Wickedly good fish taco sauce
Years ago, I came across a recipe for San Diego Fish Tacos. It was good. They sure have a way with fish tacos, those San Diegoans. But, I lost the recipe and have forgotten how to authentically prepare the fish. Doesn’t matter. It’s hard to screw up a fish taco.
The fish taco sauce included in the recipe, however, burned a little hole in my brain. So, so good. Forget salsa. Forget sour cream. Forget tartar sauce. You’ll never want anything on your fish tacos except this fish taco sauce, ever again.
I suspect my fading memory and stubborn inability to leave well enough alone has inserted itself on the original fish taco sauce recipe. But that’s the beauty of a spice-heavy concoction: You can tweak to your own tastes.
Lime and cilantro are so natural together, it would not have surprised me one bit to find them growing on the same plant, had I not grown cilantro myself without producing a single lime (I knew better, of course, but was still unreasonably disappointed). If you want to create a fantastic rice dish to go with your mexican dinner, just add butter to the finished rice, and stir. Squeeze a lime into the rice, and stir. Sprinkle a dusting of coriander over the rice, stir. Finish it off with a generous helping of fresh, chopped cilantro. (Yeah, stir).
Coriander, by the way, is the seed produced by the cilantro plant. Redundant, both sharing a spot in the same fish taco sauce recipe? No, sir. Ground coriander tastes nothing like its leafy parent. Gently aromatic and somehow citrusy, it adds a bright flavor to mexican dishes, and is an especially delicious companion to cumin.
San Diego-style Fish Taco Sauce
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Yield: About one cup
1/2 cup reduced fat sour cream (Greek yogurt is delicious as a substitute if you’re not a fan of sour cream)
1/2 cup reduced fat mayonnaise (you can use full fat, but, the spices are so delicious, you won’t miss that particular flavor contribution)
1 lime, cut in half
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon dried dill weed
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon ground chipotle chili powder
1/2 teaspoon capers, minced
1 hot pepper of your choice, seeded and minced (jalapeno is delicious, as are the cherry bomb poppers I used in this batch).
1 tablespoon fresh cilantro, chopped
1. In a small bowl, whisk the sour cream and mayonnaise until well blended.
2. Squeeze the juice from one lime half into the fish taco sauce mixture, then whisk thoroughly. You’ll want the consistency of a pourable, creamy salad dressing. If still too thick, add more lime juice from the other half. If too runny, add sour cream.
3. Add all of the spices, whisking to mix thoroughly. Add the capers, minced pepper and cilantro, and whisk thoroughly.
4. Cover the bowl with wrap and refrigerate the fish taco for at least one hour — the longer the better.
5. Serve chilled. Spoon white sauce over fish tacos, or add into taco salads or rice bowls.
that sounds like a great sauce, thanks for the recipe! fish tacos are one of my favorites.
Stumbled across your blog today, via google search for a fish taco sauce recipe. Nice looking blog, I will have to spend some time poking around here and see what else I can find. Are these your own photos in this post? If so, lovely work. The images are what sold me on your recipe over many others unearthed in my search.
Will be trying your recipe tonight, with my first attempt at fish tacos. (Having never had them before – I’m from the Canadian prairies – this should prove an interesting culinary experiment.) It’s barely past lunchtime now, but I can hardly wait for dinner!
Hi Hera,
Thanks for the compliments on my photos – sometimes taking the pictures is as much fun as the cooking (but definitely not as fun as the eating).
Fish tacos just don’t sound right somehow, so the first time I had them, I was completely floored by how delicious they are. At this point, I like them better than beef or chicken tacos. I hope you enjoy the sauce!
I also just did a google search on “fish taco sauce” and your post was #3! Yay for you!
I think your blog looks coolio. I’ll be back. Oh and thanks for the recipe!
- Amy
I, too, was perusing for a fish taco sauce as I am from San Diego and my family loves fish tacos. Your link was actually #1 today and I was very attracted to it as I am a soup addict as well. Love making soup! I am going to try the sauce this evening as it sounds great – I love your blog – and the pictures. What is your favorite soup to make/eat?
I love love love Hungarian Mushroom soup. But I think my favorite to make is Mulligatawny. Yeeeuuum!
Googled “fish taco sauce” today and this came up first – AMAZING! Seriously the best sauce ever to go with beer battered tilapia fish tacos. Thanks for the delicious recipe!
You’re most welcome – I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
I just made your fish taco sauce, and I must say, it was amazing! I did not have any dill, so I added some lemon pepper that had some dill in it, and it was fantastic. I can’t wait to try it again with all the right ingredients…thanks!
Hi Leslee – that’s awesome, I’m glad you liked it! If you like dill, you’ll just love the sauce with it – I use fresh dill when I can find it (upping the amount to 2 teaspoons or so). Yummy!
Hi there, just wondering, what do you cook your fish in for your fish tacos? Also, a big debate at our house is the taco shell dilemma: soft whole wheat flour tortillas (me) or white corn hard taco shells (my husband and kids), which do you prefer? And as for toppings, do you have a good cabbage slaw recipe or do you just use lettuce, tomato, etc. for your toppings? With a sauce THIS good, I bet it doesn’t matter! Thanks for a great post!
I’m trying your sauce as a substitute for my usual sauce tonight!
Hi Sarah,
Thanks for visiting my site!
Okay, fish: I’m usually too lazy to do a battered fish (which I think would be particularly delicious with this sauce) – I usually just grill some kind of white fish that has been marinated in Mojo sauce. Sea Bass is a favorite. Tilapia, cod. I’ve even done shrimp.
Tortillas: I’m seriously not trying to be a peacemaker here – it’s completely accidental – but my favorite way to serve these tacos is with a hard shell wrapped in a soft shell. I especially love those “stand up” hard shell tacos that look like a squared-off “U” – they hold everything. I use refried beans as a glue (and as a side dish): spread refried beans on the soft torilla and then fit it directy onto the hard shell. (But when I don’t do that, I side with you: whole wheat flour tortillas.)
Toppings: I usually don’t make a slaw – it’s either iceberg lettuce or cabbage, and then a variety of toppings, especially if it’s a taco party. Green onions, pico de gallo or homemade fresh salsa, grated cheese. That’s usually it. Oh, and the sauce.
I just wanted to throw in a little comment here….I love soft corn tortillas with fish tacos. Just warm them up a tad in a clean, dry frying pan on low/medium heat.
I found your website today when I was searching for a fish taco sauce recipe to go with some frozen, breaded tilapia we were going to cook. Wow, is this amazing! Tastes just like the good stuff I’ve had in Mexican restaurants. Thank you!
droolworthy!
I have made this sauce for twice in the past two weeks , it really is wickedly good
I have been looking for a GREAT fish taco sauce. We used to live in San Diego and there’s nothing like their Mexican food. Would you happen to have a good recipe for huevos rancheros? I just put your sauce in the refrigerator and we will have it tonight for dinner. Cant wait!
I feel bad I didn’t compliment you earlier, seeing as I’ve made this sauce once every 2 weeks for fish tacos since November (another former San Diegan that just can’t find decent fish tacos in the South). I love this recipe. I usually pour it on grilled blackened tilapia or mahi served in doubled corn tortillas with slaw and pico. Again, I LOVE this sauce recipe. Thanks so much!
This is the best!!
I’ve been having this with Halibut tacos for the last few months so I figured I’d better get back here and say thank you.
Wow! This is a superb recipe! I made it last night for my fish tacos and it was pretty much amazing. And it was really simple to make. Thanks for sharing!!
Thanks for stopping by and leaving feedback – I appreciate it. I still love this sauce. I put it on things that no one in their right mind would put it on. Like eggs. A sort of Eggs Benedict, San Diego-style.
I dont usually respond online to things i search. I have finally found the one! Thank you! This sauce is knock your socks off amazing! I made the recipe exactally the way you suggested and it was a huge hit at my fish taco party! My only advice to those who make this is to not direct touch the cherry bomb peppers!ouch! i scoop the finley diced peppers with my fingers onto my knife and my finger tips burned for hours!Well worth the pain i indured. p.s. cant wait to try eggs san diego style, thank you truly
YUM!! I made this sauce this past Friday for some fish tacos and it was outstanding. I love the combination of the flavors and it does remind me of some of the awesome tacos I had on vacation in SD. Looking forward to trying it on other things as well! It’s going to become a staple in my house for sure! (especially since I make fish tacos about every 10-14 days)
How many servings is this? I am looking to make it for two families when I go camping this week!
Hi Niki! It depends on your definition of serving. You’ll end up with about one cup of sauce, which is a lot if you’re just going to spoon it over tacos. If you have other plans for it, you might want to go 1-1/2 times to doubling it. At least it keeps nicely in the fridge, or on ice. Have fun!
This recipe is getting saved to my “must try” list. I tend to make fish tacos more often then not and have been reinventing my recipe for months. I will try this one next time. Great work! I believe this sauce would be a true harmony for a San Diego eggs benedict as you said in an earlier comment. English muffin, poached eggs, turkey, avocado, and your sauce! The Cottage in La Jolla – San Diego makes a killer version of this!
Love this recipe! Living in San Diego makes you spoiled when it comes to fish tacos. We had them tonight and used your sauce…awesome! Definitely will be using it when the in-laws come to town. We love making soups as well and so now I will have to peruse your suggestions.
All i can say is….omm nom nom nom nom! I ate some taquitos with this sauce ^_^ and tomorrow ima make Shrimp tacos! I am excited >_<
I made your sauce for fish tacos last night and it was GREAT! Thanks!
great insite on the coriander and fresh cilantro. I’m going to add this to my recipe, I use yogurt instead of the sour cream and you are right, yogurt is an awesome substitute for sour cream
I had never made fish tacos before — let alone a sauce to use on them. But, I tried it out and agree with the other comments stating the sauce is amazing! I didn’t have any coriander (and don’t even know what it is) but with all of the other ingredients the sauce was excellent. I added a chipotle hot sauce wish gave it a nice kick. I will certainly commit this to memory and pass along to others. Thank you for posting.
So glad you enjoyed it!
Phenomenal flavor spectrum! I used smoked paprika instead of chipolte and added a bit of sea salt.
Love smoked paprika!
Great recipe I tried it today. Try using plain yogurt instead of the mayo, fresh dill instead of dried, and way more fresh cilantro…Russ
Thanks for the tip – I’ll try it (especially the dill)!
I am so excited to have found your recipe for fish taco sauce! Another x-San Diegan who craves fish tacos. Do you have a go-to recipe for fish tacos themselves? Love the photography in your blog!
I made this for fish tacos this evening…fabulous! I also used it for carnitas tacos and as a dipping sauce for my kids’ cheese quesadillas – it was a perfect sauce. Thanks for sharing this with us.
That’s awesome – I’m glad you stopped back to let me know! Strange as it may seem, I really don’t have a recipe on hand for really good San Diego-style fish tacos. I usually just use some kind of white fish, lightly seasoned (not breaded), or even shrimp!
Funny about the quesadillas – I’ve used leftover sauce in burrito bowls. It was delicious!
I made fish tacos again tonight, and have been thinking about what was missing (I’m from the South, so no true fish taco experience). I asked my husband and we both said, “Some kind of creamy sauce.” Plain sour cream didn’t seem right. Your site was the first I found, but I have one question. How critical are the capers? I detest them. How noticeable are they? I make a mixture of avocado, tomato, grilled corn, cilantro, lemon juice and salt for our tacos. The avocado does add some of that creamy texture, but I still want something MORE. This sounds great, but I’m concerned about those capers.
I would just skip the capers – maybe add a little salt and freshly ground black pepper in its place. Capers add a little salty-savory bite to this sauce, but since it’s not a primary flavor, I think you’ll be just fine.
Thanks. DH came home for lunch (leftovers), so I made this and added a squirt of anchovy paste to get the salty-savory bite (also adds a fabulous umami taste to spaghetti sauce or lasagna and no fishyness). I didn’t get to let it sit for an hour, but it was still very good.
How long will the sauce last before it expires?
Hi Tramaine,
More than anything, I think it will depend on the shelf-life of your dairy ingredients. For example, if your sour cream’s expiration date is tomorrow, then I probably wouldn’t keep the sauce much longer beyond that.
Stumbled across your sauce yesterday, was pretty good! I used middle eastern yogurt instead of sour crem and was a great substitute! Next time I wont put as much dill in because thats all i tasted in mine, but it was an aewsome sauce! will definatley use again, I added hot sauce too instaed of peppers! Thanks!
Soup Addict how i love thee.My sauce came out great. i followed your advice for substitution of the capers and used dried cilantro instead of fresh but it still tasted good.Do you have another recipe that is this remarkable?I saved your burgertime one.
Aw, shucks.
If you liked this sauce, I bet you would like tzatziki. Serve it on lamb or chicken gyros. It’s just awesome!
I was looking for a sauce for my fish tacos and like everyone else this popped up. Looks and sounds wonderful. I’m trying it tonight.
Like others, I was doing a search for Fish Taco Sauce. I plan on making this in a few weeks – can’t wait…now I am totally craving them! I am a SoCal native living in Northern Nevada, so stuff like this, I have to make or wait until my next visit to Cali. Great looking recipe! If you don’t mind, I will post about it and link back to you.
My family LOVES this sauce, especially my 3 and 5 year old girls (we skipped the spicy stuff). You can’t beat lime and cumin, and this sauce is especially savory. We used fresh cilantro and oregano. This sauce became the centerpiece of the dinner last night. It completely bumped aside my family-famous guacamole. Thank you!
Hi, after a bit of looking around for fish taco sauce, I saw this one. The pictures certainly sell it, but the taste…it was awesome. I made if for the family, then again for a group, they loved it, even those non-fish eaters were having seconds and thirds. I’m actually making it again tonight for the same group of friends (who asked for it again). I was looking through the comments to see what others were doing for the fish. I usually use a cornmeal/flour/spice dusting and then fry, I was thinking of doing it in the oven this time, just to make it easier on myself. I’m way up in Northern Canada so I don’t always have all of the ingredients (someone was asking about not using capers), it turns out great anyway. Thank you very much for the recipe, and for some of the others as well (I think I’ll try the Apple Cake tomorrow, a suprise for my hard working wife).
Oh man! I saw your post through Google (like most of the other comments here!) and this looks awesome. I’m totally going to make this sauce tonight with our fish tacos. I’ll let you know how it went! Thanks!
Dont know what happened? Followed the exact recipe and it came out bad. The capers really made it nasty made me almost puke. Sorry had to say that, but i guess its an acquired taste, for me just way to strong. Had to throw it away. Not saying its bad or sucks, just saying if you dont know what capers are like me taste em before hand. Try though everyones different so you might like it.
I made your sauce for my husband and daughter tonight, my daughter was making those “ewwww gross” faces when I was mincing the caoers, but once it was done and all put together she is just now finishing her second serving….lol….it was delicious. Thanks for such a wonderful site…..
This is simply delicious. It is now has a permanent place in my recipe collection. Outstanding!
I use the breaded, frozen talapia from Trader Joes…..quick and crispy
I also use their organic slaw mix and their whole grain tortillas!
YUM
I got hooked on fish tacos while on my first trip to california. This sauce is better than anything i had in a restaurant! I even use it as salad dressing.
Dude, mad props for this recipe! I lost my old tried and true fish taco recipe and found yours. Outstanding comes to mind. I mixed the sauce with shredded cabbage and just put it on top of baked tilapia seasoned with S&P on a soft corn tortilla with a squeeze of lime and I was instantly transported back to the Pacific Beach boardwalk. Thanks a lot!
Great recipe. i added minced purple onions and diced avocado’s. totally awesome!
This definitely looks tasty. I’m making fish tacos tonight too. I’m missing a couple of the ingredients, but I’ll fake it. These spices and herbs will take my plain sauce to the next level. This is just what I was looking for. Thanks!
Just made some fish tacos using your recipe for the sauce and I have to say they tasted amazing!!!
Made last night! Awesome – used grilled cod for fish.
I have to say I have been looking for the perfect fish taco sauce and I am proud to say I have found it. Thank you keep up the great recipes I know this is a old posted recipe but I just came across it today, so thanks! any recommendation for the fish you use to go with it.
Just stopped by. Your Google results for this recipe were #1. Thanks!
I have just stumbled over this recipe and it sounds awesome! I’m having fish tacos tomorrow night and cannot wait to use it. Thanks!!
My first fish tacos were in San Diego…wow, were they fabulous!!! And now I’m craving them again…but with your delicious sauce
PS…thanks for such a flattering comment about my cookies
You seriously made.my.day!!!!
I don’t see any recipe for the sauce.
I’ve checked all of my browsers, and I see the recipe – what browser are you using?
I love your site!!!
Sorry but it is way too much with all the spices!
(I would not blame you lol). And two every one is making fish tacos with store bought tortillas and boxed frozen fish sticks so they need the sauce to taste like a fajitas marinade… All you need is a simple white lime sauce with cilantro maybe some type of chili component… It is a fish taco! SEAFOOD with cabbage it is light, refreshing and tasty…
Hate this recipe!!
I used to live in SoCal and have had Fish Tacos all over from Mexico to Frisco… And never had I had a sauce on them like this… I am thinking that one you may not post the negative comments
I actually don’t delete negative reviews, as long as they’re done with respect and have a point other than to bash and accuse. I, too, like simple white sauces with lime and cilantro. I also like this spicy version. The world would be a boring place if we didn’t have options. Regardless, thanks for trying the recipe.
I wanted to make fish tacos for this week, by cooking the fish in a sauce, but my husband baked the fish. Now I can still have the tacos with his delicious baked fish, using your fish taco sauce recipe, as I have most of these ingredients on hand. Thanks!!!
nice article
Hi there, this recipe sounds amazing and I can’t wait to try it! I just have a quick question about the capers, did you use fresh capers or pickled capers? I didn’t know what capers were and I found that there are a great variety of sizes and methods of preserving them. Thanks again for sharing this recipe!
I used preserved (brined) capers that, in most grocery stores in the U.S. at least, come in a jar, shelved with the pickles and relishes. They add a puckery little salty kick to the sauce, but if you can’t find them, it will still turn out okay. Thanks for stopping by!
Yuck….way too much mayo. Sorry, it wasn’t “wickedly” good. I tossed it out!
Thanks for the recipe, been looking for one with a jalapeno added. I shall give this a try!
I like the idea of mixing the sauce with the cabbage. …Still trying to get the fish taco recipe right.
We make fish tacos all the time – I will definitely try this! Thanks for the inspiration! (Just a couple of hours north of San Diego!)
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