These Spicy Fish Taco Bowls take just 30 minutes to make and are loaded with Mexican flavours. Spiced cauliflower rice, cubes of butternut squash, creamy coleslaw and sliced avocado are topped with spicy fish and drizzled with a zesty cilantro sauce. They are Paleo, Whole30 and Specific Carbohydrate Diet Legal and a hearty meal the whole family will love.
As much as I love tacos, when you are hungry and looking for a big satisfying Mexican meal, it’s hard to beat a taco bowl packed with food.
I spontaneously made this on a Whole30in30 on instagram a few weeks ago, and received so many messages asking for a recipe that I knew I had to get one posted asap.
Truthfully there isn’t anything new in this recipe and its actually just portions of 3 recipes on the site all combined into one dish.
The spicy cubed butternut squash came from my Mexican Breakfast Hash recipe and help to add substance to the dish. They are tossed in a simple cumin and paprika mixture and based for 20 minutes in the oven until golden and tender.
The cauliflower rice is my Mexican Cauliflower Rice recipe and is one of my favourite quick and easy staples that I love eating when I’m in need of a quick weeknight dinner. The cauliflower is cooked in a blend of spices, tomatoes and onions which really help transform the dish beyond just a boring bowl of cauliflower rice.
The cilantro and lime sauce for this recipe is used both as a dressing for the coleslaw, and a sauce to drizzle overtop. This sauce will last for up to 5 days in the fridge and is great to drizzle over chicken or veggies or any other Mexican inspired dish.
The fish couldn’t be easier to make. It’s dredged in a cumin, paprika and chili powder blended until all sides are well coated and then quickly cooked in a pan to create a golden crust. I used cod for this, but any kind of white fish including tilapia or halibut would also work well. Alternatively you could toss shrimp or prawns in the spice mixture and quickly sear them for the salad as well.
One thing I love about these Spicy Fish Taco Bowls is that everything lasts for 3-4 days in the fridge, so you could make a big batch of this salad and then toss it all into a bowl for a quick lunch or dinner throughout the week. Generally I find that cooked fish keeps for about 2 days in the fridge but I prefer not to reheat it and add it in cold.
I think that you are really going to love this salad. Although there are quite a few different components, the whole dish comes together in just 30 minutes. It’s perfect for those nights when you are looking for a filling, flavourful and easy meal.
Here are a few of my other favourite Mexican recipes:
- Spicy Shrimp Tacos
- Mexican Meatballs
- Mexican Cauliflower Rice
- Barbacoa Beef
- Mexican Stewed Beef Bowl
- Chicken Fajita Salad
If you make this recipe let me know in the comment section below, I would love to hear what you think or take a photo and tag me (@everylastbite_) on Instagram, I love seeing your photos!
Spicy Fish Taco Bowls
Ingredients
Roasted Butternut Squash
- 4 cups cubed butternut squash
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 2 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp salt
Mexican Cauliflower Rice
- 1/2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion finely diced
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 4 cups cauliflower rice (raw)
- 2 cups chopped tomatoes
- 1 1/2 tbsp cumin
- 2 tsp paprika
- 1 tbsp lime juice
Coleslaw & Cilantro Lime Sauce
- 1/4 cup chopped scallions
- 3 cups shredded purple cabbage
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 2 cloves garlic crushed
- 1/3 cup chopped cilantro
- 2 tbsp lime juice
- 1/3 cup scallions
- 1/4 tsp salt
Spicy Fish
- 2 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp garlic powder (or 1 crushed clove garlic for SCD)
- 1/4 tsp chili powder
- 1 lbs white fish (halibut/cod/tilapia)
Salad
- 5 cups lettuce
- 1 jalapeno thinly sliced
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 175 degrees Celsius (350F). Place the cubed butternut squash on a baking tray, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with the cumin, salt and paprika and bake in the oven for 20 minutes until tender.
- To make the Mexican Cauliflower Rice heat the olive oil in a pan on medium heat. Add in the onion and garlic, sprinkle with salt and cook for 3 minutes until the onion begins to soften. Add in the cauliflower rice and chopped tomatoes, cover the pan with a lid and let cook for 5 minutes until the cauliflower has begun to soften. Add in the cumin, paprika & lime juice, stir through and then cook for another 10 minutes.
- To make the coleslaw in a bowl combine the shredded cabbage and 1/4 cup chopped scallions. In a food processor combine the mayonnaise, cilantro, garlic, lime juice, salt and 1/3 cup chopped scallions and blend until smooth. Pour approximately half of the sauce over the coleslaw and toss until its well coated. Set aside.
- To make the fish, on a plate mix together the cumin, paprika, garlic and chili powder. Place the fish in the spice mixture and use your fingers to pat the spice onto the fish so that its well coated on all side. Heat the oil in a pan on medium high heat and cook the fish for 3-4 minutes per side until golden in colour and cooked through.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Tried This Recipe?
Leave a comment below and let us know how it was!
Carmen, you’ve outdone yourself once more with this meal! I’m a huge fan of your recipes (especially your Mexican-inspired ones) and I was not disappointed with this one! The combination of flavours and textures made my mouth sing. All the components by themselves were outstanding but putting them together was something else. I also might have eaten a few spoonfuls of the cilantro lime sauce by itself. I will probably be making this weekly now. Thank you for coming up with creative healthy dishes for all of us to enjoy!
This was so easy to make and my family loved it! Lots of great flavours, super tasty, and nutritious.
Loved this!
Couldn’t find purple cabbage so substituted with green.
Also would advise using thick pieces of fish to hold their consistency when frying (and to balance out the spice). The pieces I got were probably too thin.
But it was delicious overall – thank you!
This was amazing! A great Valentine’s dinner.
I couldn’t get mayo that is diet approved (no soy, no eggs) where I live, but I found organic girl avocado cilantro salad dressing in the refrigerator of the produce Dept. Expensive, but really worth it. (Especially for my time crunch!)
I made this salad for lunch today and cannot WAIT to eat the leftovers. It’s sooo simple but bursting with so many awesome flavors. Even the fish (which may seem daunting to us chicken meal-preppers) is SO easy to make and absolutely delicious. Thank you!!
Awesome!! I’m so happy it even won over a chicken eater!
Best salad I’ve ever had, and I eat a lot of salads! I made it without the cauli rice for sake of time. I also made it with chicken instead of fish since that’s what I had on hand, and it still came out great. That dressing and the squash are killer! I usually get tired of eating the same thing pretty quickly but I’ve had this salad every day this week and I can’t get enough. Thanks for the recipe!
Yea!! Your comment made my day! Im so happy to hear that the salad is one of your favourites!