The best fish taco sauce recipe you’ll ever make, hands down, and so easy to whip up at home with your favorite herbs and spices. Learn how to make white sauce for tacos and the secrets that make it so delicious!
Years and years ago, I came across a recipe for San Diego fish tacos and fish taco sauce. 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 mess up a fish taco too badly, lol. The sauce included in the recipe, however, burned a little hole in my brain.
This sauce … it’s just so good. Forget salsa. Forget sour cream. Forget tartar sauce. You’ll never want anything on your fish tacos except this white sauce, ever again.
I suspect my fading memory and stubborn inability to leave well enough alone has inserted itself on the original recipe. But that’s the beauty of a spice-heavy concoction: You can tweak the sauce seasonings to your own tastes.
So, don’t worry if you’re missing an ingredient from the list, and you’re in the middle of a taco craving emergency. It will all be a-okay!
What makes this fish taco sauce so tasty? It’s the unique combination of herbs and spices, including cumin, coriander, smoky chipotle chili powder, dill, and oregano.
Plus, it features the perfect hit of heat: not enough to say, whoooaa, tongue on fire! But just enough to be all like, hello, I’m alive, and it’s great to be eating tacos!
It was SO good! My family loved it! ~ Kerry
This sauce is so good, I’ll eat it on everything. ~ Marly
Absolutely awesome, was even better than the sauce we got with our fish tacos in Mexico ~ Werner
The Secret Ingredient
And now, the secret ingredient: capers. Capers have a unique tang that’s a cross between bitter and briny.
But when you combine it with other assertive flavors, like the spice blend above, it somehow turbo-charges everything else, while hanging out quietly in the background.
Use non-pareil capers if you can find them (they’re smaller with a more delicate flavor), and mince them well with a knife, or smash them with a fork.
And then there’s my all-around favorite flavor combo. Lime and cilantro (above) 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). There’s plenty of both of these summery flavors in my fish taco sauce!
If you want to create a fantastic rice dish to go with your Mexican-themed dinner, just add butter or coconut oil to the finished rice, and stir. Squeeze a lime into the rice, and stir. Sprinkle a dusting of ground coriander over the rice, stir. And finish it off with a generous helping of fresh, chopped cilantro. Cilantro lime rice goes great with so many dishes, including fish tacos!
Coriander, by the way, is the seed produced by the cilantro plant. Redundant, both leaf and seed sharing a spot in the same recipe? No, sirreee. 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.
So, for you unlucky ducks where cilantro leaves tastes like soap, do not fear the ground coriander!
How to make fish taco sauce
This white sauce is easily whipped up with just a whisk – no special blenders required! Whisk together mayo and sour cream until smooth. Thin with a little lime juice. Then add the spices and mix thoroughly.
Let rest in the fridge for at least an hour, to let all the flavors blend into tasty goodness.
So, try this uniquely spiced sauce for your fish tacos – I think you’ll love it! Making a big batch and need some ideas to use up the leftovers? It’s a fantastic chip dip (Fritos are my favorite!) Or, try it with these recipes:
Loaded Guacamole Vegetarian Tacos
Fish Taco Bowls
Oven Fried Shrimp and Thai Coconut Ramen Noodle Bowl
Watch the video and learn how easy it is to make!
Karen xo
Wickedly good fish taco sauce
Ingredients
- 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
Instructions
- In a small bowl, whisk the sour cream and mayonnaise until well blended.
- 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.
- Add all of the spices, whisking to mix thoroughly. Add the capers, minced pepper and cilantro, and whisk thoroughly.
- Cover the bowl with wrap and refrigerate the fish taco for at least one hour — the longer the better.
- Serve chilled. Spoon white sauce over fish tacos, or add into taco salads or rice bowls.
Nutrition
Pin Wickedly Good Fish Taco Sauce recipe for later:
Karen Gibson is the head soup chef, vegetable chopper-upper, and dishwasher here at SoupAddict.com, where she shares recipes for all manner of foods-in-bowls.
Angela says
I haven’t tried this sauce recipe yet and it seems with all the wonder flavors added together that it will be fantastic.
I just have one question, if I omit the mayonnaise will it take away from the recipe? There isn’t anyone in my family that is fond of mayo, so I thought I would just use greek or plain yogurt.
SoupAddict says
Over the years, I’ve made this recipe with just about everything white that you can, lol. It’s absolutely fine with all Greek (that’s my personal preference). Mayo adds a tiny touch of non-sugary sweetness, but I don’t mourn it when it’s not there. A little blip of honey can replace the sweetness, but I don’t think you’ll need it. Hope you decide to try it!
Kempshark says
For the pepper do you use fresh pepper such as jalapeño , or do you use pickled peppers?….just curious.
SoupAddict says
I use fresh! I think a little bit of pickled peppers would be delish, but I think they would shift the flavor of the sauce in tartar sauce territory.
John Mike says
I’ve used this recipe at least a half dozen times now. Awesome stuff. I buy a 5-6 lb swordfish tenderloin, cut it in about 1/2 lb steaks and freeze it in two packs. Every other pack is fish tacos and this sauce is the star
Pam Adelman says
I Try the sauce and it is out of this world. It is the best i ever had. Thanks for the recipes. I try cod and Pollock fish with it but i use some flour with some seasoning in the flour and fry it till it turn brown and put lettuce on the botton a corn tortillas but fry the corn tortilla first then lettuce and then fish and the sauce.
Leigh Ann says
I love fish tacos! My favorite thing is to add a bright fruit like pineapple, mango or strawberries. This sauce sounds divine and I can’t wait to try it! Hubby has been requesting fish tacos 🙂 Thanks for sharing the recipe! Beautiful blog!
Lorie says
This is the very best!!!! I’ve used it for every thing chicken, pork, hambergers and hot dogs. It pairs well with the coleslaw. But for fish tacos perfect. Not bad as a dip either. I change up the fish cod, shrimp, salmon, whatever I have. Thank you for the recipe as I don’t live where there are any good Mexican eating places.
SoupAddict says
Glad you liked it! I’m so happy warm weather and grilled taco season is almost here!
sadie says
I want to start by saying that I have never had a fish taco in my life, and I’m not even a a big fish fan…but we wanted to try something new. I baked some cod with salt/pepper and a little taco seasoning, and everyone (kids age 7-9) loved it and gobbled it up! I even had to put a few more pieces of fish in the oven because everyone loved it so much! This will be in our regular rotation.
Bobbi says
I have made this sauce countless times now for the big fish fry we have every year after our friends and family annual fishing trip.
It is remembered so fondly by all that if I didn’t make this sauce I fear the fishing trip tradition would grind to a halt!
Love it!
SoupAddict says
Oh my gosh, this totally made my day! I’m so glad it’s become part of a food tradition for your family — those are the best kind!
Michael says
This sauce has brought great joy. Thank you, so much.
Delina says
I’m not sure if this is a recipe that you created, or if you got it from somewhere else, but I wanted to let you know how much I love it! ’ve been making this for years and it truly is the BEST I’ve ever tasted! Hands down, better than any restaurant. I even use it as a tartar sauce. Thanks so much for sharing. It is one of my favorite recipes!
Kathleen says
Oh, my goodness! This delicious sauce just made our Fish Taco night- even though we were all completely full, we wanted to eat more tacos just to have something to put the sauce on. Thank you!
Russ Jackson says
Still using your basic recipe for the last 5 years. Here are the changes I have made along the way. Note the heavy pinch Ground Star Anise. It will be subtle but makes a big difference. I have tried the capers several times including just the juice from the jar. To me it kills the dill and cilantro so know I just use sea salt on the taco itself. …Russ Jackson
1/2 Cup mayonnaise
1/2 Cup Plain Greek Yogurt
1 Tablespoon Finely Minced Fresh Dill (more if you like dill)
1 Tablespoon Minced Cilantro
Juice of 1/2 Medium Lime
1/2 Teaspoon Dried Ground Jalapeno also known as Dried Chipolte (you could use cayenne but it is hotter)
Pinch Dried Ground Star Anise
1/2 Teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
1/2 Teaspoon Ground Coriander
1/2 Teaspoon Ground Cumin
Mix together all ingredients and let sit refrigerated and covered overnight.
SoupAddict says
That’s awesome! Thanks for sharing your variation – I’ll have to try the star anise. 🙂
Tina says
I made this the other day – it’s so good! Just had to come back here to tell you.
Michelle says
I just had to tell you, I made beer battered baja fish tacos and this sauce is hands down, the best fish taco sauce I have ever had!
Peter says
I have cod fish. How should I cook it for the tacos?
Jenn says
This is my family’s favorite white sauce recipe! We eat it with fish tacos as well as roasted cauliflower and sweet potatoes tacos.
Chris says
I hate tartar sauce and am now only learning about fish tacos. I had one in Hawaii and it was really good so I thought I’d try to make them. I did not have coriander at all and had to skip that or fresh cilantro (used dried) and this sauce was STILL to die for. In fact, when the leftover fish was gone the next day I used the sauce and some cabbage on a ground beef taco and it was delish! This is my new go-to sauce for fish and/or whatever else my heart wants to put it on. Yum yum!
Selena says
You are a Goddess!!! This sauce is unnnbelievablllle!!!! I’ve been trying to duplicate the fish taco sauce I had on holiday in Cabo where my hubby and I fell in love with them..to know avail. Then you came along and saved the day. I probably make fish tacos every 3 weeks and never tire of your sauce. My husband even uses the sauce as chip dip! That’s love.
Works great with Cajun pan fried Tilapia. mmmmm mmmmmm.
Edwin R. Fleuriet says
“Wickedly good” is an understatement when it comes to this sauce!
Jodi says
I made fish tacos for the first time last night , and found your recipe on pinterest to make the sauce. WOWZA it is wickedly good!!!!! Didn’t change a thing, and loved it!!! This sauce will replace tarter sauce whenever I make fish, and will also used this on Shrimp Po’ Boys!!! I have taped this recipe to the inside door of my cabinet, so its right where I need it every time 🙂 Thanks so much for a wonderful condiment!!!
Laura says
This is a BRILLIANT recipe, but…I ran out of oregano and dill one day. Substituted mint and thyme and it was also fantastic.
Scott Tate says
I’ll be making this tonight with some leftover grilled swordfish, shredded cabbage, salsa verde and your great-looking fish taco sauce. Only thing I’ll add is ground black garlic – black garlic dried, slightly crushed and then ground fresh from a cracker (like fresh ground pepper). Should add that little something extra to what sounds like a great sauce …
Melissa says
I’ve been making your fish taco sauce recipe for a while now and it is amazing! We just about eat it with a spoon!! Thank you, it really is Wicked Good. (That’s a phrase we use often here in Maine)
Lori says
Turned out absolutely awesome! I love fish tacos, and had tried making a homemade version that turned out terrible so I essentially gave up trying. Once I found your recipe for sauce, that’s all changed! It was the perfect flavor combination I was trying to imitate from my favorite Mexican restaurant. Thanks so much!
SHeryl says
Just wanted to let you know that I LOVE this fish taco recipe. I’ve sent the link to this recipe to so many people. It’s so good. I’ve even made it w/o capers, jalapeno, and chipotle (it was one of those low on ingredient nights) and it was still fantastic! Thanks for a great recipe. It reminds me a lot of the one I had in Cabo on a Jicama fish taco. Nice work!