Paleo Spicy Tilapia Baja Tacos with Lime Slaw and Avocado Cilantro Sauce

If you’ve ever visited one of the more popular coastal cities in Mexico, you’ve probably noticed all the curbside vendors selling street tacos near the beach…

They’re made with fresh-caught fish grilled on the spot and handed to you sizzling hot with a squirt of spicy sauce.

Grab a cold drink and you’ve got my version of the perfect beachside meal. Especially if you’re also taking in a spectacular view of the ocean!

That was my inspiration for this recipe. A simple and delicious gluten-free and paleo soft fish taco you can enjoy at home.

Even those who aren’t big fans of seafood will no doubt love this one. [av_sidebar widget_area=’Lockerdome’ av_uid=’av-1yv4uv’]

These tacos are made with a very mild white fish – tilapia. Most supermarkets carry it, it’s inexpensive, and doesn’t have that “fishy” taste some people don’t care for. It only takes a few minutes to grill – outdoors or using an electric countertop grill indoors.

I added a crunchy lime slaw and perky avocado-lime sauce for extra texture and flavor.

And wrapped it all up in one of our easy-to-make skillet tortillas – also of course paleo and gluten-free.

There’s some prep involved for this one, but you can make the sauce and tortillas the day before. The tortilla recipe isn’t included below but can be found on our page here: Paleo Gluten-Free Tortilla Recipe.

My husband and I scarfed these bad boys down in just minutes! They were awesome!

And the best part? You’ll have a few recipes you can use over and over again. The fish, the tortillas and the sauce!

Thank you for checking out our recipe, and a special thanks to Kelly for posting this one exclusively on her blog A Girl Worth Saving a couple of weeks ago.

Paleo Spicy Tilapia Baja Taco with Lime Slaw and Avocado Cilantro Sauce

Paleo Spicy Tilapia Baja Taco with Lime Slaw and Avocado Cilantro Sauce

Ingredients

    Fish & Coating
  • About 3/4 lb of tilapia (or your favorite fresh white fish)
  • 2 tbs olive oil
  • 1 tbs lime juice
  • 1 tsp honey
  • Fish Spices
  • 1 + 1/2 tsp paprika
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp cumin
  • 1/2 tsp oregano
  • 1/2 tsp thyme
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne
  • Lime Slaw Mix
  • Purchase either a package of cole slaw mix or shred 3 cups of mixed cabbage with a handful of shredded carrots
  • 1/4 cup of fresh chopped cilantro, leaves only
  • Juice of 1 lime mixed with 2 tbs of olive oil and salt to taste
  • Avocado Cilantro Sauce (Can be made the day before)
  • 1 medium ripe avocado, pitted
  • 1/4 cup of fresh-squeezed lime juice
  • 1/4 cup of fresh cilantro, chopped - leaves only
  • 1/2 of a jalapeno pepper, seeds removed
  • 2 tbs olive oil
  • 1 tsp chipotle powder
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp cumin
  • Salt to taste
  • About 1/4 cup of water to thin out sauce as needed
  • Tortillas (Can be made the day before)
  • PaleoNewbie Tortilla recipe and instructions link: Paleo Tortillas Post & Recipe
  • Servings: 4-6 soft fish tacos

Instructions

    Tortillas (Can be made the day before)
  1. Recipe Link: Paleo Tortillas Post & Recipe or type in your browser: https://www.paleonewbie.com/paleo-gluten-free-tortillas-recipe/
  2. Avocado Cilantro Sauce (Can be made the day before)
  3. Place all sauce ingredients listed above except the water and salt into a food processor or blender
  4. Blend until combined
  5. Add water until sauce is desired consistency
  6. Add salt to taste
  7. Place in container and store in refrigerator until ready to serve
  8. Lime Slaw Mix
  9. In a small bowl whisk together the lime juice and olive oil
  10. In a medium bowl add the slaw mix and cilantro
  11. Pour lime mixture over slaw mix and add salt to taste
  12. Place in refrigerator until ready to serve
  13. Fish Prep & Cooking
  14. Preheat outdoor grill or indoor electric grill to medium heat
  15. In a small bowl, whisk together the fish coating: olive oil, lime and honey
  16. Drizzle fish filets with the mixture on both sides
  17. Next mix all the dry fish spices together in a small bowl
  18. Sprinkle spices evenly on both sides of the fish filets
  19. Drizzle a little olive oil on each side of the fish just prior to grilling
  20. Grill fish about 3-4 minutes each side just until done – avoid overcooking
  21. Put it all together:
  22. Place a little of the Avocado Cilantro Sauce in the tortilla, add fish pieces, top with slaw, and add more sauce as desired
  23. Fold over, serve and enjoy!
https://www.paleonewbie.com/paleo-spicy-tilapia-baja-tacos-lime-slaw-avocado-cilantro-sauce/

Join the Conversation

  1. Paige Moortgat says:

    Love it love it love!!!!!! Mmmm good!!!!!

  2. So yummy, simple, and refreshing. I used halibut this time around and just made it as a salad. I also skipped the honey. Still delish!

    1. Halibut, My fav! Now I’m hungry! :) Thank you Donna!

  3. I’ve made these for my family’s Taco Tuesdays throughout the summer (usually switching it up between tilapia, cod, mahi-mahi, and shrimp) and they’re just as good every time! My dad puts the avocado sauce on everything! :)

    1. Oh good Brittany…these are a favorite of mine too…simple and tasty. Glad your family likes…thanks so much for your nice comment!

  4. how long do you think the sauce would be good for? i made it for this recipe and it was DELICIOUS. I was considering making it again and just having it in my fridge for regular use, but with the avocado i’m concerned it’ll brown pretty quickly

    1. Isabel, I have had in my fridge 3-7 days. And it stays green! :)

  5. I made these for dinner tonight and was floored at how awesome they were! It’s the best meal I’ve had in a very long time and the best fish I’ve EVER had in my life!! Five star rest quality. The inky modifications I made were to omit the jalapeno from the sauce and I ate it on a romaine lettuce leaf instead if the shell. Stupendous!

    1. Marie, Thank you so much! What a nice compliment. I’m so happy you liked the recipe and appreciate your comment! :)

  6. These tacos were amazing! The tilapia seasoning was superb. I made a few modifications and also skipped the honey because I am doing a Whole30. I brushed the fish once with olive oil and sprinkled on the seasoning mixture. After grilling, I served the fish on butter lettuce with sliced avocado, red onion, cilantro, & lime. My (non-paleo) family was literally falling out of their chairs saying how delicious these tacos were. Well done! Thank you for sharing the recipe!

    1. Thank you Jessica! I’m happy everyone liked the recipe! You’re making me hungry! Thanks for stopping by to comment and I hope you find more of our recipes to enjoy. :)

  7. I am allergic to avocado any suggestions for a creamy base for the sauce?

    1. Leigh, what a bummer. No, I haven’t attempted that as of yet, but will let you know if I do. You could use a lime vinagrette, that would taste awesome!

  8. Gina. That great! So glad your family me joyed them! :)

  9. Made these tonight with shrimp and they were awesome. Everyone loved! Even my kids.

  10. This sounds so amazing….thanks to Paleo Newbie and A Girl Worth Saving..this will be on my dinner table soon…

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Close
© Paleo Newbie 2013-2020
Close