As the next Taco Tuesday in your home approaches, consider making your own fish tacos. Fish tacos can seem intimidating if you haven't cooked with fish very often, but with the right fish selection, the recipe comes together easily. The best (and most traditional) type of fish for fish tacos are ones that have white flesh. These fish are known to have a mild taste and a flaky texture. With such a mild flavor, the fish doesn't overpower the other ingredients in the taco, but complements them instead, delivering a light, tender base to the dish.
The basic fish taco preparation is called Baja-style. Inspired by authentic Mexican fish tacos, this taco showcases white-fleshed fish with a simple topping of shredded cabbage and a white sauce called crema that is similar in consistency to sour cream. Chunky salsa, mango salsa, and pico de gallo are popular topping alternatives to using cabbage and crema.
White-fleshed fish are leaner types of fish. The reason a fish can taste "fishy" is when it has a high quantity of fat or oil within, which means white fish don't typically have that strong seafood flavor profile. A leaner fish will also cook quicker, making fish tacos a fast and simple dish to assemble. Commonly found white-fleshed fish include cod, pollock, and tilapia.