Air fryers are all the crazed these days and as much as I am tempted to buy one, I’m still holding out. The main reason being a majority of what the air fryer can do, your oven can do it as well. Case in point: These Crispy Oven Fried Fish Tacos with Avocado Lime Crema! These tacos gives you all the crispness and crunch of southern fried fish but with way less oil. So technically we can call these “healthy”, right? I kid.
Here is what you’ll need:
Fresh or Frozen White Fish: My go-to fish for tacos are, Cod, Mahi Mahi, Halibut or Haddock. Any firm, thick fish that can be cut into nugget size pieces will work.
Cooking Oil Spray: Use your choice of oil that you will use for the “frying”. You will spray a light but generous amount to ensure that your fish is coated with oil. If there’s any dry spot during the “frying” process you can sprayed another layer of oil to ensure every nook and crannies is coated. I used Avocado oil spray but any high heat cooking oil will work.
Fish Fry Seasoning or Corn Flour– I personally used fish fry seasoning for this recipe but if you don’t have that on hand use corn flour. Fish fry seasoning is generally: corn flour, garlic, onion, cayenne pepper and salt. To that fish fry seasoning I added Old Bay seasoning, No-salt seasoning and extra cayenne for added flavor. I also added all purpose flour to the fish fry seasoning when I began the dredging process but that is also optional.
Baking Soda: There’s a science behind the PH levels in baking soda that makes things crispy in the oven. So I figured I would use it here, It works ! A teaspoon worth will do.
Eggs: Though you can use butter, buttermilk, yogurt or mustard for your breading technique. I find egg gives the right tackiness needed for the breading to adhere. Season up the eggs with hot sauce for an extra kick.
I topped the crispy fish tacos with fresh shredded red cabbage, coleslaw mix and a zesty and flavorful avocado lime crema sauce that gives the right amount of creaminess that these tacos need. You can use a food-processor to make the sauce or make it by hand with a fork and bowl . The thicker the sauce, the less lime juice you’ll need but if you like your sauce on the thinner side add more lime juice. Check out the recipe below:
Crispy Oven-Fried Fish Tacos with Avocado Lime Crema
Ingredients
Avocado Lime Crema
- 2 Avocados
- ½ cup Sour Cream
- 1½ juice of a lemon
- Cilantro (to taste)
- Garlic Powder (to taste)
- Onion Powder (to taste)
- Red Pepper Flakes (to taste)
- No Salt Seasoning (to taste)
- Salt (to taste)
- Pepper (to taste)
Fish Tacos
- 1½ lb Fresh or Frozen White Fish (defrosted if frozen)
- 1 cup All Purpose Flour
- 1 packet of Fish Fry Seasoning or 2 cups corn flour
- 1 tsp Baking soda
- 2 Eggs whisked
- ½ tbsp Paprika
- ½ tbsp Cayenne Powder (optional)
- ½ tbsp Garlic Powder
- ½ tbsp Onion Powder
- ½ tbsp Old Bay Seasoning (optional)
- ½ tbsp No Salt Seasoning (optional)
- Salt (to taste)
- Black Pepper (to taste)
- 1 juice of a Lime
Tacos Extras
- 1 pack Flour Tortillas
- 1 bag Coleslaw Mix
- ¼ cup Red Cabbage (shredded)
- Fresh Cilantro
Instructions
Avocado Lime Crema
- In a small bowl add 2 Hass avocados and mash. Add sour cream and mix to a smooth consistency.
- Add the juice of 1 and a half of a lime. Add salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, pepper flakes, no salt seasoning and cilantro to taste. Mix to combine.
- Add more lime juice if you like the sauce a bit thinner.
Fish Tacos
- Rinse your fish with cold water, pat dry and place in a bowl. Squeeze the juice of one lime, salt and pepper and let marinate for about 15-30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven at 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spray a generous amount of oil onto the sheet and set aside. Discard the lime juice and with paper towels pat the fish dry. Cut into strips and then bite sized nuggets.
- In a shallow bowl add the fish fry seasoning to start the dredging process. Or you can make your own seasoning . (2 cups corn flour, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne powder, salt and pepper to taste) and coat the seasoning into the fish.
- In a small bowl, crack and whisk 2 eggs. Add a few dashes of hot sauce and set aside. Add a cup of flour to the fish fry seasoning that you dipped the fish in and add Old Bay Seasoning, no-salt seasoning and cayenne and mix to combine. Take the fish, dip into the egg and then into the fish fry seasoning again and place on the baking sheet. Once all the fish is coated, spray a generous amount of oil on the fish.
- Bake for 20-30 minutes, At the 20 minute mark if your fish seems to be dry in areas spray another layer of oil and put back into the oven.
- Warm up your tortillas, Add a small handful of coleslaw mix to the tortilla. Top with fish, avocado lime crema, red cabbage cilantro. Serve with lime wedges.
Happy Eating!
