These flavorful fish taco bowls with cilantro lime crema are easy to prepare and perfect for a quick weeknight meal. They feature fresh fish and your favorite toppings over a bed of rice with a delicious homemade crema.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- These fish taco bowls are a fun way to mix up a taco Tuesday.
- This meal uses fresh and simple ingredients that are easy to find in grocery stores.
- They are easily customizable thanks to the several options you can use for toppings. Try it with our favorite black bean recipe!
Ingredient Notes
- Boneless white fish - this recipe calls for a mild white fish. We prefer mahi mahi, but you could also use tilapia fish fillets.
- Rice - we like to use white jasmine rice for our fish taco bowls but feel free to choose another kind of white rice or brown rice. You could also serve it over a bed of cilantro lime rice.
- Cabbage - for an easy option, you can buy pre-shredded cabbage or a coleslaw mix. You can use green cabbage or purple cabbage.
See the recipe card below for a complete list of ingredients and measurements.
Recipe Tips & Variations
- You can turn these into spicy fish taco bowls with the addition of cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes to the seasoning mix for the fish.
- These bowls are perfect to serve with your favorite taco toppings! Try black beans, fresh pico de Gallo, hot sauce, lime wedges, fresh guacamole, homemade mango salsa with corn.
- Try these bowls with another kind of fish such as salmon or tilapia.
How to Make
For the full recipe instructions, scroll down to the recipe card at the bottom of the page.
Step 1: Start by preparing your rice if using a rice cooker or pot on the stove.
Measure out the smoked paprika, chili powder, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, cumin, and brown sugar into a small bowl. Mix with a fork until evenly combined.
Step 2: Use a paper towel to pat dry each piece of fish. Next, sprinkle enough seasoning on each side of the fish to cover the filet.
Step 3: Add the oil to a large skillet over medium high heat. When the pan is hot, add the fish filets. Place the filets into the skillet and let sear for 3-4 minutes, until the bottom is golden brown and you can see the sides of the fish cooked about halfway up. Flip the filet to the other side and continue to cook for an additional 3-4 minutes or until the mahi mahi reaches an internal temperature of 145 degrees and is flaky. Transfer the cooked fish to a plate.
Step 4: Add the sauce ingredients to a food processor or small blender and blend until smooth.
Step 5: Add a tablespoon of water at a time and continue to blend until the cilantro lime crema reaches your desired consistency.
Step 6: Prepare any other toppings and serve over cooked rice.
Fish Taco Bowls FAQs
There are two different ways to store leftovers. You can meal prep leftovers into airtight containers (bowls assembled) or store each component in an individual airtight container. Store the crema in a separate container. We recommend using up leftovers within 3-4 days.
This recipe is gluten-free and can be made dairy-free with the use of dairy-free yogurt in the cilantro lime crema.
Other Bowl Recipes
If you make these healthy fish taco bowls, please let us know how they turn out in the comments below and/or rate the recipe! Don’t forget to tag us on Instagram to show us your finished product—it makes our day every time we see you trying the recipes we love!
Fish Taco Bowls With Cilantro Lime Crema
Ingredients
For the fish:
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- 2 teaspoons brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 ½ pounds raw boneless white fish (we like mahi mahi)
For the cilantro lime crema:
- ¾ cup plain Greek yogurt
- ½ of an avocado
- ½ cup cilantro leaves, packed
- Juice from 1 lime
- 1 tablespoon avocado or olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 2-3 tablespoons water to thin crema to preferred consistency
For the bowls:
- Cooked rice
- 4 cups thinly sliced cabbage
- Other optional topping ideas: salsa, beans, avocado/guacamole, cotija cheese, sautéed peppers and onion, pickled red onion, tortilla chips/strips.
Instructions
- Start by preparing your rice if using a rice cooker or pot on the stove.
- Measure out the smoked paprika, chili powder, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, cumin, and brown sugar into a small bowl. Mix with a fork until evenly combined. Use a paper towel to pat dry each piece of fish. Next, sprinkle enough seasoning on each side of the fish to cover the filet.
- Add the oil to a large skillet over medium high heat. When the pan is hot, add the fish filets. Place the filets into the skillet and let sear for 3-4 minutes, until the bottom is golden brown and you can see the sides of the fish cooked about halfway up. Flip the filet to the other side and continue to cook for an additional 3-4 minutes or until the mahi mahi reaches an internal temperature of 145 degrees and is flaky. Transfer the cooked fish to a plate.
- Add the sauce ingredients to a food processor or small blender and blend until smooth. Add a tablespoon of water at a time and continue to blend until the cilantro lime crema reaches your desired consistency.
- Prepare any other toppings and serve over cooked rice.
Notes
- Save time:
- If you don't want to make the cilantro avocado crema yourself, you can choose a pre-made dip or dressing at the grocery store instead.
- Instead of cooking the rice in a rice cooker or on the stove, you can buy frozen rice that just needs to be microwaved for a few minutes.
- Buy pre-shredded cabbage or coleslaw mix.
- Prep ahead:
- Make the cilantro lime crema ahead and store it in the fridge.
- Make the seasoning mix for the fish beforehand.
- Prepare the cabbage ahead of time if you do not buy pre-chopped cabbage.
- This recipe is gluten-free and can be made dairy-free with the use of dairy-free yogurt in the cilantro lime crema.
- The recipe can be found on My Fitness Pal by searching "BWB Fish Taco Bowls." The nutrition listed is for 1 bowl, including ½ cup of white rice and beans per bowl. The nutrition content provided for each recipe is an estimate created through the My Fitness Pal database. Please be aware that the nutritional content of each recipe may vary based on the products you use, the precision of your measurements, and the source you use to obtain nutrition data. While we try to provide accurate information, we give no guarantee regarding the accuracy of the nutritional information provided.
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