Healthy Fish Tacos (with broccoli slaw)

I am a caviar girl on a bologna budget and freshwater fish is not always a viable option. So... looking to trim the food budget, I reluctantly bought a very large $10.00 bag of frozen sole at Superstore (to try it) and made these easy and Healthy Fish Tacos with broccoli slaw.

I don't like that 'fishy taste' that often accompanies saltwater fish, so I tried this food hack, where you soak the fish milk to remove the fishy taste and it worked! So if you want to get rid of that 'fishy' taste in saltwater fish and save money, use frozen fish and defrost fillets in MILK. Yes, this really works! I didn't even think I would like fish tacos, much less LOVE them. Because of this little food hack, now I do! This recipe is Weight Watchers Friendly @ 3 WW points.

You don't need to use expensive fresh fish to make amazing and easy fish tacos. And I mean AMAZING - we ate these fish tacos for dinner 3X this week~!

Never having been a fan of sole or any saltwater fish for that matter, I had little hope that I would ever actually enjoy eating saltwater fish, much less frozen saltwater fish. In fact, I envisioned choking it down (likely with some wine) and consoling myself with the notion that perhaps I could lose a few pounds during this money-saving journey.

🥘 Ingredients

Sole is the best frozen fish for this fish taco recipe because the milk trick works really well with it, but you could substitute another saltwater fish (see variations and substitutions below). For these healthy fish tacos, you'll need:

• olive oil or non-stick cooking spray
• sole (or other saltwater fish)
• milk
• bag of broccoli slaw or coleslaw
• cajun seasoning
• hard taco shells (or you can use soft)
• cilantro leaves
• salsa
• lime wedge
• green onion
• fresh lime
• mayonnaise
• agave
• salt
• black pepper
• garlic
• tamed jalapenos or pepperoncini
• sour cream (optional)

*see recipe card for quantities

📖Variations & Substitutions

• Fish - you can use cod or another saltwater fish as a substitute
• Garlic - you can use minced garlic in a jar, if you don't have fresh
• Salsa - you can use any type of salsa or make your own Salsa -Pico de Gallo or alternatively, you can use a creamy sauce
• Spicy - you can increase the spice level by using regular jalapenos instead of tamed
• Taco shells - you can use hard taco shells, soft taco shells, or corn tortillas (gluten-free)
• Lime juice - fresh is the best, but you could substitute lime juice from concentrate (you'll need ½ the amount of fresh)
• Cajun seasoning - you could substitute chili powder or chile powder for the Cajun seasoning
• Green onions - you could substitute red onion
• Oil - you could use canola or another vegetable oil in place of olive oil (or skip it and use a non-stick cooking spray to reduce WW points)
• Add-ins- avocado slices

💭 How to get rid of the fishy taste in fish

Use milk! If you like the price of frozen saltwater fish, but not the 'fishy taste', you will love this cooking hack! You simply soak the fish in milk for about 1-1.5 hours and you will be blown away by how well it works.

🔪 Instructions

Heads up: The fish needs 1.5 hrs to thaw in the milk!

Defrost the fish pieces in a shallow pan (bottom of a broiler pan or large cake pan or roaster for 1-1.5 hrs) covered in milk (I used 2% milk) and flip halfway through the defrosting if the milk isn't completely covering the fish. I defrosted it on the counter, but you could put it in the fridge. You could do this overnight in the fridge, as well.

1. Once fish is fully defrosted (which should only take 1-1.5 hrs) on the counter, prepare the fish: Drain the milk, then pat the fish dry with paper towels (you will need quite a few). 
2. Heat non-stick large frying pan to medium-high heat and fry fish, sprinkling salt, pepper, and Cajun seasoning. Cook  until there is some browning on the bottom, then reduce to medium-low, Break apart as you cook and cook until fish flakes (about 10 - 15 minutes)
3. Broccoli Slaw for Tacos: To prepare the slaw, place the broccoli coleslaw in a large bowl and sprinkle with a pinch of salt. In a small bowl, whisk together the minced garlic, lime juice, agave, and mayonnaise and add to coleslaw. Pour over the broccoli mix and toss to combine. Mix in tamed jalapenos or peperoncini.
4. Meanwhile, soften the taco shells by placing them in the microwave for 5-10 seconds.
5. Serve the fish on a platter with the taco shells, warm tortillas (if using), slaw, cilantro, avocado, lime, and salsa on the side (or in separate bowls), letting each diner assemble his or her own tacos.

I really can't say that, even for a minute, I thought this little food hack would actually work. Because,  if this worked, then why hadn't I heard of this years ago??! Or wait a minute....

MAYBE THERE ARE PEOPLE OUT THERE WHO ACTUALLY LIKE THAT FISHY TASTE?

I found that hard to fathom. But it could be true. Yet, there must be millions of others just like me who hate that fishy fish taste. I guess I just assumed nothing could be done so I really never made an effort to search for a solution and simply avoided saltwater fish. But after giving up on fishy fish forever, I am now back in the saltwater fish game!

🍽Equipment

You'll need a large skillet, a spatula turner , a juicer comes in handy (affiliate links), and a whisk, for this fish taco recipe.

👪 Serving Size

This healthy fish taco recipe makes 8 fish tacos. But you can half, double or triple the recipe by simply clicking on the blue serving number and selecting the number of servings you'd like. The ingredient quantities will automatically adjust.

🔢WW Points

This Weight Watchers fish taco recipe is 3 WW points. *I only include ¼ cup of milk in the recipe WW calculations, as that's all that would be absorbed (at the very most)

🥗 Side dishes

What to serve with fish tacos

• Sweet Potato Fries with Garlic Mayo Dip (shown) or air fryer homemade fries
• Rice
• Spinach salad or garden salad
• Healthy Mexican Street Corn (Elote)

🌡️Storage

If you have leftovers or want to make this easy fish tacos recipe in advance, you can store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. However, you need to store the slaw separately from the fish. The taco shells can be stored separately at room temperature. These ingredients don't stand up well to freezing.

🦺FOOD SAFETY

• Do not use the same utensils on cooked food, that previously touched raw meat
• Wash hands after touching raw meat
• Cook fish to internal temperature of 145 degrees F
• Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
• Never leave cooking food unattended
• Use oils with high smoke points to avoid harmful compounds (avocado oil (refined), almond oil, corn oil, canola oil, grapeseed oil, peanut oil, safflower oil, sesame oil, and sunflower oil)
• Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove

See more guidelines at USDA.gov.

So, if you are looking for recipes for fish tacos with slaw for taco Tuesday, and want to eat a healthy, delicious, easy dinner recipe while saving money on food, then give this recipe a try!

Looking for more healthy taco recipes? Give my Avocado Tacos a try!

📋 Healthy Fish Tacos (with Broccoli Slaw) Recipe

This healthy fish taco recipe uses milk to eliminate that fishy taste from sole and other saltwater fish.  Paired with a creamy broccoli slaw, fresh lime, cilantro and salsa, this taco is the perfect healthy and WW friendly meal! Fresh and delicious, it also saves you money by using inexpensive frozen fish. 

5 from 7 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: dinner, lunch, Main Course

Cuisine: Mexican

Keyword: broccoli slaw, fish tacos, sole, weight watchers

Special Diet: Weight Watchers

Servings: 8 servings

Calories: 168kcal

Author: Terri Gilson

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes

defrosting fish: 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 2 hours hours

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients

For the fish taco slaw:

• ▢ 397 g broccoli slaw 14oz
• ▢ 4 green onions, chopped thinly sliced
• ▢ ½ cup golden greek deli - sliced peperoncini or tamed jalapenos or any hot pepper
• ▢ 1 clove garlic or 1 teaspoon of minced garlic in jar, minced
• ▢ 2 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• ▢ 4 tablespoon low-fat mayonnaise * I use Hellman's ½ the fat
• ▢ 1 teaspoon agave syrup *or use honey as a substitute, but you'll need 2 tsp
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon salt

For the fish:

• ▢ 3-4 cups of milk for soaking/defrosting
• ▢ 1 teaspoon olive oil
• ▢ ½ teaspoon salt
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon cajun seasoning
• ▢ 1 ½ pounds sole or other salt water fish
• ▢ 8 hard taco shells ( or soft shells)

Garnish

• ▢ cilantro leaves to garnish
• ▢ fresh lime wedges to garnish (or lime zest)
• ▢ salsa to garnish
• ▢ sour cream (optional)

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

• Heads up: The fish needs 1.5 hrs to thaw in the milk!
• Defrost the fish pieces in a shallow pan (bottom of a broiler pan or large cake pan or roaster for 1-1.5 hrs) covered in milk (I used 2% milk) and flip halfway through the defrosting if the milk isn't completely covering the fish. I defrosted it on the counter, but you could put it in the fridge. You could do this overnight in the fridge, as well.
  
• Once fish is fully defrosted (which should only take 1-1.5 hrs) on the counter, prepare the fish: Drain the milk, then pat the fish dry with paper towel (you will need quite a few). 
• Heat olive oil in a non- stick pan and fry fish over medium-high heat, sprinkling salt, pepper and cajun seasoning. Cook  until there is some browning on bottom, then reduce to medium-low, Break apart as you cook and cook until flaky (about 10 - 15 minutes)
• To prepare the slaw, place the coleslaw in a medium bowl and sprinkle with ¼ teaspoon of salt. in a small bowl, whisk together the minced garlic, lime juice, agave and mayonnaise and add to coleslaw. Pour over the broccoli mix and toss to combine. Mix in tamed jalapenos or peperoncini.
• Meanwhile, soften the taco shells by placing them in the microwave for 5-10 seconds.
• Serve the fish on a platter with the taco shells, slaw, cilantro, avocado, lime, and salsa on the side (or in separate bowls), letting each diner assemble his or her own tacos.

Notes

*See post contents for important recipe information and tips!

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Nutrition Facts

📋 Healthy Fish Tacos (with Broccoli Slaw) Recipe

Amount Per Serving (1 taco)

Calories 168 Calories from Fat 63

% Daily Value*

Fat 7g11%

Saturated Fat 1g6%

Cholesterol 39mg13%

Sodium 567mg25%

Potassium 214mg6%

Carbohydrates 13g4%

Fiber 1g4%

Sugar 1g1%

Protein 12g24%

Vitamin A 150IU3%

Vitamin C 8.9mg11%

Calcium 40mg4%

Iron 0.6mg3%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

 

 

 

Nutrition

Serving: 1taco | Calories: 168kcal (8%) | Carbohydrates: 13g (4%) | Protein: 12g (24%) | Fat: 7g (11%) | Saturated Fat: 1g (6%) | Cholesterol: 39mg (13%) | Sodium: 567mg (25%) | Potassium: 214mg (6%) | Fiber: 1g (4%) | Sugar: 1g (1%) | Vitamin A: 150IU (3%) | Vitamin C: 8.9mg (11%) | Calcium: 40mg (4%) | Iron: 0.6mg (3%)

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