Quick & Easy Crispy Fish Tacos with Cabbage Slaw

These crispy fried fish tacos have become a weekly quarantine staple in my household that everyone — including my children — eats with gusto. Not only are they super fast to prepare (just 20 minutes!) but they also transport me, if only for a minute, to my favorite fried fish taco at Gardenias in Cabo San Lucas. One bite of the crunchy fish fillets topped with fresh slaw, herbs, and hot sauce, and I’m practically there in the restaurant in Mexico.

These tacos are incredibly flexible to whatever you have on hand, and start with one smart shortcut that makes them extra quick and easy. Here’s how to make my family’s favorite Miracle Meal.

Just because you can do something doesn’t mean you have to — and I’m all about not doing what I don’t have to, especially during a pandemic. Frying fish is something I’m perfectly capable of doing at home; I know how to batter and fry fresh fish to perfection. But it creates such a mess, the smell lingers for hours no matter how good your ventilation system is, and sometimes I don’t want to. My solution? Frozen beer-battered fish.

I came across frozen beer-battered cod fillets at my local Whole Foods one night, and gave them a whirl in these tacos to great acclaim. Even my pickiest eater had three. It satisfies my desire for a lighter taco filling for Taco Tuesdays, is an easy way to incorporate more fish into our diets, and significantly cuts down on prep work.

Feel free to use whatever brand you like (we’ve found that the SeaPak Budweiser fillets are extra crunchy and have a bit more of that beer aftertaste, which gives it nice flavor). You can cook the fillets in the oven according package directions, or pop ’em in the air fryer if you want them extra crispy.

All that’s left to do is make a simple slaw and heat up some tortillas. This is a lighter version of a Baja classic, but those missing the creamy element can drizzle sour cream on the finished taco or add a little mayonnaise to the cabbage slaw. We’re a house divided, so I serve these tacos with both corn and flour tortillas that I quickly heat over my gas burner.

Miracle Meals are the family-friendly dinners that save you time, money, and effort — but not at the expense of taste. They’re dishes that allow you to spend less time in the kitchen and more time with the people you love.