I love fish tacos, and they’re a perfect way to add something on the lighter side to your game day menu. This recipe is light and bright, as tacos should be, and the toppings don’t overpower the flavor and texture of the fish. Snapper is a perfect fish for tacos because it’s easy to get and easy to work with. The snapper sears up beautifully in a skillet or griddle. The blend of fresh cabbage, papaya, and daikon radish (a large white radish popular in Asian cuisine) in the slaw delivers so much texture and bright, clean flavor. Top the fish and slaw with some creamy avocado, tangy pickled onions and a spicy crema, and you have yourself the perfect taco!
| Level: | Intermediate |
| Total: | 10 hr 5 min |
| Active: | 1 hr 5 min |
| Yield: | 4 servings |
Ingredients
- 1 small slightly underripe papaya
- 3 cups shredded green cabbage
- 1 cup daikon or white radish matchsticks (see Cook’s Note)
- 1 Thai red chile, thinly sliced
- 1 clove garlic, grated
- 3 tablespoons lime juice plus 1 teaspoon lime zest
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon plus 1/2 teaspoon brown sugar
- Kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more as needed
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 1/2 pounds skinless red snapper fillets or other thin flaky white fish fillets
- Oil, for cooking
- 1/2 cup crema
- 1 tablespoon chopped chipotle and adobo sauce
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce
- 12 street-taco-size flour tortillas, warmed
- 2 avocados, sliced
- Pickled Red Onions, recipe follows
- 1/3 cup fresh cilantro leaves
- Lime wedges
- 1 cup red wine vinegar
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon pickling spice
- 1 red onion, thinly sliced into rings
Instructions
- For the slaw: Peel the papaya, then slice in half and remove the seeds. Shred into 2 cups of matchsticks and put in a large bowl (see Cook’s Note). Add the cabbage and daikon and toss to mix. In a liquid measuring cup or small bowl, mix the chile, garlic, lime juice and zest, fish sauce, brown sugar, 1 tablespoon water and salt to taste. Pour the dressing over the slaw and slightly massage to coat. Set aside.
- For the fish: In a small bowl, combine the chili powder, salt, coriander, cumin, paprika and garlic powder. Evenly sprinkle the seasoning mixture over both sides of the fish. Heat a griddle pan over medium heat. Oil the griddle, and cook one side, about 3 minutes. Flip the fish over and remove the griddle from the heat. Allow the fish to finish cooking from the residual heat until it flakes easily, another 3 minutes. Transfer the fish to a plate, then season with more salt and break into large pieces.
- Make the crema: Whisk the crema, chipotle and adobo and hot sauce together. Set aside.
- To serve: Top each tortilla with avocado, fish, Pickled Onions, papaya slaw, crema, cilantro and a squeeze of lime.
- Combine the vinegar, sugar, salt, pickling spice and 1 cup water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Add the onions to the pan and stir to combine. Bring back to a simmer, then turn off the heat and allow to cool to room temperature. Transfer to a resealable container and refrigerate overnight or up to 2 weeks.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 4 servings |
| Calories | 1080 |
| Total Fat | 46 g |
| Saturated Fat | 9 g |
| Carbohydrates | 120 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 16 g |
| Sugar | 34 g |
| Protein | 52 g |
| Cholesterol | 100 mg |
| Sodium | 2054 mg |
Reviews
Where are the other 9 reviews?
Geoffrey, you did it again! Love it. Had to use mango instead of papaya but so delicous.