These Snapper Tacos might just be the best fish tacos you’ve ever eaten! They only take about 30 minutes total prep time and cooking time. They are so easy to make, and they’re a great, healthier fish taco that is loaded with flavor.
If you are a lover of fish tacos, you might consider also trying my Fast Fish Tacos, Broiled Fish Tacos and Fish Tacos with Citrus Salsa.
I went to college in San Diego, so that means I spent a lot of time spring breaking in Mexico. My favorite memory from my time in Mexico wasn’t the beaches or the margaritas. It was the fish taco stands! I first fell in love with fish tacos in Baja, Mexico.
Fish tacos are typically made with deep fried fish and are referred to as Beer Battered Baja Fish Tacos. San Diego picked up the idea and a restaurant called “Rubios” created the San Diego Style Fish Taco.
Freshly grilled fish tacos have become common too. No deep frying really lets the flavor of the fish come through. And besides that… the tacos are more fresh and less greasy. These snapper tacos are healthy and flavorful, and they have a delicious sauce to spoon on top!
Ingredients needed for Healthy Fish Tacos:
- Sour Cream: Use regular or light sour cream.
- Chipotle Chile in Adobo Sauce: These are sold in a can. You’ll find them in the Latin products aisle in your market.
- Seasonings: Salt, ground cumin, ground cinnamon and garlic.
- Onion: I like to use sweet yellow onion.
- Butter: Salted butter will yield a little more flavor.
- Tomato: Any kind of fresh tomato, chopped.
- Cilantro: Use fresh cilantro leaves. Be sure to run it through some water to rinse it off before chopping.
- Red Snapper: Use fresh or frozen red snapper.
- Lime: You’ll need freshly squeezed lime juice and grated lime zest.
- Tortillas: I use low carb flour tortillas for this fish taco recipe, but you can certainly go with your choice of tortillas such as corn tortillas or almond flour tortillas.
How to make Snapper Tacos:
The complete, printable recipe is at the end of this post.
First, make the chipotle cream by combining the sour cream, chipotle and salt.
Then mix a reserved “salsa” by combining 1/2 cup onion and 1/2 cup tomato.
Melt butter in a skillet. Add 1 cup onion, 1 cup tomato, cumin, salt, cinnamon and garlic; cook for 5 minutes. Stir in the cilantro. Add the fish filets to the top of the onion mixture in the pan; cover and cook for a few minutes. Turn the fish over and cook for a few more minutes. Break the fish apart into chunks, add the lime juice and zest. Cook for a couple more minutes and then remove the fish mixture from heat.
Warm the tortillas. Then add the fish mixture, some of the salsa mixture and chipotle cream. Serve!
Recipe Tips
- You’ll have extra chipotles in adobo from the can. Add each chipotle with a little bit of sauce to a snack baggie. They freeze well, and they can be taken out to use for other recipes.
- If your chipotle cream is too thick, use some additional lime juice to thin it out to a consistency that you are happy with.
- You can opt to grill the fish instead of adding it to the pan.
- When cooking the fish, it will be an opaque “white” color when it’s cooked all the way through. It should flake easily when pulled with a fork.
- Skip the tortillas and create a snapper fish taco bowl instead. Add rice or quinoa and your favorite taco fixings!
Suggested Additions and Substitutions:
- Substitute and white fish, such as tilapia, halibut, mahi mahi or cod for the red snapper.
- Substitute plain Greek yogurt for the sour cream.
- Delicious additions to your snapper tacos include avocado or guacamole, mango salsa and pickled red onions.
What You’ll Love About These Fish Tacos:
- They are delicious and full of so much flavor!
- You’ll love that these are much healthier than the deep fried version.
- And no deep frying means no greasy mess in your kitchen!
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In a small bowl, combine the sour cream, chipotle and salt, and set aside.
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In another small bowl, combine ½ cup onion and ½ cup tomato, and set aside.
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Melt the butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-heat. Add 1 cup onion, 1 cup tomato, cumin, salt, cinnamon and garlic; cook 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in the cilantro. Arrange the fish over the onion mixture in the pan; cover and cook for 3 minutes. Turn the fish; cover and cook for 2 more minutes. Break the fish into chunks. Stir in the lime juice and zest; cook for 2 more minutes, and then remove from heat.
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Warm the tortillas according to the package directions. Fill each tortilla with ½ cup of the fish mixture and ¼ cup of the reserved onion mixture, and top each serving with 2 tablespoons of the reserved chipotle cream. Fold in half or roll up.
Serving: 1serving, Calories: 502kcal, Carbohydrates: 26g, Protein: 52g, Fat: 21g, Saturated Fat: 12g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 5g, Trans Fat: 0.5g, Cholesterol: 134mg, Sodium: 1044mg, Potassium: 1632mg, Fiber: 5g, Sugar: 9g, Vitamin A: 1994IU, Vitamin C: 38mg, Calcium: 229mg, Iron: 2mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.