Fish Tacos with Fresh Cucumber Salsa

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Freshen up your dinner menu with a tasty fish tacos recipe.  Fish Tacos with Fresh Cucumber Salsa is a quick meal that pairs mild tilapia fillets with cool, crisp cucumber salsa in a warm flour tortilla. It’s so easy and delicious, you’ll want it on your dinner menu every week!

Fish Tacos with Fresh Cucumber Salsa Recipe

A fold flour tortilla with crumbled fish and cucumber salsa for the filling.

Howdy! Chef Alli Here. Let’s Get You Cookin’….Shall We?? 🙂

We truly enjoy fish tacos, especially when they are made with a nice, mild fish like tilapia or swai.  The creole seasoning on the fish gives it tons of flavor while the creamy cucumber salsa is  fresh and crisp – the perfect balance!

You may be wondering if fish tacos with cabbage (slaw) is the same thing as this dish.  The answer is yes, except that this slaw (salsa) happens to have cucumbers, tomatoes, and jalapeno (optional) added.

Because we love salads with a creamy dressing, such as in the cucumber salsa for this recipe, we really like serving Crunchy Corn Salad with Fritos with these fish tacos and also Summer Corn Salad – they both make a nice, cool side dish.

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3 good reasons to love this recipe –

  1. This is a meal made in minutes.
  2. The combination of spicy, salty, and creamy.
  3. Anything in a warm flour tortilla is yummy, right??

What ingredients do you need to make Fish Tacos with Fresh Cucumber Salsa?

  • Tilapia or Swai fish fillets
  • Creole seasoning
  • Vegetable or canola, for frying the fish (or use nonstick spray) 
  • 6-inch flour tortillas, warm

Salsa

  • Cucumber
  • Red onion
  • Tomatoes
  • Jalapeno, optional
  • Coleslaw blend (from a bag in the produce section)
  • Cilantro
  • Creamy coleslaw dressing, store-bought or homemade

How to Make Fish Tacos with Fresh Cucumber Salsa in 4 Easy Steps – 

  1. Season the fish fillet with Creole seasoning. Meanwhile, heat a large sauté pan over medium high heat until hot; add a small amount of oil.
  2. When the oil is nicely hot, add the seasoned fish; sauté until golden brown on each side, approx. 3-4 minutes, or until the fillets flake easily with a fork at the center.
  3. Place the salsa ingredients in a mixing bowl and toss gently with the coleslaw dressing to combine.
  4. To serve, place some of the prepared creamy coleslaw into a warm flour tortilla, then top with the prepared fish fillets; garnish with chopped cilantro and eat at once!

Lighten Things Up with Fish and Cucumber Taco Bowls!

If you’d like opt out of a lot of carbs in this meal, just drop the tortillas and make a fish taco bowls, instead. Add some of the prepared fish to a bowl, then top it with the creamy cucumber salsa.

These fish tacos are also delicious served with corn tortillas instead of flour tortillas.  Winner winner, Fish Taco dinner!

Common Questions Asked About
This Recipe

What is tilapia and where will I find it at the grocer? 

  • Tilapia is a very mild fish that is also just a tiny bit sweet in flavor.  My family doesn’t like fish that’s “fishy” or really strong in flavor so tilapia works really well.
  • If you can’t find tilapia, you can also use a fish called swai, which is another very mild fish that’s delicious and perfect for these easy fish tacos.
  • You will find typically tilapia and swai in the freezer section of the fish/shrimp department at your local grocery store.  You will notice on the bag that they fillets will be what is called “IQF” – this means individually quick frozen.

What’s so great about fish that’s IQF? 

  • IQF stands for Individually Quick Frozen.  So, each fillet that’s in the bag will be in it’s own little pouch.  This is great because if you just want to cook 1or 2 fillets, you can easy remove just that many from the bag instead of having to cook the whole bag of fish.
  • The other thing that’s great about IQF fillets is how quickly they will thaw.  If often throw the frozen fillets (right in the packaging) into a sink full of cold water to thaw them.  They are thawed in just minutes.

What’s the best way to warm flour or corn tortillas? 

  • You can easily warm tortillas in the microwave, which is totally handy when you’ve got several that you want to warm up at once.
  • I really like tortillas that have been browned a bit on each side, so I heat up a skillet over medium-high heat and then place the tortillas into the pan, one or two at a time, browning them on each side, flipping with my tongs.
  • I place each tortilla into a large foil pouch and then into the oven to keep warm until I’m ready to serve the fish tacos.

If I want to make my own creamy dressing for this recipe, how do I do that? 

  • In a small bowl, combine 1 cup mayonnaise, 3 Tbs. red wine vinegar (may substitute rice vinegar, cider vinegar, or white vinegar), and 2 Tbs. granulated sugar; whisk until smooth.  Season dressing to taste with salt and pepper.

Crumbled tilapia fish with fresh cucumber salsa.

Is there a way to make creamy dressing that’s lower in fat and calories for this dish? 

  • Yep, and I do it all the time.  Using the recipe in the paragraph above, substitute half plain Greek yogurt for the mayonnaise.

How do I know when fish is done when I’m cooking it? 

  • This is a great question! Keep in mind that fish cooks very very quickly.  When tilapia is raw, it looks opaque; when tilapia fillets are fully cooked they turn from opaque to white in color.
  • To test tilapia for doneness, insert a fork in the center of the fillet and gently twist a bit; if the flesh flakes easily with the fork, your tilapia is done and ready to eat.  If you feel resistance when you do the fork test, cook the tilapia a minute or so longer. 

Can I cook tilapia in the air fryer for this recipe? 

  • Absolutely, and I do it all the time! You can actually cook the tilapia in a skillet on the stove, on a rimmed cookie sheet in the oven at 375 degrees F., or you can air fry it at 350 degrees.
  • Whichever method you choose, you’ll only need to cook the tilapia for 8-10 minutes total. 

Can I double this recipe if I need to feed more than 4 people? 

  • Yep! When I make fish tacos for a larger group, I place the tilapia fillets in a single layer onto a greased cookie sheet that has a 1-inch rim and bake them in a 375 degree oven for 8-10 minutes or until the fillets flake easily with a fork. 
  • This way I can cook all the fish at one time instead of in batches like when you cook it in a skillet or in an air fryer.  

More Recipes to Enjoy – 

Printable Fish Tacos with Fresh Cucumber Salsa Recipe –

Crumbled tilapia fillets with cucumber salsa on top of a flour tortilla.

Fish Tacos with Fresh Cucumber Salsa

Chef Alli
Freshen up your dinner menu with a tasty fish tacos recipe.  Fish Tacos with Fresh Cucumber Salsa is a quick meal that pairs mild tilapia fillets with cool, crisp cucumber salsa in a warm flour tortilla. It's so easy and delicious, you'll want it on your dinner menu every week!
Servings: 8 tacos
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes

Ingredients
 

  • 1 lb. fresh tilapia fillets
  • Creole seasoning
  • Canola or vegetable oil, for sautéing the fish
  • 8 small flour tortillas, warmed

Salsa

  • 1 cup cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced
  • ½ cup red onion, diced
  • ½ cup fresh tomatoes, diced
  • 1 jalapeno, seeds and membranes removed, minced optional
  • 1 12-16 oz. bag coleslaw mix
  • 1/2 - 2/3 cup your favorite coleslaw dressing, or as desired
  • 1/3 cup fresh chopped cilantro, or to taste

Instructions
 

  • Season the tilapia fillets with Creole seasoning to taste. In a large sauté pan over medium high heat, add a small amount of oil.
    When the oil is hot, add the prepared and seasoned fillets; sauté 3-4 minutes on each side, until golden brown and fillets flake easily with a fork at the center of each one.
    The tilapia can also be cooked in a 375 degree F. oven or a 350 degree F. air fryer for 8-10 minutes.
  • Place the salsa ingredients in a mixing bowl and toss gently with the desired amount of coleslaw dressing to combine.
  • In a large skillet over medium high heat, place the tortillas, one at a time, into the pan, browning them on each side, if desired.
  • To serve the fish tacos, fill the warm tortillas with the desired amount of the prepared creamy salsa, then add the warm fish fillets on top. Garnish with chopped cilantro to taste and serve at once.

Notes

www.ChefAlli.com

Nutrition

Calories: 350kcalCarbohydrates: 26gProtein: 26gFat: 16gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 7gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 66mgSodium: 525mgPotassium: 459mgFiber: 1gSugar: 10gVitamin A: 177IUVitamin C: 5mgCalcium: 55mgIron: 2mg
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