My 30-minute Fish Taco Bowls with Avocado Crema make for a fresh, tangy, and zesty weeknight dinner. Super fun and a flavorful swap for everyday tacos!
Why You’ll Love Them!
We all know loaded burrito bowls and grain bowls make for filling and healthy meals, so why can’t we do the same with our favorite tacos?
Crispy pan fried white fish, vibrant avocado cream sauce, and homemade mango salsa overtop freshly cooked rice is all it takes to make these flavorful Fish Taco Bowls with Avocado Crema!
They’re a quick, easy, and fresh weeknight dinner and an inventive solution when you want to switch things up on Taco Tuesday.
I took a short cut and seasoned my pan fried fish with a homemade taco seasoning. It’s a quick mix that gives each piece of fish a little smokiness and just a hint of spice. Plus, the flavors pair beautifully with the bounty of colorful toppings.
Ingredients Needed
- White Fish – Mahi mahi, cod, tilapia, halibut, etc.
- Taco Seasoning – I like to make my own homemade taco seasoning. But you can also purchase a packet of taco seasoning. You’ll need 1 Tablespoon of taco seasoning. Tip: Here’s how much taco seasoning is in one packet.
- Lime
- Olive Oil
- Cooked Rice – For serving. Brown rice, white rice or cauliflower rice. Have you tried making instant pot rice yet? Total game changer!
- Red Cabbage – Thinly sliced, for topping your bowls. Or, you can use coleslaw mix.
- Mango – You can use frozen or fresh mango.
- Red Onion
- Jalapeno
- Cilantro
- Greek Yogurt – Or sour cream.
- Garlic
- Salt & Pepper
What Kind of Fish is Best?
Any fish you love! Fish taco bowls are easy to customize and you can use your favorite kind of fish as the star of the show. Go ahead and use salmon, steelhead, mahi mahi, halibut, tilapia, or even shrimp if you want.
I like tender and soft sauteed fish pieces but if you prefer them breaded and fried, go for it! There are no rules when it comes to fish tacos.
How to Make Them
Start by making the mango salsa either before serving or up to 2 days ahead. Simply combine all the ingredients in a bowl, cover it with plastic, and keep it in the fridge until it’s time to serve.
The avocado cream sauce can also be made a few days ahead. Use a food processor to smooth out all of the sauce ingredients, then season with salt and pepper to taste. Keep it in a sealed jar in the fridge until you’re ready to serve.
Heat a skillet with some oil over medium-high heat and add the fish. Season the pieces with homemade taco seasoning and lime juice. Cook until the pieces are crispy, golden brown, and cooked through.
Now the fun part: assembly! Add some cooked rice (or try this Arroz Verde) to 4 bowls and layer the fish, cabbage, mango salsa, and avocado sauce on top. Enjoy!
Can I bake the fish instead?
Of course! To bake the fish, layer the filets on a foil-lined baking sheet. Mix the taco seasoning with the oil and brush it on both sides of the fish. Bake in a 400ºF oven for about 25 minutes or until the fish flakes easily with a fork. Break the fillets into small pieces, then layer the cooked fish on top of your bowls.
Fish Taco Bowl Toppings
Replicate your favorite fish tacos by filling up your bowl with these toppings:
- Avocado slices
- Fish Taco Sauce
- Salsa Taquera
- Mango Salsa
- Pico de gallo
- Apple slaw
- Cotija cheese
- Sliced radishes
- Guacamole
- Lime juice
- Cherry tomato salsa
- Feta cheese
- Cilantro
- Hawaiian coleslaw
- Sliced jalapenos
- Quick pickled onions
- Black beans
- Tortilla strips
- Corn
- Cilantro lime crema
- Pickled cabbage
- More → 9+ Tasty Taco Sauces!
Tips and Tricks
- You can make the rice, avocado sauce, and mango salsa up to 2 days ahead of time. Store them in separate containers in the fridge until it’s time to assemble the taco bowls.
- The fish pieces shouldn’t need more than 5 to 7 minutes in the pan. Just watch them carefully as they can overcook easily.
- You can replicate this with any taco recipe you want! Forget the tortillas and layer chicken, steak, carnitas, or shrimp over rice or greens.
- Make this recipe low carb by swapping the rice for cauliflower rice.
- Dig into the bowls with a fork or use tortilla chips instead!
What to Serve with Them
- Tortilla Chips and Guacamole
- Grapefruit Margaritas
- Street Corn Salad
- Vinegar Coleslaw
- Instant Pot Pinto Beans
- 7+ Tasty Taco Sauce Recipes
- More → 30+ Sides for Fish Tacos
Wine Pairings
- A medium-bodied wine with some good citrus would be a great match for these fish tacos. Try a Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Gris, or Vinho Verde.
How to Make Ahead & Store
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. I like to store the avocado crema and mango salsa separately. Reheat in the microwave or in a skillet on the stove.
More Seafood Recipes
- 5-Ingredient Sheet Pan Salmon
- Sous Vide Salmon
- Salmon Sushi Bowls
- Shrimp Sushi Bowls
- Instant Pot Salmon
- Sriracha Glazed Salmon
- One Pan Miso Glazed Salmon and Vegetables
More Bowl Recipes
- Yumm Sauce Bowls
- Poke Bowls
- Lemon Orzo Bowls with Lamb & Tzatziki
- Quinoa Taco Bowls
- Chicken Gyro Bowls with Quinoa
- Shrimp Sushi Bowls
- Shrimp Spring Roll Noodle Bowls
- More → 35+ Rice Bowl Recipes
More Taco Recipes
- Korean Tacos with Bulgogi Beef
- Sweet Potato Tacos
- Cauliflower Tacos with Lime Crema
- Street Corn Chicken Tacos
- Instant Pot Carnitas Tacos
- MORE → Sides for Tacos
Did you try this fish taco bowl recipe?
If you loved this fish taco bowl with mango salsa I would appreciate it so much if you would give this recipe a star review! Also, be sure to snap a picture of your finished dish and share it with me on Instagram using the hashtag #platingsandpairings and tagging me @platingsandpairings.
For more great Platings and Pairings recipes, be sure to follow me on Instagram, TikTok, Pinterest and Facebook.
Fish Taco Bowls Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound white fish (cut into 1-inch pieces (Mahi Mahi, cod, tilapia))
- 1 Tbsp taco seasoning
- 1/2 lime (juiced)
- 1 Tbsp olive oil (extra virgin)
- 2 cups cooked rice (white or brown)
- 1 cup red cabbage (thinly sliced)
Mango Salsa
- 1 3/4 cups diced and peeled mango ((about 2 mangoes))
- 1/4 cup diced red onion
- 1/2 lime (juiced)
- 1 jalapeno (seeded and diced)
- 2 Tbsp chopped cilantro
Avocado Cream Sauce
- 1 avocado
- 1 lime (juiced)
- 1/3 cup chopped cilantro
- 1/4 cup plain greek yogurt
- 1 clove garlic
- Salt and pepper (to taste)
- Water (as needed)
Instructions
Mango Salsa
- Combine ingredients in a bowl, cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Avocado Crema
- Combine avocado, lime juice, cilantro and greek yogurt in a blender or food processor and process until smooth, adding water if necessary to reach a smooth consistency. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Taco Bowls
- Add oil to a large skillet and heat over medium-high. Add fish and sprinkle with taco seasoning and lime juice. Cook until browned and cooked through, 4-5 minutes.
- Assemble fish taco bowls by dividing the rice between 4 bowls and topping with fish, cabbage, mango salsa and avocado cream sauce. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
This mahi mahi taco bowl recipe was originally published in 2017. It was updated in 2021 to add new photographs, and again in 2023 to add new content. The recipe remains the same. Enjoy!
I’m putting this in my meal plan for next week. It looks SO GOOD! Pinned for later.
Thanks Catherine – I hope you enjoy!
Love the idea of a fish taco bowl! I too really like fish tacos, but agree that sometimes tacos are just too messy! Also agree this makes me totally crave summer. So glad we have finally seen some sunshine!!
Me too Erin – I’m in desperate need of more Vitamin C!
You make fish taco bowls look dang good! I would totally eat that!
Ha! Thank you Sandra 🙂
Yumm!! What a fun summery dinner idea!
Thanks Suzannah! Now, if only summer would get here!
You know… I have an amazing summer dinner recipe I make all the time because they are SO easy and refreshing!! “Black Bean Baked Burritos”
I think and feel summer just thinking of them~also I’ve made for dinner when friends are over and everyone just loves ‘em! SO nutritious too 😉
I LOVE a good taco bowl. This looks absolutely delicious. Now I’m starving. 😉 {client}
Thanks so much Cristi!
YES!!! it looks so good! this is the perfect summer dish. Are we there yet summer? 🙂
We’re almost to summer – I hope!!! At least we’re now getting to see a little bit of sunshine here and there…
Tacos in bowl form? I’m in heaven! Two of my favorite things combined and I love the flavors here. The bowls are so beautiful too!
Thank you Lindsay!
Perfect menu for spring! Looks delicious Erin.
Thank you Allie!
This looks so good!! Definitely making this one for dinner one day this week!
Two 6 oz frozen mahi-mahi filets, sprinkled with ground chipotle pepper and cinnamon, pressure-cooked in our Instant Pot. Fish tacos, including all the prep, ready in 20 minutes! Colleen
We really enjoy all you great recipes. Thank you so much!
As stunning as it is delicious — to be expected from one of your recipes. Thank you!
Thank you Tamara!
This is fabulous. I don’t “do” bowls, but I like this a lot!