Healthy Coconut Fish Tacos With Mango Salsa

Healthy Coconut Fish Tacos With Mango Salsa with a crunchy baked coconut breading are easy to make, super delicious, and perfect for weeknight dinners or celebrating with friends! (gluten-free and dairy-free options)

This post was originally published May 2016 and has been updated.

Can I tell you a secret? These coconut fish tacos are the first recipe I ever truly developed by myself. It was probably the start of my love affair with cooking (and also with Fridge Foraging). I was about 14 years old.

I had been baking with my mom since I could stand up, but when my mom went back to work part-time when I was a teenager, I started making dinner some of the days she worked to help out. I couldn't drive at the time, so I was usually left at the mercy of our refrigerator contents, and one day I came up with these healthy coconut crusted fish tacos. My family loved them, and they have been on regular rotation in my house ever since. 

Why You'll Love These Coconut Fish Tacos With Mango Salsa

• These fish tacos are so delicious with a crispy baked coconut exterior surrounding tender white fish, topped with a fresh mango salsa, creamy avocado, and tangy cotija that will leave you feeling like you're on vacation at the beach. 
• They're so easy to make - even a 14-year-old can make them!
• They're a healthy and satisfying weeknight dinner option, loaded with  the perfect trifecta of protein, fiber, and healthy fats! 

How To Make Healthy Coconut Fish Tacos

These baked fish tacos are super easy to make!

1. Make the coconut breading. 
2. Squeeze some lime on your fish and coat with the coconut breading. 
3. Bake the fish for 15-20 minutes or until opaque and flaky.
4. While the fish bakes, make the mango salsa and warm some corn tortillas.
5. Use a fork to gently break the fish apart into large chunks. Load into tortillas with the mango salsa and enjoy!

How To Dice A Mango

Just like any other fruit, I prefer to buy whole mangoes and cut them myself. It's way less expensive than buying pre-cut fruit. But mangoes can be tricky. They have a very large, hard seed in the middle and can be slippery. To easily dice a mango, cut vertically through the mango on either side of the big seed. Take one half and use a paring knife to score the mango vertically and horizontally in a grid, cutting almost all the way through, but not getting the skin. Then push the outside of the skin in toward the center to pop the flesh outward and use the paring knife to cut between the flesh and skin, yielding perfectly diced mango chunks!

Tips For Making The Best Coconut Fish Tacos

• The salsa can be made up to a day in advance. Just store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator. 
• The breading can also be made in advance. I like to make a double batch to keep in the pantry for easy dinner prep when the craving for these tacos strikes. Store it in a mason jar or other airtight container up to 3 months.
• Thicker fish filets will take longer to cook than thinner ones. The fish is ready when it is opaque and easily flakes, or when it reaches an internal temperature of 145°F.
• Broil the fish at the end for an extra crunchy coconut coating. Just watch carefully so that it doesn't burn!

What To Serve With Fish Tacos

Chips and salsa or simple guacamole always does the trick for me, or try these other delicious Tex-Mex and Mexican-inspired recipes:

• Easy Refried Black Beans
• Caramelized Onion Guacamole
• Granny Smith Apple Jicama Slaw
• Cilantro Lime Quinoa
• The Best Skinny Margaritas
• Easy Pickled Red Onions
• Homemade Corn Tortillas

Did you make this recipe? Please leave a star rating in the comments!

Healthy Coconut Fish Tacos With Mango Salsa

Print Recipe

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Healthy Coconut Fish Tacos With Mango Salsa with a crunchy baked coconut breading are easy to make, super delicious, and perfect for weeknight dinners or celebrating with friends! (gluten-free and dairy-free options)

• Author: Kaleigh
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 20 minutes
• Total Time: 35 minutes
• Yield: 8 tacos 1x
• Category: main dish
• Method: baked
• Cuisine: Tex Mex

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

For the Coconut Fish Tacos:

• ¾ cup shredded unsweetened coconut
• ½ cup panko bread crumbs (use gf breadcrumbs for gluten-free option)
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• ½ teaspoon chili powder
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• Juice of 1 lime
• 1 lb whitefish filets (such as tilapia or cod)
• 8 corn tortillas

For the Mango Salsa:

• ½ mango, diced
• 1 medium ripe tomato, diced
• 1 jalapeño, seeds removed and diced
• ¼ small red onion, diced
• 1 small bunch cilantro leaves, diced
• Juice of 1 lime
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• Salt, to taste

For serving:

• 1 small avocado, diced
• 2 tablespoon cotija cheese or queso fresco (omit for dairy-free)
• fresh jalapeño (optional)
• limes (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment or a silicone baking mat.
2. Mix together coconut, bread crumbs, garlic powder, cumin, chili powder and salt. Pour onto a plate for coating the fish.
3. Rinse fish filets and pat dry with a paper towel. Squeeze lime juice over fish and then coat with the coconut mixture by gently pressing breading onto both sides. Place on lined baking sheet.
4. Bake fish for 15-20 minutes, depending on thickness of the fish. Broil for the last minute to get the coconut nice and crispy. Remove from oven and use a fork to gently break filets into smaller pieces.
5. While fish is cooking prepare mango salsa. Dice mango, tomato, jalapeño, onion and cilantro and place in a small bowl. Add lime juice, vinegar, and salt and pepper to taste.
6. Once fish is done, assemble tacos on warmed corn tortillas and top with mango salsa and any additional toppings you'd like.

Notes

• Mango salsa can be made up to a day in advance. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
• Extra coconut breading can be made and stored in the pantry in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Make sure you don't store any breading that has been placed on the plate to coat the fish.
• Thicker fish filets will take longer to cook than thinner ones. The fish is ready when it is opaque and easily flakes, or when it reaches an internal temperature of 145°F.

Keywords: coconut fish tacos with mango salsa, healthy fish tacos, baked coconut fish tacos