Description
Make these easy air fryer fish tacos in just minutes. Flaky fish, smoky chipotle sauce, and fresh mango avocado pico tucked into warm tortillas for the perfect quick taco night.
Ingredients
chipotle aioli
- 1/3 cup mayo
- 1 tablespoon adobo sauce from a can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
- 1/2 lime, juice of (about 1 tablespoon)
fish
- 1lb mahi mahi, halibut, cod or salmon, sliced into 4-inch by 1 1/2-inch strips
- 1/4-ish teaspoon each salt and black pepper
- 1 tablespoon taco seasoning* (see note)
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
mango pico
- 1 ataulfo mango, diced
- 1 medium avocado, diced
- 2 tablespoons red onion, minced
- 1 small jalapeño, minced
- 1/2 cup finely chopped cilantro
- 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
- big pinch of salt
assembly
- napa or green cabbage, finely shredded
- 5-6-inch flour or corn tortillas, warmed
- tortilla chips
- lime wedges
- cilantro
- queso freso or feta
Instructions
- Sauce: Whisk together ⅓ cup mayo, 1 tablespoon adobo sauce from a can of chipotle peppers in adobo and 1 tablespoon lime juice. Take about 2 heaping tablespoons of this sauce and place it in a large, shallow bowl with ½ tablespoon olive oil, then whisk to combine. Reserve the remaining Chipotle sauce to drizzle on the tacos.
- Fish: Use paper towels to pat the fish as dry as possible. Season all over with ¼ – ½ teaspoon salt and pepper, 1 tablespoon taco seasoning, and 1 teaspoon smoked paprika. Place the fish fillets in the shallow bowl with the sauce/olive oil mixture and toss to coat each piece of fish in the marinade.
- Cook: Place the fillets in the air fryer basket, leaving a bit of space between each. Air fry the fish at 425°F for 5-6 minutes, JUST until it flakes with a fork. (see note)
- Mango pico: Toss together 1 diced ataulfo mango, 1 diced avocado, 2 tablespoons minced red onion, 1 minced jalapeño, ½ cup finely chopped cilantro, a glug of olive oil, and big pinch of salt, to taste.
- Assembly: Toss the cabbage with the juice of ½ lime and pinch of salt. Warm the tortillas. Assemble the tacos with cabbage, fish (flake it up a bit as you put it in the taco), mango pico, drizzle of chipotle aioli, squeeze of lime, queso fresco and big crunch of tortilla chips on top of everything. MUAH! Buen provecho!
Notes
Taco seasoning: if you don’t have taco seasoning, replace it with 1 teaspoon chili powder, ½ teaspoon cumin, ¼ teaspoon garlic powder and ¼ teaspoon onion powder, and increase the smoked paprika to 1½ teaspoons and the salt to ¾-1 teaspoon.
Oven instructions: Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Arrange the marinated fish pieces on the baking sheet in a single layer. Roast for 8-10 minutes, just until the fish turns opaque and flakes easily with a fork. If you like a little more color/crispiness on the fish, switch the oven to broil for the final 1-2 minutes, keeping a close eye on it so it doesn’t overcook.
Storage: Store the components (fish, mango pico, aioli, slaw) in separate airtight containers for up to three days. Reheat the fish for a few minutes in the air fryer and assemble per usual.
Cook time will vary slightly based on the type and thickness of your fish pieces, a good rule of thumb is 4 minutes per inch of thickness (if you’re making it in the air fryer, a little longer if you’re using a conventional oven). My fillets were 1.5 inches and done in exactly 6 minutes. Err on the side of underdone, as it will continue to cook a bit with carryover cooking, and you don’t want dry fish!
I like to warm the tortillas over the gas flame of my stovetop (if you have a gas stove!) for about 30 seconds per side – this way they get a little char and ‘grilled feeling’. Another method is to wrap tortillas in a damp paper towel and microwave for 30-60 seconds.
Would you like to save this?
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 tacos
- Calories: 471
- Sugar: 7.8 g
- Sodium: 1121.5 mg
- Fat: 19.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 48 g
- Fiber: 4.7 g
- Protein: 27.8 g
- Cholesterol: 58.5 mg