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These Whole30 fish taco bowls with mango salsa and chipotle aioli make an absolutely wonderful Whole30 dinner. Loaded with guacamole, mango salsa, red cabbage slaw, coconut-lime cauliflower rice, and spicy chipotle aioli, I promise this will become your favorite paleo fish recipe or Whole30 fish recipe. Pinky promise! This Whole30 fish taco bowls recipe is gluten-free, dairy-free, grain-free, and sugar-free. Nothin’ fishy about it (SORRY!).
Don’t let the ingredients list intimidate you! It looks complicated, but I promise this recipe is SO simple. It’s mostly just mixing things together. You’ve got this! And it’s TOTALLY worth it in the end.
What Makes This Recipe So Good
- I started making this fish taco bowl YEARS ago on our very first Whole30, and first posted the recipe here in early 2017. Well, I am here to tell you that, even 6+ years later, I still love it every bit as much as I did on day one. NO. WAIT. That’s not true. Today I love it even more, because after 6+ years of this recipe, I’m still not tired of it. In fact, I still get excited when it’s on our dinner menu. How many meals can you say you’re still excited to eat regularly after 6+ years?
- Let’s talk ingredients and flavors. You’ve got pan-seared, chili-rubbed tilapia. You’ve got coconut-lime cauliflower rice. There’s red cabbage slaw, fresh mango salsa, and creamy guacamole. And on top? Tying all of that incredibleness together? A spicy (but not too much) chipotle aioli. Oh, mama.
- On top of being Whole30-compliant and paleo-friendly, this unbelievable fish taco bowl is also gluten free, grain free, dairy free, and sugar free. You heard me. You just found a dinner recipe full of wholesome, satisfying ingredients that almost everyone can enjoy.
Key Ingredients
Mango – Mango! Not enough recipes use mango, if you ask me. They give this dish an amazing tropical feel, especially when you pair them with the blackened fish. You’ll be transported instantly to a warm, sunny day with your feet in the sand and a margarita in your hand. I mean, without tequila, of course. Because Whole30.
Fish – Tilapia, cod, and mahi-mahi will all work in this recipe, so use whatever you have or like or can find. They’re all good low-calorie, high-protein sources of vitamins and nutrients.
Coconut Milk – Don’t worry. This fish taco bowl is NOT overwhelmingly coconut-flavored. You’ll get a slight hint, which just goes incredibly well with the tropical mango. It makes the aioli and the cauliflower rice rich and creamy, so don’t skip it!
Chef’s Tips
- Massaging the cabbage with lime juice and salt is a really important step, so don’t skip it! It’ll affect the taste and texture of the slaw.
- Fish doesn’t take long to cook at all, so be careful not to overdo it! Since all the other components of the bowl just need to be combined, you can cook the fish last, that way you’re ready to eat as soon as it’s done!
Other Whole30 Recipes You’ll Love
- Whole30 Beef Stroganoff
- Whole30 Breakfast Meal Prep
- Egg Roll in a Bowl Meal Prep (Whole30, Paleo, Keto)
- 65 Delicious Whole30 Recipes for the New Year
- Tuscan Shrimp (Whole30, Paleo)
- Brussels Sprouts Salad (Whole30, Paleo)
Whole30 Fish Taco Bowl with Mango Salsa and Chipotle Aioli (Paleo, Low Carb)
Ingredients
For the Blackened Fish
- 2 tilapia fillets or cod, or mahi-mahi; about 1 pound
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
For the Guacamole
- 2 avocados peeled, seeded, and diced
- ¼ cup diced red onion
- 2 tablespoons cilantro chopped
- 1 tablespoon lime juice plus more to taste
- 1 pinch salt plus more to taste
For the Chipotle Aioli
- ¼ cup Whole30-compliant mayonnaise store-bought or make your own
- ¼ cup full-fat coconut milk
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 pinch salt plus more to taste
- 1 teaspoon chipotle pepper powder
- 1 squeeze lime juice plus more to taste; approximately 1 tablespoon
For the Mango Salsa
- 1 mango peeled, seeded, and diced
- 1 tablespoon cilantro chopped
- 2 tablespoons red onion chopped
- ½ tablespoon lime juice plus more to taste
- 1 pinch salt plus more to taste
For the Red Cabbage Slaw
- ¼ head red cabbage approximately 2 cups, sliced thin or shaved
- 1 tablespoon lime juice plus more to taste
- 1 teaspoon salt plus more to taste
For the Coconut-Lime Cauliflower Rice
- 1 head cauliflower stems removed, loosely chopped; approximately 3 cups
- 1 cup full-fat coconut milk
- 1 tablespoon lime juice plus more to taste
- 1 pinch salt plus more to taste
Instructions
For the Blackened Fish
- Combine all spices in a small bowl and rub generously over top and bottom of fish fillets.
- Heat coconut oil in a medium skillet over medium heat and add fish. Cook approximately 3-4 minutes on each side, or until fish flakes easily. Do not overcook.
For the Guacamole
- Combine all ingredients and mash until desired consistency. Add more salt or lime juice to taste.
For the Chipotle Aioli
- Combine all ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth. Taste and add more salt or lime juice to taste.
For the Mango Salsa
- Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl. Stir well to distribute ingredients thoroughly.
For the Red Cabbage Slaw
- Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl. With your hands, massage lime juice and salt into cabbage to tenderize, until purple juices are released.
For the Coconut-Lime Cauliflower Rice
- Fit your food processor with the shredding blade or regular blade and feed chopped cauliflower in. Process until cauliflower resembles rice or couscous. Alternately, use pre-riced cauliflower.
- Add all ingredients to a medium saucepan and place over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to medium. Cook until liquid is mostly evaporated and cauliflower is tender, about 7-10 minutes. Remove from heat and assemble taco bowls.
Assemble Your Whole30 Fish Taco Bowls
- Spoon coconut-lime cauliflower rice into individual serving bowl. Spoon red cabbage slaw next to cauliflower rice. Top with fish fillet, guacamole, then mango salsa. Finally, top with chipotle aioli. Serve immediately.
- This recipe uses 1 small red onion and 1 bunch of cilantro total, divided between the mango salsa and the guac.
- You’ll need just under one full 14-ounce can of full-fat coconut milk, divided between the cauliflower rice and the chipotle aioli.
- Make it Keto: Skip the mango salsa. I know, I know. It breaks my heart to say that, but mangoes just aren’t keto-friendly. Skipping the salsa will make this Whole30 Fish Taco Bowl roughly 588 calories, 21g total carbs, and 11g net carbs.
Approximate Information for One Serving
Nutrition Disclaimers
Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.
Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.
To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.
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Made this a few months ago and LOVED it! I want to make it again but it looks like the formatting has changed. The only category for ingredients is Blackened fish so all items are combined together. Can anyone help a girl out?
I’ve made this recipe at least five times. The flavor combinations are amazing!
It doesn’t differentiate between the ingredients of one aspect of the dish versus the other aspects in my view. Is this an issue with my browser or is it really set up that way? I wanted to make the dish but have no clue what goes in the aioli versus something else.
We fixed that issue, so sorry about that! Here are the aioli ingredients:
-1/4 tbsp Whole30-compliant mayonnaise (preferably my garlic mayonnaise recipe)
-1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
– juice from 1/4 of one lime
-1 tablespoon full-fat coconut milk
-1 teaspoon adobo sauce (from a can of chipotle peppers in adobo)
-1 tsp Salt
the recipe for the newer aioli uses equal parts mayo and coconut milk and chipotle powder for adobo sauce, which variation goes with the recipe?
You can make it either way! I recommend using the version actually in the recipe card – it’s the most up-to-date and it yields a little more chipotle aioli, so you’re sure to have enough.
This recipe was bomb! I used cod and because I could not find adobo Chile’s without sugar I used 1.5 teaspoons of chipotle chili powder. That was the perfect spice more would have been two spicy for me. I used whole 30 approved mayo made with atacado oil in the aioli. This is a keeper!
This recipe was AMAZING. A new favorite. The boyfriend and I are on a Whole30, and we both LOVED this recipe. I actually have never been a huge fish eater, but have been trying to branch out. We used tilapia from Costco we had in the freezer – thawed in cold water for 30 minutes – super easy. All the components of this recipe just blend perfectly together. Can’t rave enough!!
Totally agree though the estimated time is if you have everything already prepped – it takes awhile to chop and mix all ingredients, even with 2 people. LOVE 40 Aprons recipes – have yet to let me down.
Is it supposed to read 1/4 cup mayo?
Yes. 🙂
This sounds very good!
How much mayo should be used? The recipe currently reads “1/4 Whole30-compliant mayonnaise (preferably my garlic mayonnaise recipe)”; is that 1/4 cup?
1/4 cup is correct 🙂
Hello! Can I use other type of fish? Maybe cod?
Thanks!
Yes, you can substitute any fish!
Wondering if you can use frozen cauliflower rice, just thawed, for fresh?
Really tasty! Lots of great flavors give it a real tropical summery feel. Be aware that the prep time given is if you’ve got all the ingredients cut and measured. It took me about twice as long to prep this meal but if you’ve got the time it is so worth it!