Grilled Halibut Fish Tacos

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This guilt-free recipe will satisfy your grilled fish taco craving to the next level. These tacos are light. Fresh tasting. Clean. Flavorful.

I have fallen in love with fish tacos recently. I have to admit I was not a fan of fish tacos mainly because I am not a fan of fried fish. I know…shocker! The fried fish tacos never appealed to me. I then decided to try grilled fish tacos. They were okay but not exciting enough for me to order them again.

Then two things happened:  Gwyneth Paltrow and Lent. This was my first year observing Lent and the “no meat on Friday” rule made me rediscover that I love fish. I also love (I have a girl crush on Gwyneth, I can own it) Gwyneth’s newsletter Goop. In one particular issue, she was writing about a party she was having to celebrate the release of her cookbook, and this is the family meal that she and her crew had while they were preparing for the party.

This meal is the opposite of what I think of when I think of fish tacos. These are light. Fresh tasting. Clean. Flavorful. These were so good that my husband and I were scraping the bits from the bottom of the pan. These fish tacos are going to be a staple in this house from now on. I made them about two weeks ago and honestly, I cannot wait to make them again.

The recipe calls for halibut, but any mild-tasting, white fish (like mahi mahi) would be perfect for this recipe. Gwyneth also fries her corn tortillas, but I opt to just toast them in a hot pan. They are still incredible but I will let you decide which way you want to go 🙂

Grilled Fish Tacos Ingredients //

• 1 bunch cilantro
• juice from 5 limes
• 1/3 cup olive oil, plus 2 Tablespoons for cooking
• 1 small white onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 jalapeno
• 1/2 Tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 Tablespoon cumin
• 1 Tablespoon paprika
• salt
• pepper
• 2 pounds halibut or mahi mahi
• 1/2 cup white wine

to serve:

• corn tortillas
• salsa
• avocado
• crema or sour cream
• cotija cheese (I used Monterey Jack)
• limes
• cilantro

I got these little limes at the farmer’s market. They are called “juicy Mexican limes”. At least that is what the handwritten sign said. And boy were they right! These little babies had so much juice.

How to Make // The Steps

Step 1: Put the cilantro, lime juice, 1/3 cup olive oil, onion, garlic, jalapeno, garlic powder, paprika, cumin, and salt and pepper in the bowl of a food processor.

Step 2: Blend until smooth. Put the puree in a bowl and set it aside.

Step 3: Chop the halibut into small pieces. Dry well with a paper towel. Season with salt and pepper.

Step 4: Preheat a saute pan with 2 Tablespoons of olive oil. Add the halibut. Cook until golden brown, about 8 minutes.

Step 5: Add the wine and cook until the wine evaporates about 2 minutes.

Step 6: Add the cilantro mixture and cook for another minute to heat through.

Step 7: Heat the corn tortillas in a hot dry pan. Add the fish mixture to the tortilla. Garnish with cilantro, salsa, sour cream, cheese, and avocado.

Perfect for a little Cinco de Mayo get-together, don’t you think?

How to Store Grilled Fish Tacos?

You can prepare the grilled fish ahead of time and store them in an airtight container in the fridge for 24 hours. You can also freeze it and eat within 3 months. I would however always make the tacos fresh.

Want to make these Tacos Vegetarian or add a different Meat?

The good thing about these tacos is that you can use the same ingredients and the same preparation method even if you want to make them with a different meat or even make them vegetarian.

These tacos are incredible with either chicken or shrimp. Trust me, I have made them both ways and they are still divine!

And if you want to go vegetarian, you can use Cauliflower or Tofu! Yum Yum Yum!

What to Serve with Grilled Fish Tacos //

I love serving these tacos with the best queso ever and a delightful mango margarita. And if you want to end the meal with a Mexican dessert, why not trying this chocolate Kahlua cake.