Grilled Fish Tacos with Spicy Pickled Onions
I still remember the first time I ate fish tacos, way back when I lived in DC. I had seen them in an advertisement and decided that I absolutely had to have them for lunch. I walked about three-quarters of a mile (in heels!) to the place that had them and put in my order. After waiting for what felt like forever, I was presented with greasy fried fish in gummy tortillas. So disappointing. Totally not worth the achy feet (or the $10).
Thankfully, that was several years ago so I’ve had lots of time to perfect my own recipe. These tacos are nothing like those other ones. Instead of being heavy and greasy, they’re light and fresh. The fish is marinated in a mix of citrus juices and spices and then grilled and flaked. Stuff that into some grilled flour tortillas and top it with spicy pickled onions (one of my favorite condiments ever) and salsa verde for a simple, fresh meal that reminds me of the beach.
Let’s talk some more about those onions though. It’s not the first time I’ve used them in my recipes – they’re a must-have on top of my chili and we’ve also enjoyed them on pork sandwiches – but I really love them with the fish. They add a nice acidity and the shocking pink color makes them feel festive! The recipe here calls for jalapeno but, if you’re in the mood for something spicier, try them with habanero instead. It gives the onions a subtle fruity taste that’s really nicely balanced. If you want, add a drizzle of plain yogurt thinned with lime juice to balance out the heat.
In other news, you can also find the recipe for these tacos on the Old El Paso web site. They just revamped it and it’s super fun! It’s really interactive and there are lots of great features – and more taco recipes than you could ever imagine. My kind of site! (I spent a few weeks earlier this year creating a bunch of new recipes for them. I’ll share them here throughout the year, but if you search hard enough you can find a bunch of them over there already.)
Grilled Fish Tacos with Spicy Pickled Onions
Ingredients
- 1 orange juiced
- 1 lime juiced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ cup finely chopped cilantro
- 2 pounds cod filets
- 1 red onion thinly sliced
- ½ cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 jalapeno pepper halved with seeds removed
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 package 10 count Old El Paso Tortillas for Soft Tacos or Fajitas
- Salsa Verde
- Lime wedges
Instructions
- Combine orange juice, lime juice, oil, spices, and cilantro in a shallow dish. Add the fish, turning to coat. Let marinate 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a small saucepan over medium heat bring to onion, vinegar, jalapeno, and sugar to a boil. Immediately remove from heat; let cool. Discard jalapeno.
- Heat the grill to high. Cook the fish over indirect heat for 8 minutes, or until cooked through. Pull apart into large flakes. Cook the tortillas over direct heat for 20 seconds on each side, until soft and slightly charred in places.
- To assemble tacos, spoon fish onto center of each tortilla; top with pickled onions and salsa verde. Fold sides of tortilla over filling. Serve with lime wedges.
This post was brought to you in partnership with Old El Paso. I was compensated for creating the recipe for grilled fish tacos with spicy pickled onions. All opinions are my own.
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Oh I love your fish tacos!!! Gorgeous recipe! That fish looks amazing and actually I am crazy hungry right now. Dang. When I lived in Charlotte we had a restaurant called Cabo Fish Taco that was AMAZING. Oh man I could eat there every day and never get sick of it. But now it’s more than an hour away from me and I hafta make my own. Pinning & making!
I want fish tacos so bad tonight… debating on grilling my haddock instead of breading/baking. These look SO good!
I’ve never made picked onions for tacos, but this looks seriously good and easy. Now that I know, I’m going to put it to use! Could the same pickling solution be used for carrots? Not sure if you’ve ever had them atop tacos, but spicy picked carrots are also pretty incredible.
This looks great Lauren. The cod looks so crispy. The only place I have ever had really good fish tacos is San Diego. I might have to try this at home.
I’m not sure if crispy is the right word for it. The spices do form sort of a crust that’s a little crisp, but the inside is tender and flaky.
I would probably be content to put pickled onions on just about anything in my life. Well…maybe not ice cream. But pretty much anything else.
I don’t know… pickled onion ice cream kind of sounds like a pregnant woman’s dream…. so maybe some day. haha
I’m going to make this for supper on Saturday night. Saturday is Taco Night at our house. Thank you for favouriting my tweet as well.
I hope you love them as much as we do!
I also adore fish tacos when they’re done right. This sounds perfect; I love the emphasis on the fish, and the total lack of mayonnaise.
I abhor mayonnaise; you won’t see any of that around here! But yeah, the emphasis with these is really on the fish and fresh, bright flavors.
It sounds delicious Lauren. I have made chicken based tacos with the pickled onions that I really enjoyed.
I bet it would be great with chicken too!