This fish taco bowl with cabbage slaw is fully loaded with taco-seasoned flaky fish, rice, and creamy avocado for the best meal that boasts all of the flavors and textures you love about fish tacos, only in a bowl!
Mexican food is one of my all-time favorites, and tacos are at the top of the list. Sometimes though, tacos or burritos are even more fun served in a bowl. Serving it up this way allows for lots of fun creative reign, mixing and matching ingredients and condiments to your liking and what you have on hand. This fish taco bowl recipe has a myriad of exciting flavors and textures. At its base is a bed of fluffy cilantro lime rice. I toss flaky white fish (I like halibut or cod) in a simple homemade taco seasoning and bake (it only takes 10 minutes!) so it’s moist inside, crispy out. It’s all topped with a creamy, tangy avocado slaw, pico de gallo, more sliced avocado, lime, and pickled onions.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- These fish taco bowls are quick and easy to assemble, especially if you’ve made some of the components in advance
- They’re healthy and so full of awesome flavors and textures!
- You can easily adapt these bowls to your liking, and I’ve got several substitution ideas listed below
What’s in This Fish Taco Bowl
For the taco-seasoning and fish, you will need:
- Chili powder—a must in taco seasoning!
- Paprika—or smoked paprika if you prefer a smoky flavor
- Cumin—is also a must
- Garlic powder—adds great savory flavor
- Onion powder—adds some umami to the seasoning
- Cayenne pepper—for a subtle heat (totally optional)
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper—always, for flavor
- Boneless, skinless white fish—such as cod or halibut
- Canola oil or vegetable oil—for gently coating the fish so the spices have better-sticking power
For the avocado-sauced coleslaw, you will need:
- Coleslaw mix—or you can slice up your own cabbage and carrots if you prefer
- Green onions—for color and flavor
- Cilantro—for color and flavor (omit if you don’t care for cilantro)
- Avocado—gets blended until nice and creamy and serves as the base of the coleslaw sauce
- Sour cream—gives the coleslaw mix a creamy tang
- Lime—we’ll squeeze some juice in the slaw to give it a fresh, zesty flavor
- Adobo sauce—(from 1 can of chipotles in adobo), for a nice smoky heat
- Some of the above taco seasoning—for even more flavor
Assemble the bowls:
- Cilantro lime rice—I like to have this made ahead to time to make assembling these bowls even more of a snap
- Lime wedges—because a little extra squeeze of lime is always nice
- Pickled red onions
- Avocado—I like to slice mine and fan it out so it looks pretty in the bowls
- Pico de gallo—I like making my own, but as Ina says, storebought is fine!
Find the complete recipe with measurements below.
How to Make a Fish Taco Bowl
- Make the fish taco seasoning. In a small bowl, mix the taco seasonings until well combined. Set aside ½ teaspoon of the taco seasoning for the coleslaw.
- Prep your fish. Cut the fish filet into 1-inch pieces and add to a large bowl. Drizzle with the oil and taco seasonings and toss until well coated.
- Bake and broil the fish. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with cooking spray. Scatter the fish pieces on the baking sheet and bake until the fish is opaque. Raise the heat to BROIL and cook for 3 more minutes to crisp the outside (this gives the fish the best texture!).
- Make the creamy coleslaw. Add the coleslaw mix, green onion, and cilantro leaves to a medium bowl. In a blender or food processor, blend the avocado, sour cream, lime juice, adobo sauce, taco seasoning, and water until smooth. Toss half of the avocado sauce with the coleslaw mix.
- Assemble your bowls! Divide the rice, coleslaw mix, and fish among four bowls and serve with lime wedges, sliced avocado, more chopped cilantro, pickled red onions, and/or pico de gallo. Drizzle with the reserved sauce as desired.
FAQ and Recipe Tips
- What kind of fish is best for fish tacos? I like using cod or halibut (if it’s on sale) for my fish tacos because ideally, you want flaky, mild white fish. I don’t recommend using tilapia or salmon for these (tilapia isn’t great quality, and salmon is a bit too overpowering).
- Feel free to thinly slice your own cabbage and carrots if you don’t wish to use bagged coleslaw mix
- If you want to make these without fish, you could add beans in place of the fish, add some roasted sweet potatoes (I would just omit the cinnamon and maple syrup), or you could follow my instructions for these fried avocados.
Ingredient Additions and Substitutions
- Swap the cilantro lime rice for brown rice, or quinoa, or skip the rice entirely if you’d like (you could replace it with cauliflower rice or salad greens)
- Add guacamole instead of sliced avocado
- Add some pickled jalapeños if you like
- Drizzle some Mexican hot sauce or some salsa on top of your bowls
- Add some chopped romaine to your bowl
- Use fresh tomatoes (halved or chopped) instead of the pico if you’d like
- Add some fried tortillas trips or chips
- Add some crumbled cotija cheese
- Top your bowl with some fresh cilantro or chopped green onions
Storage Tips
These fish taco bowls are best enjoyed the day they’re made. I’ve found leftover fish isn’t the best. However, leftover rice, pico de gallo, coleslaw, and pickled onions will be stored in an airtight container (or in jars) in the refrigerator for around 3 days (longer for the pickled onions)
Easy & Healthy Fish Taco Bowl Recipe | Best Homemade Taco Bowl
This fish taco bowl with green cabbage slaw is fully loaded with taco-seasoned flaky fish, rice, and creamy avocado for the best meal that boasts all of the flavors and textures you love about fish tacos, only in a bowl!
Servings 4
Calories 779kcal
Ingredients
- For the Taco Seasoned Fish:
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika or smoked paprika if you prefer a smoky flavor
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 pound bonelesss skinless white fish such as cod or halibut
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- For the Avocado Sauced Coleslaw
- 12 ounce bag coleslaw mix
- 3 green onions thinly sliced
- ½ cup chopped cilantro leaves
- 1 avocado peeled and pitted
- ¼ cup sour cream
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 2 teaspoons adobo sauce (from 1 can chipotles in adobo)
- ½ teaspoon reserved taco seasoning
- 2 tablespoons water
- For Assembling the Fish Taco Bowls
- 3 cups cilantro lime rice
- lime wedges
- pickled red onions
- sliced avocado
- pico de gallo
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- In a small bowl, mix the taco seasonings until well combined. Set aside ½ teaspoon of the taco seasoning for the coleslaw.
- Cut the fish filet into 1-inch pieces and add to a large bowl. Drizzle with the oil and taco seasonings and toss until well coated. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with cooking spray. Scatter the fish pieces on the baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes or until the fish is opaque. Raise the heat to BROIL and cook for 3 more minutes to crisp the outside.
- Add the coleslaw mix, green onion, and cilantro leaves to a medium bowl. In a blender or food processor, blend the avocado, sour cream, lime juice, adobo sauce, taco seasoning, and water until smooth. Toss half of the avocado sauce with the coleslaw mix.
- Divide the rice, coleslaw mix, and fish among four bowls and serve with lime wedges, sliced avocado, more chopped cilantro, pickled red onions, and/or pico de gallo. Drizzle with the reserved sauce as desired.
