Quick & Easy Fish (or Tofu) Tacos with Cilantro Lime Cabbage Slaw
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Simple Grilled Fish (or tofu) Tacos with Cilantro Lime Cabbage Slaw
Quick and easy Fish (or Tofu) Tacos topped with delicious Cilantro Lime Cabbage Slaw that can be made using a grill, stove top or oven! Vegan and gluten-free adaptable! A fast and healthy dinner that comes together in under 30 minutes.

QUICK & EASY FISH (OR TOFU) TACOS WITH CILANTRO LIME CABBAGE SLAW
" We used green cabbage and sweet onions as opposed to purple cabbage and red onion, since we have it available in the kitchen. The result was fantastic, the cabbage slaw was a pleasant surprised since i don't really care about cilantro, but it came out really good. Very easy to make and budget friendly 🙂 .Also we used guacamole sauce, uncooked flour tortilla and a mahi mahi fish (from the frozen section.) It was a hit!"
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 10 mins
- Cuisine:Mexican
- Course:Main Entree
- Serves: 4
Ingredients:
- 1-2 lbs grillable white fish ( tilapia, red snapper, mahi-mahi) or 1 pound extra firm tofu
Spice Rub:
- 1 ½ teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon coriander
- 1 teaspoon granulated garlic
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon sugar (optional)
- ¼ teaspoon chipotle powder (or sub cayenne and a little smoked paprika)
- for more smoky flavor, add ½ teaspoon smoked paprika (optional)
Cabbage Slaw:
- 1 pound thinly sliced or shredded cabbage ( green and purple is nice)
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt, more to taste
- ¼ cup thinly sliced red onion, more to taste
- ½ cup chopped cilantro ( packed), ½ of a large bunch
- ¼ -½ of a jalapeño, finely chopped, more to taste
- ¼ cup fresh lime juice, more to taste
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
Garnishes: Lime wedges, Avocado slices, Chipotle Mayo ( vegan adaptable) and cilantro sprigs or try this Green Sauce

Note:
Revision with red cabbage slaw
Instructions:
- Preheat grill to medium high heat. ( or see notes for oven or stove top)
- Rinse and pat dry fish. ( For tofu, read notes below) In a small bowl, stir fish rub spices together. Sprinkle all sides of fish with the rub ( you most likely will not need all). Set aside.
- Place the shredded cabbage in a medium bowl. Toss with the salt. Add the onions, cilantro, jalapeño, lime juice, olive oil and toss well. Adjust lime, salt and jalapeño- you want this to taste tangy and flavorful.
- Grease the grill well before placing fish on it. Turn heat to medium. Grill each side a few minutes, letting grill marks develop and use a metal spatula to flip. Cook until desired doneness and squeeze with a little lime juice.
- Then quickly grill the tortillas on the grill, brushing with olive oil if you prefer.
- Assemble tacos by placing fish in the tortilla, top with slaw and an optional avocado slice. Drizzle with Chipotle Mayo if you like.


Notes:
- If using tofu, place block of tofu on paper towels and press down gently to release more liquid, patting dry. Cut into 1 inch thick, 3 inch long strips for easier grilling. Coat strips lightly with spice rub, grill on well greased grill or pan-sear the tofu, until crispy, in a little olive oil.
- Pan-Sear: This is the easiest and quickest way to cook this recipe. Heat up a skillet coated with oil, and pan sear the spice coated fish or tofu, until golden, crispy and cooked through. Squeeze with lime.
- To Bake : If cooking for both vegans and non vegans, you could also place both tofu and fish on a sheet pan in a 400F oven and bake. Coat them both with spices and spray with olive oil. ( Or mix a little olive oil into the spice mix to create a “paste”, then lather all sides up and bake. The tofu will most likely take longer than the fish to get crispy. Plan on 10-15 minutes for the fish and 20-30 mins for the tofu. Place tortillas right on the oven rack to heat up for the last 5-7 minutes of cooking.
- The Cilantro Lime Cabbage Slaw is enough for 2 pounds of fish ( feel free to halve) but I like to make big batch and keep the leftovers – and use on everything ( bowls, sandwiches, wraps, side salad…) during the week.
Note:
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