Baked Fish Tacos with Avocado Lime Crema and Cabbage Slaw

Turn taco night into a healthy highlight that the entire family can love! These fish tacos have Mexican-seasoned fish and are topped with crunchy zest cabbage slaw, rich avocado lime crema, and bright pico de gallo. Serve them on whole-wheat soft taco sized tortillas or whole-grain corn taco shells for a balanced, filling meal for the family.

Variations and Serving Suggestions

• Make it plant-based (vegan) by substituting 2 cups of cooked or canned black beans, pinto beans, or vegetarian refried beans
• Add protein and calcium by serving your tacos with ½ ounce of shredded cotija cheese or queso fresco. Low-fat shredded jack or cheddar cheese are other good choices.
• For gluten-free tacos, choose whole-grain corn tortillas or taco shells, or serve ½ cup of brown rice instead of tortillas.
• Keep your tacos low-carb by serving them without tortillas. Instead, consider adding avocado or cheese.
• Instead of tilapia, try swai, cod, halibut, or salmon. Shrimp, shredded cooked chicken, and cooked lean ground turkey are other good options.
• If you’re short on time, use shredded lettuce with olive oil and lime juice instead of slaw. Storebought salsa or pico de gallo instead of homemade, and avocado slices instead of avocado crema, are other shortcuts. 
• Make the slaw, pico de gallo, and avocado crema the day before to save time when you’re making the tacos.
• For a creamier avocado crema, swap the water for ¼ cup of plain yogurt.
• For spicy heat, add diced seeded jalapeno or red pepper flakes to taste.

Recipe for Fish Tacos with Avocado Crema and Cabbage Slaw

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:

Fish

• 1 lb of tilapia fillets
• 1 teaspoon of chili powder
• ½ teaspoon of cumin
• 1-2 cloves of minced garlic
• Salt and pepper to taste

Cabbage Slaw

• 2 cups of shredded cabbage or coleslaw mix
• 1 shredded or grated carrot, or ½ cup of shredded carrot
• ¼ cup of chopped cilantro
• Juice from ½ lime (save the other half for the pice de gallo)
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil

Avocado Lime Crema

• 1 medium ripe avocado
• 2 tablespoons of water

Pico de Gallo

• 2 ripe roma tomatoes, diced
• ½ small onion, diced
• Juice from the other half of the lime
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• ½ cup of cilantro, chopped
• Minced seeded jalapeno to taste
• Salt to taste

Tortillas

• 4 whole-grain soft taco-sized tortillas

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray.
2. In a wide-bottomed bowl, mix the chili powder, cumin, salt, pepper, and garlic. 
3. Brush olive oil on each side of the fish fillets. Dip the fish fillets in the spice mixture and turn them over to coat. 
4. Place the fish on the pan and bake for 10-15 minutes or until the fish flakes easily with a fork. Remove from the oven.
5. While the fish is cooking, mix the cabbage, carrot, and cilantro in a medium bowl. Add the lime juice and olive oil and mix. Set aside.
6. In a small bowl, mash the avocado. Stir in the water. Set aside.
7. In another bowl, add the tomatoes, onion, garlic, lime juice, cilantro, jalapeno, and salt.
8. To serve, add a piece of fish on each tortilla. Top with slaw, crema, and pico de gallo.

Nutrition information per serving: 300 calories; 12 grams of fat; 3 grams of saturated fat; 50 mg of cholesterol; 400 mg of sodium; 20 grams of carbohydrates; 3 grams of sugar; 6 grams of fiber; 22 grams of protein

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