Easy Slaw For Fish Tacos Recipe
Summer is calling, and so is the slaw! Fish tacos go great with the high temperatures or a cool summer breeze. Yet fish tacos wouldn't be complete without a mouth-watering slaw topping, so let's let an easy slaw recipe for fish tacos crafted by chef and recipe developer Cindy Chou of Healthy Feels do all the talking. "This recipe is easy, especially with using store-bought coleslaw mix," Chou said.
Although described as an easier recipe to concoct in your kitchen, as it can be prepared in just a few minutes, there are trickier aspects to this recipe –– if you've never cut a watermelon radish, that is.
"The hardest part might be cutting the watermelon radish into matchsticks," Chou said. "Having a sharp knife will help a lot, and you can even use a grater with larger hole sizes to shred the radish."
While this might sound difficult, it should be comforting to know that the radish doesn't have to be cut into perfect pieces. "I like to cut the radish for more crunch, but try not to worry too much about cutting uniform shapes since they won't be cooked," Chou continued. "The pop of color will look great no matter what size they are."
Gather the ingredients
Before you can perfect this easy slaw recipe for fish tacos, you'll need to gather the ingredients. You'll need honey, salt, lime juice, extra virgin olive oil, and a bag of coleslaw mix. You'll also need garlic (peeled and grated with a microplane), a watermelon radish (peeled and julienned), a minced jalapeño, and cilantro (roughly chopped).
You can also use flaky sea salt for more flavor if you desire. However, this slaw recipe is delicious with or without the bonus sea salt.
Make the dressing
Now that you have all the ingredients to make this slaw recipe, it's time to create the dressing, which will eventually be combined with the other ingredients. In a small bowl, you'll add honey, kosher salt, and the juice from the lime. You'll then slowly drizzle the extra virgin olive oil in the bowl while continuously whisking until the dressing is emulsified.
Once the dressing is finished, set it aside for the next step.
Mix the slaw ingredients
In a medium mixing bowl, add the coleslaw mix, grated garlic, watermelon radish, minced jalapeño, chopped cilantro, and the dressing you made in the previous step. You'll then toss the mixture until all the ingredients are evenly combined. This easy slaw recipe is now finished and ready to put on your fish tacos.
If you're not ready to add the dressed slaw to the tacos of your choice, the slaw can be covered and stored in the refrigerator for up to a few hours before serving. However, if you're preparing this recipe the day before you plan on eating it, you can keep the vegetable mixture and the dressing separate and mix them the next day when you're ready to serve it.
Add the slaw to your favorite fish tacos
You can now add the slaw to your already-prepared tacos. However, if you want an even more savory flavor, you can top the slaw with one pinch of flaky sea salt right before serving with the tacos.
If you like more zing to your slaw, you can also add more fresh lime juice before serving. As a friendly reminder, this recipe works well with both grilled and fried fish tacos.
This slaw recipe also makes the perfect summer side dish
Although this slaw recipe is perfect as a topping for fish tacos, it brings versatility to the table. "It also works great as a base for a salad," Chou said. "You can add some cooked white beans or shredded rotisserie chicken for a quick snack."
From a taco topping to a delicious side, this slaw recipe is bound to taste perfect all summer long — and beyond. "This recipe makes enough for eight tacos as a generous topping or four servings as a side dish to tacos," Chou said. "It would also work well as a side dish for summer BBQs or paired with sandwiches."
- ½ teaspoon honey
- ½ teaspoon salt, kosher
- 1 lime, juiced (about 2 tablespoons)
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 (8-ounce) bag coleslaw mix
- 1 small clove garlic, peeled and grated with a microplane
- 1 small watermelon radish, peeled and julienned
- 1 tablespoon minced jalapeño (about ½ small jalapeño, deseeded)
- 3 sprigs cilantro, roughly chopped
- 1 pinch flaky sea salt
- In a small bowl, add honey, kosher salt, and juice from one lime. Slowly drizzle in extra virgin olive oil while whisking until the dressing is emulsified.
- In a medium mixing bowl, add the coleslaw mix, grated garlic, watermelon radish, minced jalapeño, chopped cilantro, and the dressing. Toss the mixture until all the ingredients are evenly combined.
- Optionally, you can top the slaw with one pinch of flaky sea salt right before serving with your favorite fish tacos.