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    Grilled Tilapia Tacos

    September 10, 2024

    Fresh and light, this grilled tilapia taco recipe is adaptable—use any firm white fish that is available and affordable—and always a crowd-pleaser.

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    Grilled Tilapia Tacos on a plate with cabbage, limes and avocado

    Move Over, Burgers—It’s Time For Grilled Fish Tacos!

    Don’t get us wrong, we still love to grill burgers. But lately, we’ve been crushing hard on the fresh, bright, light flavors of these easy fish tacos. Because they’re grilled instead of fried, they’re super healthy. Also, all of the cooking for these tacos happens on the grill, so they’re ideal for hot weather—no oven or stove time required!

    A quick note on tilapia and sustainability. First of all, always buy fish from a fishmonger (this can just be the friendliest person at your local grocery store’s fish counter) that you like and trust. Secondly, inform yourself! Some tilapia is bad—bad for the environment, bad for your body—but there are types of tilapia that are just fine. Look for tilapia from raceways in Peru or ponds in Ecuador, and do not buy tilapia from China. As ever, remember you can always take a look at the latest up-to-date seafood safety recommendations at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch site. This recipe is really adaptable, so you can just buy whatever white fish looks great (and / or is on sale) the day you go to the store—it by no means has to be tilapia! Tell the fishmonger a bit about this recipe, and they’ll help you pick a fish that will work.

    ingredients laid out for tilapia tacos, fish, tortillas, orange, lime, cilantro, mayonnaise, onions, avocado

    Fish Taco Seasoning, AKA Season that Tilapia Within An Inch Of Its Life

    Tilapia is not what we’d call an incredibly flavorful fish. However, that’s not always a bad thing! Tilapia, and other mild white fish like cod, halibut, rockfish and snapper, are great ‘gateway’ fish (in other words, fish your kids might actually eat) and they lend themselves beautifully to marinades and seasonings. For these fish tacos, we make tilapia a bit more exciting by marinating it in this bright and citrusy combination of things:

    • Onions
    • Lime juice
    • Orange juice
    • Oregano
    • Garlic
    • Cilantro
    onions, lime juice, orange juice, oregano, garlic and cilantro in a small glass bowl
    3 tilapia filets marinating in a baking dish in onions, lime juice, orange juice, oregano, garlic and cilantro

    How To Make Fish Taco Sauce

    Tacos are sort of all about the toppings, and restaurant-style fish tacos seem to be kind of all about the little creamy drizzle of sauce. For our fish taco recipe, we echo the flavors of the tilapia marinade by making this lime-y mayo for drizzling. Simply whisk together:

    • Lime juice
    • Mayonnaise
    • Milk

    How To Make Fish Tacos

    Fire up that grill! Let’s make some fish tacos!

    1. Marinate the fish! About an hour, but not longer—all that citrus will begin to break down the fish.
    2. Grill the fish!
    3. Grill the tortillas!
    4. Make fish taco sauce!
    5. Fill the tortillas with the grilled fish and a million delicious toppings!
    6. Eat the fish tacos!
    cream sauce for tilapia tacos in a small bowl mayonnaise, milk and lime juice

    Fish Taco Toppings:

    Again, these grilled fish tacos are only a little bit about the fish. It’s always all about the toppings when it comes to tacos, right? We like to lay out a ton of options, and let people go to town building their own. For these grilled tilapia tacos, we always set out:

    • Cilantro
    • Avocado slices
    • Raw shredded cabbage
    • Salsa verde (homemade, or store-bought)
    • Lime wedges for squeezing.
    Grilled tilapia fish that has been marinated in lime, orange, onion, garlic, cilantro and oregano

    What To Serve With Fish Tacos

    This grilled tilapia taco recipe is one that can stand alone. For a simple family dinner, these tacos alone might suffice. However, if you’ve got bigger appetites, or friends coming over for dinner, you might want to whip up something to go with them. Here are a few of our most beloved fish taco side dishes:

    Tools You’ll Need:

    Grilled Tilapia on a plater with cilantro, salsa verde, cream, avocados and tortillas
    Grilled Tilapia Tacos on a plate with cabbage, limes and avocado

    Best Taco Night Ever

    At least in the summertime, taco night usually becomes FISH taco night. We hope these earn a spot on your list of summer favorites, and if you make it, we’d really love to know! Snap a photo and tag us on Instagram using @themodernproper and #themodernproper. Happy eating!

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    Grilled Tilapia Tacos

    Updated on September 10, 2024

    • Serves:  6
    • Prep Time:  45 min
    • Cook Time:  15 min
    • Calories:  621
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    Ingredients

    • 1 large white onion, chopped
    • ¼ cup chopped cilantro, plus more for serving
    • ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for grill
    • 5 tablespoons fresh lime juice, (from 2-3 limes)
    • 3 tablespoons fresh orange juice, (from 1 orange)
    • 2 garlic cloves, minced
    • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
    • 1 ½ pounds tilapia, skin removed
    • ¾ teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
    • ½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
    • 1 cup mayonnaise
    • 1 tablespoon milk, optional
    • 12 (6-inch) corn tortillas

    For Serving (Optional)

    • 2 cups shredded green cabbage
    • 2 avocados, pitted, peeled and sliced
    • 1 cup Salsa Verde
    • Lime wedges

    Method

    1. In a medium bowl, combine ½ cup of the chopped onion, cilantro, olive oil, 3 tablespoons of the lime juice, orange juice, garlic, and oregano until combined.

    2. Sprinkle the tilapia all over with the salt and pepper.

    3. Spread half of the onion mixture in the bottom of a small baking dish. Place the tilapia on top of the onion mixture. Spoon the remaining onion mixture over the tilapia. Cover and chill, refrigerated for 30 minutes.

    4. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, milk (if using), and remaining 2 tablespoons of the lime juice.

    5. Preheat the grill on medium-high. Brush the grates with olive oil. Remove the tilapia from the marinade, allowing any excess to drip off. Place the tilapia on the grill and cook for 3 to 4 minutes per side, or until the fish easily flakes with a fork. Transfer to a serving platter. Using a fork, gently flake the tilapia into bite sized pieces.

    6. Meanwhile grill the tortillas until slightly charred, about 10 seconds per side.

    7. Divide the tilapia between the tortillas. Top evenly with shredded cabbage, avocado, salsa verde, remaining chopped onion and cilantro. Drizzle the mayonnaise mixture. Serve warm with lime wedges alongside.

    Nutrition Info

    • Per Serving
    • Amount
    • Calories 621
    • Protein 19 g
    • Carbohydrates 34 g
    • Total Fat 47 g
    • Dietary Fiber 9 g
    • Cholesterol 64 mg
    • sodium 385 mg
    • Total Sugars 8 g

    Grilled Tilapia Tacos

    Questions & Reviews

    Join the discussion below.

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    • Jordan

      Could the tilapia be baked or broiled? It’s a little cold to be out at the grill right now :)

      Absolutely you can bake it on 400 degree Farenheit for about 8 minutes. Make sure the internal temp is 145 degrees before removing it from the oven. Hope you enjoy!

    • Nathan

      These were good although I wanted a little more of a flavor punch from the marinade. Id probably up the concentration on a few ingredients as well just more overall marinade proportions relative to the amount of tilapia. (I used a 1lb cold pack from Aldi's and this was fine). I used a cast iron grill pan and griddle for the fish and tortillas.

      Thanks for the feedback Nathan. Glad you enjoyed it. nothing wrong with adding some more flavor punch!

    • Jenn

      These were super yummy!

      Thank you Jenn!