Recipes

Oven-Baked Fish Tacos

Written by: Mary Dodd | Published on: April 8, 2026

Courtesy of Mary Dodd

I love eating fish tacos. I do not love the kitchen smell or extensive stove-top cleanup. They aren’t terrific as takeout either. This recipe combines the joy and flavor of a restaurant taco with the ease of an oven bake: You throw them in the oven, then prep the rest of the components while they cook.

The real beauty of this recipe, though, lies in its versatility: If you are busy, you can swap out store-bought fish taco seasoning and bagged shredded cabbage mix and shredded carrots. And if you are cooking for different dietary preferences, a couple of easy swaps can make it paleo, vegetarian, or vegan (more on that below).

The charred limes are a fun way to finish this dish—charring the lime is a super quick way to make it juicy, smoky, and slightly sweeter.

Tip

Make a big batch of the seasoning mix to use later (you need about 1 tablespoon per pound of fish or vegetables).

Ingredients

For the slaw:

1 small red or green shredded cabbage

2 medium carrots

large pinch of salt

1 lime, juice and zest

1 tablespoon raw honey

1 tablespoon avocado oil

For the fish:

11⁄2 pounds firm mild white fish fillets (cod, haddock, or sole, preferably wild-caught)

For the spice mix:

11⁄2 teaspoons chili powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

1⁄2 teaspoon cumin

1⁄2 teaspoon cayenne

salt

pepper

For the sauce:

1 cup sour cream

2 chipotle peppers (from a can of chipotle in adobo sauce)

1 tablespoon of adobo sauce (from the same can)

juice of half a lime

pinch of salt

To serve:

4 limes

tortillas

Optional add-ons:

hot sauce

smashed or sliced avocados

chopped cilantro

diced jalapeño

sliced radishes

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a rimmed cookie sheet with parchment paper.

2. Make the slaw: Using a mandoline or a sharp knife, thinly slice 1 cup of red or green cabbage. Salt the cabbage and let it sit for 10 to 15 minutes to soften. Next, slice 2 medium carrots on the mandoline or with a sharp knife. Combine the carrots and cabbage in a bowl with the lime juice and zest, honey, and avocado oil. Taste it and add more lime or honey if you prefer it sweeter or tangier.

3. Next, prepare the fish. Pat the fish dry—this will ensure that the seasoning sticks. Season generously with salt and pepper. (If you’re using store-bought fish taco seasoning, skip the salt and pepper if these are listed in the ingredient list.) Sprinkle an even layer of seasoning over one side of the fish, patting it in with your fingers. Flip it over and season the other side, then place it on the lined cookie sheet.

4. Bake for 14 to 15 minutes, until the fish is white, flaky, and cooked through.

5. While the fish is in the oven, quickly heat the tortillas over an open flame on a gas stove or in a dry frying pan over high heat until you see char marks. Remove from the heat and set aside on a plate. Leave the frying pan on the stove (you’ll use it to char the limes).

6. Next combine the ingredients for the chipotle sauce in a medium bowl. Taste and adjust the seasonings to your preferences. Set aside.

7. Once the sauce is done, char the limes: Cut 4 limes in half. In the same frying pan that you used to toast the tortillas, over medium-high heat, place the limes cut side down and cook for 3 to 5 minutes without moving them, until dark char marks appear. Charring the limes caramelizes the fruit’s natural sugars, reduces its acidity, and adds a unique smoky flavor.

8. Remove the fish from the oven and flake into large chunks with 2 forks. Serve in the warmed tortillas with slaw, avocados, and optional toppings.

TO MAKE IT GLUTEN-FREE
Swap out the flour tortillas for corn tortillas. You can also use another alt-flour tortilla, like cassava flour, almond flour, or chickpea flour.

TO MAKE IT PALEO
Swap out the sour cream for unsweetened plain paleo yogurt (I like Cocojune and Harmless Harvest). Instead of the chipotles in adobo, use a chipotle hot sauce—start with 1 tablespoon and adjust to your desired level of heat. Finally, replace the flour tortillas with almond flour tortillas (like Siete’s) or a lettuce wrap.

TO MAKE IT VEGETARIAN
Use the same dry seasoning mix to prepare 1 pound of sliced portobello or trumpet mushrooms and 1 pound of carrot sticks. Toss the vegetables with the seasoning mix and 2 tablespoons of your favorite cooking oil (I like olive or avocado oil), then bake on a parchment-lined baking sheet for about 15 to 20 minutes, until slightly browned and tender. Follow the rest of the recipe as is, just swapping the vegetables in for the fish.

TO MAKE IT VEGAN:
Swap out the honey in the slaw for agave. And swap out the sour cream for a vegan sour cream (I like Kite Hill brand here).