These lemon butter fish tacos are loaded with fresh ingredients and perfectly seasoned plump fish. And don't forget to serve them with my creamy and spicy chipotle crema for a serious flavor boost.
In a small bowl, combine melted butter with olive oil and sea salt, lemon juice, and zest. Stir to combine.
In a separate bowl, combine salt, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, and black pepper.
Evenly sprinkle spice mixture onto both sides of fish fillets.
In a large, heavy pan over medium-high heat, heat olive oil until hot. Cook 2 fish fillets at a time to avoid overcrowding, which allows for even browning. Cook each side 3 to 4 minutes just until fish becomes opaque, feels somewhat firm in the center, and is browned.
Lightly drizzle some of the lemon butter sauce as you cook, reserving the rest for serving.
Drizzle fish with remaining lemon butter sauce.
In a food processor or blender, combine crema, chipotle in adobo and sauce, lemon zest and lemon juice, water, and salt until smooth; transfer to a small bowl.
Flake fish with a fork into pieces.
Heat corn tortillas on a griddle. Fill with fish pieces and serve tacos with chipotle cream sauce and garnish with toppings of your choice.
Notes
Nutrition facts do not include tortillas or toppings. Expert Tips:
Buy frozen. More often than not, any fish that you see in the "fresh fish" counter has been previously flash frozen on the boat, then defrosted for display. You're actually more likely to get fresher fish if you opt for the frozen aisle, where the fish has been consistently frozen throughout the supply chain.
How to quickly thaw fish fillets. If you forgot to pull your tilapia out of the fridge this morning, not to worry. Simply place the plastic-wrapped fish fillets in a bowl in the sink and run cool water over them. They should be defrosted within 15 minutes!
Cook 2 fish fillets at a time to avoid overcrowding, which allows for even browning. If you add too many fillets to the pan, the tilapia will end up steaming instead of getting that lovely Maillard reaction we're looking for.