla shells that stick to the meat like the ones from In-N-Out!
Other people may prefer soft corn or flour shell tacos with more space to hold their taste buds down. And then there are those who enjoy crispy fried breading or flake toppings such as cucumber or rice.
Whatever kind of grill master you are, know how to make your own grilled fish tacos recipe! Here we will go over one of our favorites — tuna tacos in this article.
Making your own homemade grilled fish tacos is not too difficult, but does take some time to prepare. Luckily, you do not need special equipment to cook these recipes. You can either use a stove top or outdoor grill depending on what type of food you want to make.
When cooking the raw ingredients for the tacos, make sure to keep an eye on them so they do not overcook. Also, be careful when flipping the rolls as they can get burnt if done wrong.
Overall, eating grilled fish tacos is a delicious way to start your day or night!
Grilled Salmon Taco Recipe
Our next grilled fish taco recipe is for salmon cooked in olive oil with fresh herbs and lemon juice.
Red snapper tacos
Red Snapper is one of the most popular types of fish to grill and cook because it can be cooked dry or with some kind of sauce or oil. It also tastes great when grilled alone!
When cooking red snapper, make sure to season well and let it marinade in the refrigerator for at least an hour before grilling. The salt helps promote browning as well as flavor in the meat. Make sure to wash your rice and tortilla chips thoroughly after each step to keep them fresh and crunchy.
To serve these tacos, put a few drops of olive oil into a bowl and mix in warm cornmeal until you have a thick batter that will hold up while toasting. Spread this onto a plate and add your choice of toppings such as sliced tomatoes, pickled onions, shredded lettuce and/or cilantro.
Yellowtail tacos
Another popular grilled fish option is yellowtail tacos. These are very similar to white tuna tacos, but instead of albacore or toro tuna, they use yellow tail sushi-grade meat. This meat can be quite expensive if not sold as raw meat. If you buy it pre-cooked, then it’s much cheaper!
To make these delicious grilled fish tacos, start by slicing your rolls very thinly. Then layer rice, cooked vegetables (like carrots and broccoli), sliced avocado, and top with spicy mayonnaise and shredded cheese.
You can also add fresh herbs like cilantro for some flavor. To cook the fish, grill it until flakey and warm throughout.
Grouper tacos
Another great grill and fish taco option is grilled grouper or snapper, sliced into thin strips and topped with fresh salsa, avocado, lettuce, and tomato. When cooking thinner meat like this, it is very important to remember that it will take longer to cook than thicker cuts! This means higher temperatures for longer times for proper doneness.
If your stomach can handle more spicy food, try making these into fish fajitas by adding rice or flour as a binder before rolling them up.
Baja tacos
Another popular grill and taco style is called bajas, or as some call it, bájito (little one). These are thin, soft flour tortillas that have been grilled on both sides and then topped with your choice of ingredients.
The most common toppings include shredded chicken, fresh salsa, guacamole and rice or beans. When eating these, make sure to use a good amount of butter or margarine in the baking process to ensure golden, crispy chips.
These were first served at La Isla Cantina in San Diego, California and now they’re a staple food item there!
Grilling fish is very easy to do, and any kind of white meat can be used for this. Most people suggest broiling trout, flounder, snapper or even salmon depending on what type of grill you have and how well done you like yours.
Shrimp tacos
While making fish and chips is always popular, making fish tacos instead of traditional taco shells is an even bigger crowd favorite! Add some fresh ingredients like shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, and avocado to make it even more delicious.
Making grilled shrimp tacos is similar to making chicken or beef tacos, but with one key difference — white meat! Using raw shrimp as the protein in your dish gives it extra flavor and texture. If you are a beginner cook, cooking shrimp can be tricky since they contain a lot of water.
Luckily, having recipes for grilled shrimp makes things much easier! Here, our recipe for grilled shrimp tacos comes together quickly and easily. Let us show you how to make them.
Crab tacos
Another great grilled fish taco option is crab, whether as an ingredient in another dish or served all by itself with some toppings. Most seafood restaurants have at least one recipe for grilled crab so you are not too overwhelmed!
Crab can be tricky to cook properly. Make sure to never leave your grill alone while it cooks because this could result in dry meat and wasted food.
To ensure that your crab does not taste raw, make sure to either broil it or bake it- both of which should take around the same amount of time. To keep the shells intact, do not add any liquid to the cooked crab.
Once everything is done, mix together sour cream, chopped tomatoes, pickled onions, avocado, and tartar sauce and spoon over the top of the crab.