Fish Taco Slaw

Creamy and tangy Fish Taco Slaw is an easy way to add crunch and flavor to your favorite fish tacos. This recipe comes together in minutes and adds bright and fresh flavors with every bite. Made with cabbage slaw mix, fresh cilantro, and a tangy mayo lime dressing. This simple slaw is the perfect companion for your grilled fish tacos or fried Baja fish taco meal.!

 

Why make cabbage slaw for tacos

One of the most popular fillings for fish tacos is either fresh cabbage or a cabbage slaw. We love using cabbage slaw for tacos because it adds a nice contrast of flavors.

• Taste: The cold, creamy and tangy flavors of the slaw pairs with the spiced flavor of grilled or pan seared fish.
• Texture: It’s also a nice crunchy texture that is a nice addition to fried fish or shrimp tacos.
• Color: the addition of the red and green cabbage can make any taco look nice!

Ingredients & Substitution Info

• Cabbage: use a pre-shredded coleslaw mix or shred your own cabbage using red or green or a combination of colors. Here’s how you can shred your own cabbage if needed.
• Sour Cream & Mayonnaise: this makes the creamy base of the coleslaw dressing.
• Vinegar: we love using apple cider vinegar in ours. Substitute with a white vinegar or a white wine vinegar if needed.
• Honey: you can use honey or sugar to add a hint of sweetness to the dressing.
• Lime Juice: adds a splash of tangy citrus flavor to the slaw.
• Cilantro: fresh and herby, this adds a Mexican flair to our coleslaw for pairing with tacos.

How to make Fish taco Slaw

1. Add the coleslaw mix or sliced cabbage and diced cilantro to a large serving bowl. 
2. In a small bowl combine the mayonnaise, sour cream, vinegar, sugar, salt and fresh lime juice to make a smooth and creamy dressing.
3. Pour dressing over the coleslaw mix, and toss until cabbage is completely coated. 

Variations

• Spicy Slaw: finely dice up some fresh jalapeño and mix in with the cabbage and cilantro.
• Mango: add some diced up mango for a sweet, fruity slaw. The mango would be a nice complement to the others flavors with the fish.
• Red Cabbage: if you want to use only red cabbage in this slaw that’s a very easy swap, or you can do a mix of more red than green. Red cabbage is known to have more nutrients than green.

How to serve taco slaw

This fish taco slaw is the perfect companion for all your fish or shrimp tacos! It’s also great served as a side dish for any Mexican meal, such as our cheese enchiladas, or grilled Mexican chicken.

• Fish Tacos: use this slaw as a topping for grilled fish tacos, healthy cod fish tacos, Baja fish tacos, or even salmon fish tacos.
• Shrimp Tacos: the cold slaw pairs nice with this quick and easy shrimp taco recipe and our fried Baja shrimp tacos.

Storage Information

• Storage: store the leftover coleslaw in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
• Freezing: since this coleslaw has a mayonnaise based dressing it’s not recommended to freeze it.
• Make-Ahead: if you’re prepping a meal a day or more in advance, store the shredded cabbage and the dressing in separate containers in the refrigerator. Add the dressing when needed. This helps to prevent the cabbage from becoming soggy over time.

More Taco Topping Ideas:

• Roasted Corn Salsa
• Homemade Guacamole
• Mexican Crema
• Cotija or Queso Fresco

Photography by the talented KJandCompany.co