Fish Taco Slaw

Layer your fish tacos with this creamy and tangy Fish Taco Slaw! Made from cabbage, mayo, sour cream, cilantro, and lime, this easy slaw comes together in minutes and imparts bright and fresh flavors with each bite.

Do you love fish tacos as much as I do?! Whether they’re made with cod, tilapia, catfish, salmon, or halibut, fish tacos are always light, fresh, and flavorful. All I need are a handful of toppings and a tasty drink on the side to make it the best meal ever.

One of my favorite toppings is this Fish Taco Slaw. It’s a quick and easy slaw made from cabbage, bagged coleslaw mix, mayonnaise, sour cream, and a handful of herbs and seasonings. The light, fresh, and tangy flavors are the perfect complement to any variety of fish tacos and even grilled shrimp tacos or black beans tacos.

The best part? You can wrap up the leftovers and keep using the slaw over and over again. It goes well on salads, burrito bowls, tostadas, and more!

Fish taco slaw ingredients

• Coleslaw mix – Use a bag of pre-shredded coleslaw mix to speed up this recipe.
• Red cabbage – Using cabbage in slaw is pretty much a given. I used shredded red cabbage for some tart flavors, a pop of color, and a crunch. You can always use green cabbage if that’s all you have at home!
• Mayo and sour cream – This cabbage slaw gets its creaminess and some tang from a mixture of mayonnaise and sour cream.
• Cilantro and lime – For brightness, zest, and fresh flavors.
• Cumin – For just a touch of savory flavors and a nice smoky bite.

How to make cabbage slaw for fish tacos

All you have to do is mix all of the ingredients together in a medium bowl. When everything is thoroughly combined, cover the bowl and keep the slaw in the fridge until it’s time to serve.

Tips and substitutions

• Let the slaw chill in the fridge. Leaving the mixture covered in the fridge for at least 30 minutes will give the flavors time to mingle together.
• Instead of mayonnaise, you can use mashed avocado or omit it entirely and just use sour cream.
• Instead of sour cream, swap it for plain Greek yogurt or Mexican crema.
• Looking for spice? Chop up some raw or pickled jalapenos or one chipotle pepper in adobo sauce and toss them into the slaw.
• For smoky flavors, you can add a sprinkle of chili powder, cayenne, or smoked paprika.

Uses for cabbage slaw

Here are some of my favorite foods to eat with this slaw:

• Tilapia fish tacos
• Baja fish taco
• Southwest chicken salad
• Taco salad
• Chicken burrito bowl
• Mexican street corn tostadas
• Pressure cooker carnita

Fish taco toppings

Compliment this creamy cabbage slaw and the fish in your tacos with more bright and tangy toppings! Try out any of these suggestions:

• Avocado crema
• Fish taco sauce
• Lime wedges
• Radishes
• Creamy chipotle ranch dressing
• Grilled corn
• Pickled jalapenos
• Guacamole

Make ahead and storing

To make it ahead of time, assemble the slaw and store it in an airtight container in the fridge.

To store leftover slaw, keep it in an airtight container or sealed ziploc bag. It should stay fresh in the fridge for up to 3 days. 

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4.75 from 51 votes

Fish Taco Slaw

By: Isabel Orozco-Moore

A creamy Fish Taco Slaw made from cabbage, mayonnaise, sour cream, cilantro, and lime juice. Great topping for fish tacos!

Prep: 10 minutes minutes

Total: 10 minutes minutes

Servings: 8 servings

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Ingredients 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 3 cups shredded coleslaw mix (from a bag)
• ▢ 2 1/2 cups shredded red cabbage
• ▢ 6 tablespoons mayonnaise
• ▢ 1/4 cup sour cream
• ▢ 1/4 cup chopped cilantro lightly packed
• ▢ 1 lime, zested and juiced
• ▢ 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• ▢ 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

Instructions 

• Add all ingredients to a medium bowl. Toss together until fully mixed.
• Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

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Notes

• Let the slaw chill in the fridge. Leaving the mixture covered in the fridge for at least 30 minutes will give the flavors time to mingle together.
• Instead of mayonnaise, you can use mashed avocado or omit it entirely and just use sour cream.
• Instead of sour cream, you can use plain Greek yogurt or Mexican crema.
• Looking for spice? Chop up some raw or pickled jalapenos or add one chipotle pepper in adobo sauce and toss them into the slaw.
• For smoky flavors, you can add a sprinkle of chili powder, cayenne, or smoked paprika.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 53kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 4mg | Sodium: 241mg | Potassium: 144mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 406IU | Vitamin C: 28mg | Calcium: 38mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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