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On vacation one year, we ate at a great seafood restaurant that had fish tacos on the menu. At that point I’d never had fish tacos and they sounded intriguing! At the time I was grain-free for my thyroid condition (and still do very limited grains), so I asked if they could convert it into a salad. They did and the resulting fish taco salad was delicious!
Making Fish Tacos into Fish Taco Salad
Once we got home, I decided to re-create that salad and it is now a lunch favorite. It really isn’t difficult to convert a fish taco into a fish taco salad. You just serve all the ingredients that were inside the taco shell on a bed of leafy greens instead.
I like to season my fish with chili powder, cumin, and a squeeze of citrus to give it that Mexican flavor that you’d expect from fish tacos. As with anything containing seafood, I try to source from wild-caught and sustainable sources whenever possible. You can use pretty much any white fish you like, or even salmon or shrimp.
I cook the fish for this salad in a pan on the stove, but you could also cook a large batch on a baking sheet in the oven or cook the fish on the grill. If you don’t want baked fish in this recipe, you could also use my homemade fish sticks and wrap in lettuce leaves for real “tacos.”
Fish Taco Salad Variations
There are endless variations to this recipe and you can customize it to fit your taste. I like to use fermented sauerkraut because of the tangy flavor and the probiotics, but fresh cabbage is also tasty.
Serve with diced avocado and tomato if you have it, or substitute guacamole or salsa. You could make a more authentic fish taco sauce with sour cream, mayo, lime juice, and cumin (great recipe for it here), but for simplicity’s sake I often go with a dollop of sour cream and some hot sauce to get the same effect.
p.s. I haven’t tried it yet, but I’ll bet this mango salsa would be a great addition!
Fish Taco Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 TBSP coconut oil (or butter)
- 1 lb fish (such as cod or halibut)
- 2 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp chili powder
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp pepper
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- 2 limes
- 1 orange
- 1 TBSP honey (or maple syrup)
- 8 cups salad greens
Optional toppings:
- 1 cup homemade sauerkraut (or fermented beets)
- ½ medium onion (finely sliced)
- 2 TBSP cilantro (finely chopped)
- 2 tomatoes (diced)
- 1 avocado (sliced, or guacamole)
- ½ cup salsa
- ½ cup sour cream
- 1 TBSP hot sauce
Instructions
- Melt the butter or coconut oil in a skillet over medium heat.
- Sprinkle both sides of the fish with cumin, chili powder, salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
- Add the fish to the heated skillet and cook until flaky and white through the middle.
- When the fish is finished cooking, remove it from the heat and zest the lime and orange over the fish and also squeeze the juice of one lime over it.
- Drizzle with the honey or maple syrup and let rest.
- To serve, top a bed of lettuce with desired amount of optional toppings and fish.
- Squeeze the juice of the orange and remaining lime over the salads and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
More Fresh Salad Recipes
If you’re in a salad mood, try some of these other salad favorites:
- BLT Salad With Avocado
- Chicken Fiesta Salad
- Asian Color Burst Salad
- Spinach Artichoke Chicken Salad
- Spring Salad With Berries and Goat Cheese
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Have you ever had a fish taco salad? How would you customize this recipe?
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I can’t wait to try this recipe…it looks fantastic. My husband is a commercial fisherman in Alaska…so we always have salmon in our freezer and I am forever searching for new ways to prepare it.
Looks good! Wondering if your grain-free regimen is also legume-free, and why. Just starting to investigate this – went grain free and dairy free a few months ago due to some scary lab results and things have really improved, but I have been relying a lot on beans and split-peas etc.
Yes, it’s generally legume free (I still do make legumes on rare occasions). Legumes contain the same physic acid that grains do, so we avoid them for similar reasons.
That looks delicious! I will have to give that a try soon!
oh wow thats nice salad. i think i should try it at home
Katy- your link to wild caught seafood goes to Tropical Traditions…..I don’t see that they sell seafood. Did you mean to link to Vital Choice? I have been looking for a source for seafood, but cannot find an affordable option. Thanks for the recipe-looks great!
Yum, it looks great. I’ve never had fish tacos, but I think I will give this a try 🙂
oh yeah this is a keeper sounds amazingly good, hearty too