Lighten up with these incredible vegan fish tacos. With fish-flavored jackfruit, cilantro cabbage slaw, fresh avocado, and cream sauce these tacos are something to get excited about! Made in just 20 minutes for an easy and delicious vegan meal.
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It's Vegan Taco Time, my friends!
At our house, we have Taco Tuesday every week. We all love Taco Tuesday and secretly (or not so secretly) I wish we could have tacos every night of the week. Most weeks we do fairly traditional tacos with Beefless Ground Beef from Trader Joes, beans, tomatoes, etc.
But every once in a while we step up our taco game and offer Buffalo Jackfruit Tacos and Portobello Steak Tacos. Most recently we decided to add a new taco to the rotation. Enter: Vegan Baja Fish Tacos.
Let's take a closer look.
Ingredients & Substitutions
These fish tacos are made with seasoned jackfruit for the perfect fishy taste and texture. They are then topped with Cabbage Cilantro Slaw, Baja Cream Sauce, and avocado and tomatoes for an amazing taco that will make you, too, want to eat tacos all the time.
Here is everything you need.
Ingredient Notes
- Jackfruit. If you don’t like or can’t find jackfruit, feel free to use tempeh, tofu, or storebought vegan fish. You could also use these Beer-Battered Vegan Fish Sticks.
- Oil - I recommend either coconut or avocado oil. You could also use olive oil if that's what you have on hand.
- Kelp Granules - This is to give you jackfruit a fishy flavor. If you can't find kelp granules, you can ground up seaweed snacks or nori sheets into a coarse powder.
- Herbs & Spices - Cilantro, Cumin, Cayenne, and Salt
- Red Cabbage
- Lime Juice
- Vegan Sour Cream - I recommend Tofutti brand. You can also make your own sour cream if you'd rather.
- Vegan Mayonnaise - My favorite brands are Just Mayo and Vegenaise. You can also use homemade.
- 8" Corn Tortillas - I prefer corn tortillas but flour also works.
- Tomato
- Avocado
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step One - Prepare the Jackfruit
Drain and rinse the jackfruit through a colander. Shake out any excess water. Lay the jackfruit on a paper towel and pat dry. Using your fingers, press the jackfruit chunks and the base to fan out, pushing it into large shreds.
Add the spices and kelp granules and stir them together.
Heat up oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When it is sizzling hot, add the jackfruit and sauté for 3-4 minutes until the jackfruit begins to brown.
Remove the jackfruit from the heat and set aside!
Step Two - Make the Cabbage Slaw
Thinly cut the cabbage into small slices. Feel free to use the shredding attachment on your food processor. Transfer the shredded cabbage into a bowl and stir in the remaining ingredients. Taste and adjust according to your liking and refrigerate until ready to use.
Step Three - Make the Baja Fish Sauce
Combine the ingredients for the Baja Fish Sauce, whisking them together until they are smooth and creamy. Taste and adjust seasonings.
Step Four - Assemble the Vegan Tacos
Place a small scoop of jackfruit on the bottom of each tortilla. Add a small scoop of cabbage slaw and top with avocado, tomatoes, Baja Cream Sauce, fresh lime juice, and cilantro. Serve immediately.
Serving and Storing
Serving - Serve these tacos immediately once assembled. Serve these tacos as part of your Cinco de Mayo meals or summertime potlucks
Storing - Store leftovers separately. The Baja fish sauce and cabbage slaw can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Store the jackfruit fish in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. When ready to eat, gently reheat the jackfruit in the microwave or over the stovetop and assemble the tacos.
Tips and Tricks
- Make sure your jackfruit is properly rinsed and drained. Rinse the jackfruit through a colander and shake out any excess water. Lay the jackfruit on a paper towel and pat dry. Using your fingers, press the jackfruit chunks and the base to fan out, pushing it into large shreds.
- Don't like jackfruit? No problem! Feel free to use tempeh, tofu, or storebought vegan fish. You could also use these Beer-Battered Vegan Fish Sticks.
- I prefer these tacos with corn tortillas. However, if you prefer, you can use flour tortillas.
Frequently Asked Questions
For those of you who are unfamiliar, jackfruit is a large green tropical fruit that, when green, has very little flavor. The stringy texture, however, is similar to that of chicken or pulled pork, making it one of the most popular whole food vegan meat substitutes.
While some people buy jackfruit whole, I find getting it canned isthe most convenient way to introduce jackfruit into your recipes.
Jackfruit is an incredible whole-food meat substitute. It has a similar texture to that of chicken or pulled pork and it takes on any flavors you give it. (Hello, Buffalo Jackfruit Tacos!)
When buying jackfruit in a can, it comes in small triangles. At the base of the triangle, you’ll find a thick core. To shred it, hold the core between your thumb and forefinger and gently press up while pressing into the fruit with your thumb. The tops will easily shred into what you see below.
Watch this video to see it for yourself.
If you can't find or don't like jackfruit, you can use tofu, tempeh, or store-bought vegan fish. You can also use my Beer-Battered Fish Sticks. Although, through much experimenting, I do believe jackfruit is your best fish replacement here.
Yep!
More Vegan Jackfruit Recipes
- Vegan Taquitos with Jackfruit
- Vegan Tortilla Soup with Jackfruit
- BBQ Jackfruit Sandwiches with Avocado Slaw
- Vegan Classic Chicken Salad
- Jackfruit "Tuna" Melt
More Vegan Taco Recipes
- Crispy Coconut Lime Cauliflower Tacos
- Buffalo Jackfruit Tacos
- Balsamic Portobello Tacos with Spicy Red Pepper Sauce
- Teriyaki Tofu Tacos with Pineapple Slaw
- Orange Glaze Tempeh Tacos
Vegan Baja Fish Tacos with Cream Sauce
Ingredients
Jackfruit "Fish"
- 1 tbsp. coconut oil
- 1 15 oz. can jackfruit
- 1 tbsp. kelp granules
- ½ tsp. cumin
- ½ tsp. salt
- ¼ tsp. cayenne
Cabbage Slaw
- 1 cup purple cabbage, shredded
- 2 tbsp. cilantro, minced
- 2 tsp. lime juice
- ½ tsp. salt
Baja Cream Sauce
- 2 tbsp. vegan sour cream
- 1 tbsp. vegan mayonnaise
- 1 ½ tsp. lime juice
- ¼ tsp. salt
- pinch of cayenne
Everything Else
- 8 (6") corn tortillas
- lime wedges
- a few sprigs cilantro
- 1 Roma tomato, chopped
- 1 small avocado, chopped
Instructions
- Drain and rinse the jackfruit through a colander. Shake out any excess water. Lay the jackfruit on a paper towel and pat dry. Using your fingers, press the jackfruit chunks and the base to fan out, pushing it into large shreds. See this video for a visual. Set aside.
- To make the Cilantro Cabbage Slaw, finely chop the cabbage and place it in a mixing bowl. Add minced cilantro, lime juice, and salt. Taste to adjust seasonings. Refrigerate until ready to use.
- Whisk together the ingredients for the Baja fish sauce and refrigerate.
- Transfer the jackfruit to a bowl and stir in sea kelp granules, cumin, cayenne, and salt. Heat a skillet over medium heat. Add the jackfruit and sauté for 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently, until the jackfruit has begun to brown on the edges. Remove from heat.
- To assemble the tacos, place 2-3 tablespoons of jackfruit fish at the bottom of each taco. Top with cabbage slaw, cubed avocado, tomatoes, fresh lime, and cilantro. Serve immediately.
Hi, I’m Sarah. I’m a 14-year (and counting) vegan, professionally trained photographer, former pastry chef, founder of My Darling Vegan, and author of the
Noel says
I tried this recipe last summer I really liked it
Suzy says
Hi Sarah. I can't find kelp granules anywhere. Is there a substitute? And equal amount of a pulverized nori sheet? Thanks! Can't wait to try these!
Sarah McMinn says
Yes, I would use nori sheets, equal amount. 🙂