February 26, 2019
updated
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When you want restaurant-style tacos but don’t want to deal with the mess of the frying process at home, this coconut-crusted baked fish tacos recipe is the thing to make!
They are crispy on the outside, perfectly cooked inside with flaky fish layers that practically melt in-your all wrapped up in a tortilla. It’s the baked fish taco night of your dreams!
Best-Ever Baked Fish Tacos
Everything from the golden, crispy baked fish to the sweet mango pico de gallo and fresh slaw make these the best-baked fish tacos! The crispy panko-coconut breading on the fish is baked, not fried for a lighter fish taco that still has that fried-like texture we all love.
Baked Fish Taco Ingredients
Start with a thicker cut of fish so it’s easier to bread and bake. The rest of the baked fish taco ingredients are:
- unsweetened shredded coconut: mixed with the panko to give these fish tacos extra crunch and flavor.
- panko breadcrumbs: creates the crispiest breading for fried and baked fish. Make this recipe gluten-free with my gluten-free panko breadcrumb recipe.
- taco seasoning: I prefer using my personal taco seasoning recipe but store-bought works too.
- cod fillets: a firm, white fish with a mild flavor. You could also use grouper or mahi-mahi.
- lime: adds fresh, citrus flavor.
- pico de gallo: use homemade pico de gallo or storebought.
- mango: mixed with the pico de gallo and adds a delicious tropical flavor to these tacos!
- purple cabbage: for a little crunch in each bite.
- tortillas: corn or flour tortillas both work, use your favorite.
- avocado: tastes so good with the crispy baked fish.
- Cotija cheese: just a little sprinkle over each taco for creamy flavor.
- jalapeño: for those who like a little heat.
Watch this recipe video to make these baked fish tacos with me!
Best Fish for Baked Fish Tacos
You’ll want your baked fish to hold its shape so any firm, mild-flavored fish like cod, mahi-mahi, grouper, and snapper, will work great for baked fish tacos.
All of them are traditionally cut into a thicker fillet that holds up during cooking, especially if you’re breading fish. You could also use salmon, which isn’t a white fish and has a more distinct flavor just slice it into 2-inch pieces.
How to Bake Fish for Tacos
Whether you bread your fish like in this recipe or simply want the best baked fish tacos, with the steps below you’ll get perfectly crispy outside and flaky inside fish.
- Preheat the oven
Preheat the oven to 350F (180 C) and place a wire rack on a rimmed baking sheet. - Prep
With a paper towel, pat dry the cod fillets. Squeeze lime juice over the fish.
Combine the breading mixture ingredients in a medium bowl. - Coat it
Transfer each piece of fish into the coconut breading mixture, turning it to coat both sides. Place each piece of coated fish on the wire rack and spray with a little oil on both sides. - Bake
Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fish, until it begins to separate easily when poked with a fork.
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Serving Baked Fish Tacos
Assembling your tacos is almost as fun as eating and I recommend serving these baked fish tacos with crispy cabbage, sliced avocado, some cotija cheese crumbles, pico de gallo and mango!
Load up the fish taco toppings, is what I say, all wrapped up in a warm and toasty tortilla. You can also serve these baked fish tacos with:
Coconut Crusted Baked Fish Tacos
Ingredients
- ¾ cup shredded unsweetened coconut
- ½ cup panko bread crumbs
- 2 teaspoons taco seasoning
- 16 ounces cod filets
- 2 limes, divided
- ½ cup fresh Pico de Gallo
- ½ mango, diced
- 1 ½ cups purple cabbage, shredded
- 8 corn tortillas, store-bought or homemade
- 1 small avocado, pitted, peeled, and sliced
- 2 tablespoons Cotija cheese, crumbled, optional
- 1 jalapeño, seeded and minced
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180 C) and place a wire rack on a rimmed baking sheet.
- In a shallow pie dish or plate, combine the coconut, panko bread crumbs, and seasoning.
- Pat the cod fillets dry with a paper towel. Squeeze one lime over all the fish, then transfer the fish, one piece at a time, to the coconut breading and turn to coat on both sides. Place the breaded fish on the wire rack. Spray with oil spray on both sides. Repeat process with remaining fish pieces.
- Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fish until it easily separates with a fork and it’s cooked through. Transfer the fish to a plate and use a fork to break up the fish into smaller pieces.
- While the fish cooks, combine the pico de gallo and mango in a bowl.
- Assemble the tacos by layering cabbage on each tortilla, top with some fish pieces, mango, pico de gallo, avocado slices, sprinkled Cotija cheese, and jalapeño pieces. Squeeze lime over the top for ultimate enjoyment.
Taylor
Delicious baked fish tacos!!! I made them for dinner and it was a hit!
Jennifer
I made these tacos and few nights ago, and they were so worth it. The waves of flavors are amazing AND I got to use some of my peppers from the garden. The kitchen smelled awesome with the coconut baking. This is only the second recipe I’ve tried from the Taco Tuesday cookbook, but a great buy in my opinion.
Laura Fuentes
Thank you so much for supporting my work through the Taco Tuesday Cookbook! These coconut crusted fish tacos are one of my favs and I’m glad you enjoyed them too.