Are you looking for the best side dishes for fish tacos?
Well you have landed on the right blog post.
Fish tacos is a favorite for meals that include a significant number of people mostly because it is easy to prepare. At the same time, it does not leave one feeling filled up now the settings described also entail having fun.
Away from the practical aspects of the delicacy though, Fish Tacos is also celebrated because of the food components it is related with. The ingredients it carries (lime juice, taco sauce, sriracha, mayo etc.) for example, how it can be topped etc.
It is here that the side dishes –the recipes which if complemented with Fish Tacos you would not want to stop eating– come in. Indeed, there are several of these and I will cover more about them soon. Feel free to try a different one at every chance of eating the dish.
20 Best Side Dishes For Fish Tacos
1. Salsa Taquera Recipe
This is recipe is unique thanks to its extravagant smokiness. This so even when the ingredients are in fact simple. They include; kosher salt, roma tomatoes, arbol chili pepper, water, yellow onion etc. if you worry about too much spice, you should use guajillo pepper instead of arbol.
To prepare, sauté cloves then cook in a skillet with oil. Add chili pepper after a while. Separately, put the onions and tomatoes on a baking paper then broil. Now transfer all this to a blender and add vinegar and water. Blend until the components smoothen. That is it.
Instead charring the onions and tomatoes in a broiler however, you could grill them or go for an iron-skillet instead.
2. Quick Pickled Onions Recipe
The onions are easy to make. It will take you not more than five minutes. Moreover, you can prepare more than what you need for the fish tacos so you can have them for the other meals you will eat thereafter too. The ingredients include; sugar, red onion, lime juice, apple cider vinegar etc.
To prepare, slice onions then pour boiling water in the bowl where they are placed. This process is meant to make the onions less potent. Drain the onions after exactly ten seconds. Separately, heat chili flakes, lime, cider vinegar, salt, chili flakes and sugar until the sugar dissolves. This should take about three minutes. Now pour this liquid mixture to the onions.
Recall though that pickled onions are to be served after cooling.
3. Chipotle Crema Sauce Recipe
This recipe is inspired by a Mexican one where a cream that tastes almost like sour cream is employed. Indeed, the westernized version employs sour cream instead. Other ingredients include; chipotle pepper, lime, adobo sauce, cumin, mayonnaise etc.
Alternatively, you can replace the mayonnaise and sour cream with Greek yoghurt. Smoked paprika too is a good replacement for chipotle powder.
The preparation process is quite simple with chipotle crema sauce recipe. Pour all the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Alternatively, you could use a food processor. The sauce can be stored in a fridge for more than five days.
There are other sea foods for which you can explore this recipe with including shrimp skewers and shrimp.
4. EASY Air Fryer Tortilla Chips
One unique thing about the chips is that they require only three ingredients; salt, tortillas, and olive oil cooking spray. In the place of tortillas however, corn works just fine.
To prepare the chips, arrange the tortillas on top of each other and then slice them with a knife. Just like you would a pizza. In fact, it is okay to use the aid of a pizza cutter.
This should give you eight different wedges. Next, spray (albeit lightly) with oil and then sprinkle salt. Cook these tortilla wedges in a fryer basket and serve once ready. You should know they are ready upon turning crispy. Importantly, endeavor to toss the wedges midway through the cooking.
5. Rice Cooker Rice
Rice cookers are a great way to survive if your Mum never taught you any cooking as a kid. The thing is that once you have turned on this appliance, you are sure that the rice will neither overcook nor undercook. The major ingredient to think about here is rice and there are different variations to it so be sure what works best for you. Water is key here as well.
The first step in cooking is measure the rice, then rinse it. Now measure water quantity that correlates to the rice that you are cooking and pour in the rice cooker.
Now turn on the cooker. For cookers that have a timer, wait for the alarm before removing the rice. Others switch themselves off automatically.
6. Slow Cooker Black Beans
The ingredients to this recipe are water, bay leaf cloves garlic, black beans, kosher salt, and shallot. It is easier to find canned beans but beans of your own will always taste better so choose them if you can. Moreover, they are a cheaper option.
To prepare, place all ingredients in a slow cooker. The beans should be sorted and rinsed at this point. Next, cover and cook either for four hours on high or seven hours on low.
If possible, check an hour to the expected time of the beans being ready just to be sure. Once the ingredients are cooked, add salt then cover again and wait some twenty minutes at warm. Now remove the shallot then crush the garlic cloves and stir in the beans. Serve.
7. Easy Pico de Gallo Recipe
Pronounced “piko deh gahy-o”, pico de gallo is a Spanish word that literally translates into “rooster’s beak”. While there is no chicken ingredient in the recipe, it is certainly flavorful making it a perfect match for fish tacos. The ingredients here include; onion, salt, lime juice, serrano, and cilantro.
To prepare, chop onion, and serrano in a bowl. Add lime juice and salt. Allow to marinate. Separately, cut tomatoes and cilantro. Now add to the marinated mixture and toss.
Dependent on your preference, you can either serve their and then or place in the freezer first and wait for a couple of hours.
In order to eat more easily, you should cut the ingredients in slices that are as small as possible.
8. Red Cabbage Coleslaw with No Mayo
This is an easy yet delicious recipe. It is especially good for you if you like to crunch. Notably, there is no mayonnaise at all. The things that are included instead are; Red cabbage slaw dressing, honey, green cabbage, olive oil, apple cider vinegar etc. if at all you have no apple cider vinegar then you should use white wine or red wine vinegar instead.
To prepare this recipe, you should mix honey, salt, and apple cider vinegar. Separately, bring the cabbage and carrot together. Now pour the dressing over the vegetables. Toss until they combine.
The ingredients adopted above are considerate for people that are not big on spices. If you are not one of those though, then you can add among other things, dijon mustard, red pepper flakes, red onion, and celery seed.
9. Couscous Corn Salad
This recipe is inspired by traditional Mexican street corn. Some the key distinctions here include the fact that couscous corn salad is not tied up on handles of sorts. That said, its ingredients include; red onion, chicken broth, mayonnaise, cotija cheese, and jalapeno pepper. Cotija is substitutable with feta.
To start off, grill corn for ten minutes. Let it cool then cut off the cobs. Transfer to a skillet with oil and heat on high for five minutes. Now make couscous by combining salt, lime juice, water and broth and then stir as you boil. Cover and simmer.
Separately, make dressing by whisking mayonnaise, lime juice, paprika, cumin and black pepper. Back to the corn, add the couscous, onion, cilantro, jalapeno, and green onions. Stir. Carefully pour the dressing next along with cheese. Season further with pepper and salt.
10. EASY Southwest Cheesy Instant Pot Lentils and Rice
The ingredients for this recipe include; vegetable broth, red pepper, lentils, taco seasoning, oregano, cheese, cilantro, brown rice, tomatoes etc. Red pepper can however, be replaced with green pepper. Similarly, thyme can do the job if you cannot get hold of oregano.
To make this side dish, you should add all the ingredients to the instant pot save for the cilantro and cheese too. Next, seal the pot and cook on high pressure for at least fifteen minutes.
Allow the pressure to naturally get out for ten or so minutes then vent the rest of it. Open the instant pot and sprinkle the cheese. Wait until it has melted then add the cilantro.
11. Rice Cooker Mexican Rice
This dish is tailored along the lines of a certain Mexican dish. The difference is that canned tomatoes are used here yet the Mexicans have their own way of blending their tomatoes. A reader who is new to rice cookers may benefit from some of the descriptions under recipe 5 should they decide to proceed with making this rice.
The ingredients include; chicken broth, olive oil, garlic, and tomato sauce.
To begin on this recipe, you should rinse the rice. Make sure that the water you rinse in it last are clear. Place water, rice, tomato sauce, garlic, broth, bay leaves and salt in the rice cooker. Cook. For “quick” or “white rice” settings, the rice should be ready in ten minutes.
12. Instant Pot Refried Beans
The ingredients here include; chicken stock, virgin oil, oregano, water, cilantro, avocado, cloves garlic, lime wedges etc. To turn the recipe vegan you only have to replace chicken stock with vegetable stock.
Rinse the beans. Separately, sauté garlic, cumin, onion, oregano, and other spices. Back to the beans, add them to the instant pot and then cook for at least fifty minutes. Mash them thereafter with a potato masher or immerse them in a blender. Add the sautéed ingredients then salt.
If properly stored (i.e. tightly covered), instant pot refried beans will last at least a week in a refrigerator. Moreover, you do not need to soak them prior to cooking. Simply rinse as per the instructions shared.
13. Creamy Mexican Street Corn Soup Recipe
The ingredients of this recipe include; potatoes, chili powder, frozen corn, lime, butter, oregano, chicken stock etc. it is okay to swap chicken stock with vegetable stock instead. As for the potatoes, gold potatoes work best.
To prepare, melt butter in medium heat. Hold on for a moment then add celery, onion, pepper and poblano.
Stir as the ingredients cook for at least the next ten minutes. Add chili powder and garlic next then wait for a minute. Reduce the heat and add the stock and potatoes. Wait for at least fifteen minutes. The last step is stirring in the sugar and corn.
It is alright for you to use fresh corn for this recipe.
14. Cilantro Lime Crema Recipe
This recipe will be ready in as short a time as five minutes. The ingredients include; sour cream, cotija cheese, cilantro, mayonnaise, lime etc. If you wish something vegan instead, then you should replace the mayonnaise and sour cream with plant based alternatives whilst eliminating chili completely. Mayonnaise can also be replaced with avocado to make the closely related avocado lime crema.
There is only one step to do in preparing this recipe. Place all ingredients in a blender and wait until it they smoothen. Season with salt if feel that you need to.
When it comes to serving, a bottle of the sauce should be enough to carry you with your fish tacos on any given Taco Tuesday.
15. Mexican Black Beans Recipe
Before you ask, this recipe differs from recipe five in two significant ways; the ingredients used as well as the mode of preparation. The ingredients include; olive oil, garlic, canned beans, cumin, and fresh lime juice, broth etc.
You can use beans that are not canned too though it will take you at least one more hour of cooking.
Start on preparing these beans by heating olive oil in a skillet and then sauté onion for a very brief moment. Next, cumin and garlic and again, cook briefly. Pour the beans (having rinsed them) in the skillet and mix. Add lime juice, pepper, cheese, and finally cilantro.
If you are going to use dried beans, then you need to soak them in water for some time prior to cooking them.
16. Fresh Mango Salsa Recipe
Ingredients in the mango salsa have their brightness and acidity balanced just right to complement your tacos. These include; lime juice, pepper, ripe mangoes, jalapeño, red onion etc.
For an even more spiced recipe, you can replace the jalapeño with red or green bell pepper. As for the mangoes to choose, they should either be ripe or close.
To begin on preparation, cut the mangoes, jalapeño, cilantro, and red onion and put them in the container. It is advised that the slices of these ingredients are cut very small. Now add lime juice, then salt, then pepper to the earlier mixture. Finally, toss until you become confident that there is a proper mix of everything. Serve with the tacos.
To create some variation, you can always pick on any of these fruits and vegetables and add to your salsa; kiwi, avocado, pineapple, plums, peaches, cucumber etc.
Other Best Side Dishes For Fish Tacos
- Instant Pot Pinto Beans
- Quick Pickled Cabbage
- 5-Ingredient Hibiscus Margaritas
- Hawaiian Coleslaw Recipe
And so, that is it for today. Let me know whether you liked (better yet prepared) any of the recipes shared.