Fish Tacos with Crispy Cabbage and Avocado Cilantro Jalapeño Sauce
There are three components that make these tacos delicious. First, cabbage gets roasted, bringing out both its natural sweetness and a delicious bitter charred flavor. Raw cabbage gets mixed in at the end to ensure lots of crunch. Second, the fish gets coated in a delicious sweet and salty spice mixture that gets baked on top of and absorbed into the cabbage. Lastly, the sauce! Creamy avocado, fresh cilantro, and spicy jalapeno get blended into a smooth, tangy sauce that I could eat by the spoonful. The final touch of some fresh winter citrus adds some sweetness and juiciness to the taco, but is totally optional.
Ingredient Highlight
Avocado! I eat a lot of avocado – on toast, in bowls, with chips, and straight out of the skin sprinkled with salt. This super versatile fruit is high in monounsaturated fatty acids (oleic and linoleic acid), which may help lower cholesterol and reduce inflammation. They are also high in potassium, vitamin E, B vitamins, and fiber. One half of an avocado has up to 7 grams of fiber and 1 whole avocado has about double the amount of potassium in one banana.
PRO tip: the most nutrient-rich part of an avocado is the really green part close to the skin, so make sure you scrape them clean!
Servings 4 People
Prep Time 10 minutes 
Cook Time 30 minutes Ingredients
- 7-8 cups sliced or chopped cabbage (sliced or chopped 1/2-inch thick), divided
- 3 tbsp olive oil divided
- 1 tsp kosher salt divided
- 2 tsp coconut sugar
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1 lb flaky white fish cod, rockfish, halibut
- 8 small/medium tortillas
- 1-2 oranges, peeled chopped (optional)
- Pickled red onions (optional)
For the sauce:
- 2 medium avocados pitted
- 2 cups loosely packed cilantro*
- 1 small jalapeno, quartered remove seeds to reduce spiciness
- 1 clove garlic
- ½ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 ½ tsp kosher salt
- * You can use both the leaves and the stems. If you use too much stem, it can become a bit bitter, so I would just trim off the ends that have no leaves and use the rest! Those stems can be finely chopped and used as a garnish.
- Note: easily make this a taco rice bowl or a salad.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450F or 425F convection. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- To make the sauce, add all ingredients to a high-speed blender and blend until smooth. If it’s not blending easily, add a splash of water.
- Add 5-6 cups cabbage to the baking sheet along with 2 tablespoons oil and ½ teaspoon salt. Toss to coat then spread out into an even layer. Bake for about 15-20 minutes, or until beginning to get charred and tender.
- Meanwhile, in a small bowl mix together your spice mixture and the remaining ½ teaspoon salt. Sprinkle it all over the fish and drizzle the remaining 1 tablespoon oil over top. Use your hands to spread everything all around to coat the fish.
- Place the fish on top of the cabbage, then return to the oven for 10-15 more minutes or until the fish is cooked through (flakes easily with a fork)(the cabbage should be nicely charred at this point!).
- Transfer the fish to a plate or cutting board and flake it up. Add the remaining 2-3 cups cabbage to the baking sheet and toss with the cooked cabbage.
- Warm your tortillas and top with the cabbage and fish. Scatter the orange chunks along the taco, if using. Spoon the sauce generously over top and garnish with cilantro and pickled red onions (if using).
Items you can prep ahead (optional)
- Chop 7-8 cups cabbage
- Mix together spice mix
- Make the avocado sauce
- Peel and chop 1-2 oranges (if using)
- Pickle red onion (if using)
Substitutions:
- To make vegetarian/vegan, use 2 (15 oz) cans of drained/rinsed black beans. Follow the instructions for the fish, but pretend like it says beans instead of fish 🙂
- You can use whatever fish you prefer in a taco. It would work great with salmon or shrimp.
Storage:
-
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge:
- Fish: up to 4 days
- Cabbage: up to 6 days
- Sauce: up to 7 days
Leftovers + Repurposing:
- Warm up the fish and cabbage in the microwave until just warm.
- Make more tacos or turn it into a rice bowl or taco salad! For the bowl, just put all those toppings on a bowl of rice. For the salad, you can thin out the sauce with some water to be more drizzle-able as a dressing (you may need to add more salt or vinegar).
- Leftover sauce is delicious on any kind of taco, eggs, roasted veggies or meats, etc…
