Fish Taco Bowls: A Quick and Easy Weeknight Meal
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I could eat foods from south of the border every day, all day long. I simply love all of it. So it is no wonder that one of my favorite weeknight meals happens to be fish taco bowls.
Why Bowls and not Tacos?
One of the great things about these taco bowls (really, it is the same thing as a burrito bowl) is that kids find them incredibly easy to eat. Somehow, Taco Tuesday became one of the most popular weeknight themes for family meals but have you ever seen a 4-year-old try and eat a taco? It's a total disaster. You can get your laughs in while watching them try, but grab a dustpan and broom as you are rolling on the floor laughing your ass off or you will soon be rolling in some paprika staining spices! Whether it's soft shell or hard shell, tacos just don't seem to work for little, uncoordinated hands. Which is why we love taco bowls!
The Toppings
You can put just about anything in taco bowls. For this post, I will talk about fish as the main protein but you could easily substitute poultry or steak. Also, you can use anything as toppings. Some people like a fish tacos with cabbage, cilantro, onion, and sauce. Others prefer pico de gallo, cheese, and avocado with lettuce. I'm not really sure that you could make a bad combination of toppings.
Here is a picture of our variety of toppings offered the other night. The cherry tomatoes and snap peas were for the 7-year-old and 4-year-old to snack on as an appetizer since they don't really go for many of the veggie-rich toppings.
The Chipotle-Lime Sauce
This sauce is one of my favorites, but I tend to like mayo-based recipes. I used to veer away from mayo because of all the unhealthy soy or canola oil-based products, but now you can easily find great options that are actually healthy for you! My favorite brand is Primal Kitchen.
However, if you don't like mayo-based sauces you can either substitute whole milk plain yogurt or sour cream or simply use the chilis in adobo sauce with lime juice (but it will be more potent without the mayo or yogurt!) You can also use pretty much any other sauce that goes well with Latin American food.
The Chipotle-lime sauce literally takes 2 minutes or less to whip up the 3 ingredients together. Make extra to put on eggs tomorrow :)
The Rub
I made a quick homemade rub for the fish which included:
2 Tbsp chili powder
1 Tbsp cumin
1 Tbsp onion powder
1 Tbsp garlic powder
1 Tbsp paprika (smoked)
½ tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
These quantities make enough for about 2lbs of fish.
After you mix together the ingredients for the rub, spread it evenly out on a plate, lay the fish on the rub and flip to coat both sides. I don't even find the need to use oil here.
Then, pan fry the fish in a small amount of oil (I usually use avocado oil) for about 4-5 minutes on each side on medium to medium-high heat. I used rockfish in this photo and it turned out fantastic. You can also use Barramundi, tilapia, mahi-mahi, grouper, cod or just about any other mild tasting white fish.
What you should be considering when buying fish.
Standing at the fish counter at the grocery store or farmer's market can be daunting these days. Especially if you are trying to feed your family healthy foods that are also eco-friendly and humanely raised.
You are what you eat eats. Heard that one before? Make sure that the fish you choose has been eating good quality food and raised in a healthy ecosystem. What the fish eats can significantly change the quality of its own fat. Eating fish raised on grains or soy will result in those fish containing higher pro-inflammatory Omega-6 fats rather than the anti-inflammatory Omega-3 fats (which is what you want!)
I encourage you to read more about how to choose good quality fish. You can start by reading Wellness Mama's article here and then check out SeafoodWatch.org. Also, download the free Seafood Watch App to access on your phone while grocery shopping. It's incredibly helpful!
Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch app
A Note On the Rice
First of all, if you don't have a rice cooker, then I urge you to add that to your wish list. The one I have has a timer and you can dump the rice and water into the rice cooker in the morning, set the timer for when you want to have it done cooking and that's it!
I use the timer function a lot for meals like this when I will only have about 20 minutes or less before dinner, which is not enough time to cook rice. I also use my rice cooker with many slow cooker recipes. I put them both on in the morning and come home in the evening to an already cooked dinner.
If you don't have a rice cooker and also don't have time to cook the rice before dinner then you can either cook the rice a day or two ahead when you do have time and just reheat it. Or, you can buy pre-cooked rice that just needs to be microwaved. At one time or another, I have used all these methods and my favorite is the rice cooker! This is the one I have and have been using for 10+ years.
To jazz up the rice you can add the juice of a lime and some chopped cilantro for extra flavor.
Fish Taco Bowls Recipe
Fish Taco Bowls
Quick, easy, and healthy weeknight meal made in under 30 minutes.
2 lb fish (rockfish, Barramundi, tilapia, mahi -mahi, cod, or halibut)
2 cups cooked rice (you can add chopped cilantro and lime juice after it is cooked if desired)
Rub for fish
2 tbsp chili powder
1 tbsp cumin powder
1 tbsp onion powder
1 tbsp garlic powder
1 tbsp paprika (smoked)
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp pepper
Chipotle Lime Sauce
1/2 cup mayo or plain whole milk yogurt
4 tbsp chilis in adobo sauce
1/2 lime, juice of
Toppings
1 package shredded cheese
2 avocados sliced and pitted
1 head romaine lettuce, chopped finely
1 package pico de gallo (optional)
1 bunch cilantro, chopped finely (optional, sprinkle on bowl or add to cooked rice)
1-2 jalapenos, chopped finely (optional)
1/2 onion, chopped (optional)
1 lime, juice of (optional, for rice)
The Rub
After you mix together the ingredients for the rub, spread it evenly out on a plate, lay the fish on the rub and flip to coat both sides. I don't even find the need to use oil here.
The Chipotle Lime Sauce
Add the mayo or yogurt, chilis in adobo sauce and lime juice together in a small bowl and mix well.
Cooking the Fish
Pan fry the fish in a small amount of oil (I use avocado oil) for about 4-5 minutes on each side on medium to medium-high heat. It will start to flake when done.
The Toppings
You can use anything as toppings. Some people like a fish taco with cabbage, cilantro, onion, and sauce. Others prefer pico de gallo, cheese, and avocado with lettuce. I'm not really sure that you could make a bad combination of toppings. I've listed more than you may want to use for an extremely quick dinner. If you want to save time then buy everything premade, pre-chopped or pre-shredded!
The Rice
Ideally, you have a rice cooker. But that only works if you have thought ahead! If you are down to the wire, use precooked rice.
Once cooked or heated, you can add some lime juice and chopped cilantro if desired.
Assembly
I'm not sure if I need to write an instruction for this one? Throw it all together in a bowl, drizzle with your amazing homemade sauce and enjoy!
Add this to your list of easy and delicious weeknight meals.
Right? Finding a delicious and healthy recipe that can be completed in less than 30 minutes is like winning the jackpot in my opinion. This is bound to be a winner with your whole family. This recipe can also be easily modified to fit a variety of dietary needs.
Dairy-free: don't use cheese, use mayo and not yogurt for the sauce
Gluten-free: you are already good to go! (make sure your spices don't have any extra added ingredients like MSG)
Grain-free/Paleo/Whole30: skip the rice and just eat all the toppings and fish over a bed of lettuce
Do you have any other diet templates you need to adjust for? Leave a comment and let me know! I can't wait to hear how this meal turns out for you. I'm going to wager a bet there won't be too many leftovers after this meal.
Warmly,
Leah
