I love fish tacos. It’s something I look for on restaurant menus. We found a good one in Florida that led us on a quest to replicate the deliciousness.
Making them even better is how fast and easy they are to make in the air fryer!
I like the versatility of the recipe. You can use any white fish; I think shrimp would be delicious as well. We already had tilapia in the freezer so that’s all we’ve used so far. I love salmon and am game to try it.
Another thing we love is how fast it comes together. Now that it’s just the two of us for dinner, the weekly dinner menu is much looser than when the boys were home. The first time we made these we ran to the store for two items, slaw mix and cilantro.
I like the slaw so much that it’s become its own side dish and topping on a sandwich. The recipe calls for three tablespoons of mayo, it was a little too wet for me. Now I make it with only two tablespoons.
You can amp up or tame the spices. Sometimes we are in a spicy mood and add more cayenne for extra kick. Dry spice mixtures are so simple and so versatile.
We’ve used both the toaster oven air fryer at home and the Ninja air fryer we take in the RV. They both do a great job. The toaster oven air fryer is bigger with enough space for four filets while the Ninja fits two.
I like to make the slaw first but it’s quick enough that you can make it while the fish is cooking. I know I’m cheating by using a premixed slaw. It’s just so easy. If you like purple cabbage in your slaw, you can add it. In our house, a little is okay but a lot is not.
Toss the slaw mix, cilantro, mayonnaise, lime juice, garlic, salt, pepper and sugar in a bowl and let it hang out in the refrigerator. The sugar is optional, most times I forget to add it. I don’t use the full amount of cilantro; Mark is fully in the “cilantro tastes like soap” camp.
Now for the fish!
Stir the dry spices together in a small bowl.
Pat the fish dry and brush or spray with oil. We use olive oil. Sprinkle the spice mix on both sides and gently rub it in.
We brush olive oil on the fryer basket of our toaster oven air fryer because the mess is less than spraying. When using the Ninja in the RV we spray the insert when it’s in the basket.
Preheat the AF to 400°. Place the fish in the air fryer, careful not to overlap. Cook for 8-10 minutes until fish is flaky and opaque or reaches 145° with a meat thermometer.
While the fish is cooking, we heat our tortillas. Most times we go old school over the fire of the stove. Sometimes we heat them in the microwave. We like the smaller tortillas so it feels more like what you get in a restaurant.
You can cut the fish however you’d like. We cut it to be medium to medium large sized pieces. I don’t like the pieces so large that it falls out after I bite it. Conversely, I don’t like to mince the meat so it blends in with the slaw.
Build your tacos with as much meat and slaw as you’d like and enjoy! Any leftovers can be reheated in the air fryer or the microwave. Full disclosure, we rarely have leftovers.
Air Fryer Fish Tacos
Adapted from Lemons & Zest
Fish
- 1.5 pounds tilapia or other white fish
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne *more for added heat
Slaw
- 2.5 to 3 cups slaw mix
- 2-3 Tablespoons mayonnaise (we use 2)
- 1 Tablespoon lime juice
- 1 clove minced garlic
- 1/3 cup chopped cilantro
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt or to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar, if desired
- Preheat AF to 400°.
- Toss all of the slaw ingredients together, set aside.
- Stir all dry seasonings in a small bowl. Spray or brush fish with olive oil. Sprinkle seasoning mix all over fish and lightly rub mixture into fish.
- Spray air fryer basket with oil. Place seasoned fish in basket, making sure not to overlap fish.
- Cook for 8-10 minutes until fish is flaky and opaque. Internal temp should be 145°. While fish is cooking, warm tortillas.
- Remove from AF and cut fish.
- Serve on warm tortillas with slaw.