Recipe courtesy of
Photographer: Denny Culbert
Food Stylist: Jo Vidrine

Our healthier take on traditional deep fried catfish tacos cuts a few calories by oven baking or grilling, but doesn’t miss out on any flavor. You and your family will love the simplicity of this weekday meal that will become a staple at your Taco Tuesday! Add your own flair to your slaw by mixing in hot peppers, cotija cheese, habanero hot sauce, or extra lime juice. 

Ingredients:

For the Fish: 

  • 1 and 1/2 pounds of Guidry’s Catfish
  • 1 and 1/2 tsp. chili powder
  • 1/2 tsp. cumin
  • 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp. smoked paprika
  • 1/2 tsp. onion powder
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1/2 tsp. avocado oil

For the Cilantro Slaw

  • 2 cups shredded green cabbage
  • 2 cups shredded purple cabbage
  • 1/4 cup cilantro
  • juice of one lime
  • 1/2 tbsp. honey
  • 1/4 tsp. salt
  • 1/4 tsp. pepper

Serve with: Corn tortillas, sliced avocadoes, fresh shredded cilantro, and your favorite creamy dressing (ranch, creamy salsa etc.)

Instructions:

PREPARE THE CABBAGE SLAW:
In a medium or large bowl, combine green and white cabbage, cilantro, lime juice (start with 1
Tbsp), honey, salt and pepper. Taste and add additional lime juice or honey as desired. Stir to
combine well and set aside until ready to serve. The salt and lime juice will help soften and break
down the cabbage.

PREPARE YOUR FISH:
In a small bowl, combine chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, and
salt. Place fish in a shallow container (or zip-tip bag). Pat dry with a paper towel or clean kitchen
towel (this will help your seasoning mix stick). Rub with all of your seasoning blend, coating
generously.

Heat avocado oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Working in batches so as not to
overcrowd the pan, cook fillets 3-4 minutes per side or until fish is opaque and cooked through.
Repeat with remaining fish. Gently separate cooked fish into small sections for tacos.

ASSEMBLE YOUR TACOS:
To assemble your tacos, spoon slaw and fish into corn tortillas. Add your favorite extras, such as
avocado slices, additional fresh cilantro, etc. Drizzle with tomatillo ranch, citrus avocado sauce,
or a dollop of guacamole.

Let’s talk heat (the temperature one) – As I mentioned above, I like cooking these fairly quickly
over a hotter pan. A cast iron pan is my go-to because of the way it retains heat so well. I can get
a really nice sear on my fish over medium heat in my cast-iron pan. If you don’t have one, you
can totally use whatever you have. Just be sure you have your heat set to at least medium or
medium-high so you get a nice sear and cook the fish through without overcooking it.

Now, let’s talk heat (the spicy one) – These aren’t super spicy as written. I’d categorize them
as mild or possibly medium if you have a very low spice tolerance. They’re very flavorful, but
won’t heat your mouth up significantly. Want to kick up the heat? There are lots of ways to do it!
Try adding a generous sprinkle of chipotle chili powder to your spice blend or a little minced
jalapeño to your cilantro slaw.

Drizzle and top your tacos! Exactly what you want to drizzle over your tacos is up to you. Since
my slaw doesn’t have a creamy element, I add that with a little something drizzled on top. I love
using my tomatillo ranch (my top pick!), or citrus avocado sauce since they’re bright and fresh
and a nice contrast to the heat. You could also swap in my chipotle ranch for some extra kick!

 

Crispy Baked Fish Tacos

Ingredients:

To Make The Chipotle Crema:

1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt (or mayo)
1 chipotle chile in adobo sauce
1 tablespoon lime juice
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

To Make The Fish: 

1 cup panko breadcrumbs
2 teaspoons chili powder*
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly-cracked black pepper
1 egg, whisked
1 1/2 pounds Guidry’s Catfish, cut into 3-4 inch long pieces.

To Assemble the Tacos:

12 corn or flour tortillas, warmed
2 fresh avocados, peeled, pitted and sliced
1 batch Cilantro Lime Slaw (see last recipe)
optional toppings: chopped fresh cilantro, sliced jalapeños, crumbled queso fresco, sliced radishes, sliced
red onions, etc.

Instructions: 

This fish taco recipe may look a bit long and complicated in writing.  But hakuna matata — they’re actually quite simple to make.  And if you have your ingredients all ready to go, they can be ready in less than 45 minutes (or 30 minutes, if you’re moving quickly!).  Here’s how to make fish tacos:

  1. Prep the cilantro lime slaw: Pulse all of the sauce ingredients in the blender, then toss the sauce with the slaw and pop it in the fridge to chill while you prepare the rest of the recipe.
  2. Prep the chipotle crema: Toss the chipotle crema ingredients in the same blender and pulse until smooth.
  3. Toast the panko. This is an optional step, but one that I highly recommend for maximum fish crispiness!  Just spread the panko out on a baking sheet and pop it in the oven for 5-8 minutes until it’s toasted and golden.  (Keep a close eye on it so that the breadcrumbs do not burn!)  Then transfer the toasted panko to a bowl with the other seasonings and whisk to combine.
  4. Prep the fish. Make a little assembly line to coat your fish, in this order: (1) the raw fish, cut into 2-inch pieces (2) bowl with a whisked egg (3) bowl with panko mixture (4) baking sheet.  Using your right hand, dip the fish in the egg and toss to coat.  Then using your left hand (this will prevent the ingredients from getting mixed and clumpy), transfer the fish to the panko mixture and gently press it on so that the fish is evenly coated.  Use your left hand to transfer the fish to the baking sheet.  Then repeat with the remaining fish.
  5. Bake the fish.  Pop the fish in the oven and bake until the cooked through.  I highly recommend using a cooking thermometer to check the fish for doneness (it should reach an internal temperature of about 140°F, which will rise to 145°F as it continues to cook once it has been removed from the oven).  But if you don’t have an oven thermometer, just check to be sure that the fish is opaque inside and flakes easily with a fork.  Go ahead and roughly flake the fish into bite-sized pieces once it has been removed from the oven.
  6. Assemble the tacos.  Then comes the fun part!  Fill a tortilla with a few spoonfuls of slaw, followed by fish and your desired toppings, then drizzle with the chipotle crema, and serve warm!

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