I eat a lot of fish, but it is 99% salmon and tuna. I just never really venture out into the white fish world all that much. (My wife doesn't eat seafood, so when I get to eat fish, I'm going for salmon or tuna.)
I've been itching to make some fish tacos with white fish for some time. I can't decide which fish to pick up! I've got tilapia, snapper, cod, catfish, flounder, among others. What is your go-to fish for fish tacos?
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Yep, what she said.
I’d also add swordfish & mahi mahi to the list of great fish for tacos.
A restaurant in Long Beach CA used to have a blackened swordfish burrito on their menu. I always said that I was going to try something else…and never did. LOL
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You really can't go wrong, they will all be great since the white fish's flavor is mild and takes a back seat to the other ingredients. But I still agree with SheilaAnn.
Cod, snapper, and rockfish are all really common. Tilapia is as well, but most of it is kinda farmed garbage fish, I don't use it.. Halibut and flounder work, but can be tough to fry without drying them out.
I'm assuming the you're talking about Baja style fried fish tacos, in which case I've had the best luck with cod and rockfish. Snapper can be a bit delicate to work with and like I said Halibut can be a bit tricky to cook.
Just for ease of working with it and availability I'd go with cod.
Among those you listed, cod would be best for fish tacos and catfish probably second. Cod is probably one of the most common fried fish for good reason. If you can get grouper, that would be good option too as would mahi mahi.
I don't think I've ever had snapper in a taco and would think it is too thin and flaky. Its really best cooked whole or just pan seared as a filet. Tilapia is pretty meh fish so I'd skip it
Catfish or Cod for me. I don’t like Tilapia. I usually cut into small bite size pieces, cover in yellow mustard, coat with fish fry, spray with oil and cook in an air fryer for 4 minutes or so at 400.
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Try all the fish you mentioned over time and see what you prefer. Given where you live, or at least what I think you would have access to, you could go get one fish here and there at a market to try. It will all be good for a taco! I use cod, tilapia and Mahi most often because that is what I can get easily at Costco and it’s all good but each is different. I grill and pan fry, just depends on the day.
But when I was in Florida last month, dang that Red Snapper was excellent! As was the Grunt. I’d be all over that if I could get fresh fish every day.
I wasn't initially thinking of frying.... probably more grilling or pan-frying, but I like LA Pork Butt's idea of coating it with fish fry and doing them in the air fryer.
Hmmm......that....some avocado, a splash of Tapatío, some hot pico, and a light dizzle of crema......mmm.... maybe some thin radish slices for crunch. (I can't bring myself to buy a whole head of cabbage for tacos-for-one.)
Produce departments will sell half/quartered cabbage, if you ask them to cut it. Cabbage is a by weight product, so just ask them to cut it for you in the produce department.
We make a half a dozen different coleslaw recipes. We use coleslaw with either air fried fish or shrimp (don’t see the mustard) and top it with a sauce either my Cain’s Copy Cat, Bang Bang, or Remoulade. Avocado sounds like a good addition, too.
I use Cod, Snapper and Tilapia. Mostly Tilapia because it is cheaper and easy to grill. Cod and Snapper hold up better if you are deep frying. I don't go with Halibut or Swordfish in fish tacos because 1) too expensive 2) wasting a good fish in a taco. Like putting filet mignon in a taco.
I'm in the cod, halibut group. Not a fan of tilapia, for reasons described in another thread here somewhere. I also like grouper, you are on the gulf just as I am. Gag grouper season just started here, and black and red grouper are overlapping with longer seasons. Flounder is way too soft, IMHO. Oh btw, shrimp tacos can be pretty divine also.
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