Name: 15-Minute Fish Tacos (Made with Fish Sticks!)
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 20 min
Ingredients: 12 fish sticks (about 16 ounces); spray oil (as needed to cook fish sticks); 1 lime (quartered, divided); ½ teaspoon chili powder; 2 cups red cabbage (approximately ½ head of cabbage, shredded); salt (to taste); 6 tortillas (6-inch or 8-inch, corn or flour); cilantro (chopped, optional, for topping); feta (or queso fresco, crumbled, for topping); ¼ cup sour cream (or plain yogurt); 2-4 tablespoons mayonnaise; 2 teaspoons adobo sauce (from a can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, see Notes); 1 small clove garlic (peeled); ¼ teaspoon salt; juice of ¼ of one lime (as desired)

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The EASIEST fish tacos ever, made in just 15 minutes thanks to… fish sticks! Loaded with toppings, these fish stick tacos are surprisingly delicious, with breaded fish, a simple citrusy slaw, and a smoky, creamy fish taco sauce. Your new favorite weeknight meal!

What Makes This Recipe So Good

I love fish tacos, but fish stick tacos are delicious, too! The crispiness of the fish stick breading adds this beautiful crunch to the tacos that you don’t get with grilled fish.
Since we’re using frozen fish sticks here, most of the work is already done for you, making this recipe unbelievably simple. MUCH easier than battering and frying your own fish.
All of the prep for this recipe happens while the fish sticks are cooking! That means as soon as the fish sticks are done, you’ve got everything you need all ready to eat. You’ll have dinner on the table in just 15 minutes!
There’s a LOT of flavor packed in these little tacos! The breaded fish sticks with lime juice and chili powder; the fresh, crisp cabbage; the incredibly creamy, smoky taco sauce… You’ll be surprised just how good this recipe is!

Key Ingredients

Fish Sticks – Any brand and type of frozen fish sticks will work in these fish stick tacos! If you’re gluten free, look for gluten free fish sticks at your grocery store. For the best quality, use fish sticks made from fish fillets and skip the ones made from “minced fish pieces”. To cook your fish sticks, just follow the directions on the package, or use our air fryer method for cooking fish sticks.

Tortillas – You can use corn or flour tortillas here! I like to use 6-inch tortillas but you could use 8-inch tortillas for larger tacos or 4.5-inch tortillas for fish stick street tacos.

Red Cabbage – Not only does red cabbage add a gorgeous purple color to your tacos, but it also adds a great flavor and crunch, too! I really love the texture you get from cabbage – it’s a great way to mix things up when lettuce is a regular part of your rotation. If you want to make this recipe a little easier, use prepackaged, pre-shredded slaw.

Chef’s Tips

For a little extra heat, add one of the chipotle peppers from the can of adobo sauce to the blender with the other sauce ingredients!
It’s not a must, but I really enjoy these fish stick tacos with warmed tortillas. If you’re using corn tortillas, you can heat them in a skillet. Spray a little spray oil, heat the skillet over medium-high heat, and then when it’s hot, add the tortilla. Warm it for about 30 seconds, then flip it and warm it on the other side for 30 seconds. Alternately, you can char your corn tortillas over an open flame. For flour tortillas, you can warm them in the microwave one-at-a-time or all at once! Place a flour tortilla on a microwave-safe plate, then dampen 1-2 paper towels (enough to fully cover all the edges of the tortilla) and lay them flat on top of the tortilla. Stack remaining tortillas on top, alternating each tortilla with a damp paper towel. Microwave the tortillas 30 seconds (for one tortilla) up to 60 seconds (for multiple tortillas). This should be just enough to steam the tortillas. If you microwave them too long, they’ll become dry and crispy, especially around the edges.
Feel free to use any toppings and/or sauces you like on your fish stick tacos! Swap out our fish taco sauce for tartar sauce. Add avocado slices and pico de gallo and lettuce and onion. Jalapeños and green onion, guacamole, whatever! Serve them with a little Mexican street corn salad or cilantro lime cauliflower rice to tie it all together.

Close up view of fish stick tacos lined up in a baking dish

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Cheryl Malik

In addition to being a certified health coach, certified yoga instructor, and mom of 3, Cheryl is also the recipe developer, editor-in-chief, food photographer, and passionate foodie behind 40 Aprons. Having spent the last 10+ years as a food blogger, she's become known for her flavorful recipes, detailed instructions, gorgeous photography, and down-to-earth approach to food and cooking in general.

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2 Comments

Maryann Ward says:

January 5, 2024 at 7:09 pm

I followed the recipe,made the sauce ahead of time,had the cabbage ready,easy delicious dinner

Reply
1. Jessica | 40 Aprons Team says:
  
  January 12, 2024 at 1:56 pm
  
  So glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for sharing, Maryann!
  
  Reply