There’s nothing quite like biting into a crispy, creamy fish taco and getting hit with the first hint of savory spices. Topped with tangy coleslaw, the flavors are all tied together with a delicious sauce that’s delectable enough to eat alone.
We’ve rounded up our favorite fish taco sauce recipes that you can make at home. There are some deceptively simple traditional-style sauces as well as a few that you can try when you want to change things up a little.
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Top 10 Fish Taco Sauce Recipes
From tangy to citrusy, here are our top 10 fish taco recipes, with a couple of honorable mentions included as well.
1. Dairy-Free Avocado Crema
If you’re looking for a creamy, dairy-free fish taco sauce, this one from Joyful Healthy Eats has you covered. This tangy, hearty sauce uses avocados as its base rather than mayo or sour cream, so it’s full of healthy fats and low in cholesterol.
In addition to the avocados, you’ll blend together fresh herbs and spices like:
- garlic
- cilantro
- cumin
- red pepper flakes
- salt
Lime juice, red wine vinegar, and olive oil work together to tie it all together. All you have to do is combine all the ingredients in a food processor and chill in the refrigerator until you’re ready to use it.
2. Creole Fish Taco Sauce
Put a Creole spin on your fish tacos with this unique sauce recipe. The herbs and spices of the Creole seasoning will make you feel like you’re enjoying a relaxing meal out on the bayou. This one comes from The Modern Proper, and it couldn’t be easier to make.
This sauce uses two of the most common ingredients used in most fish taco sauce recipes:
- mayonnaise
- lime juice
Even though the ingredients are incredibly simple, they’re joined by a special touch, which gives it it’s unique kick: as much creole seasoning as you’d like.
Place the mayonnaise in a bowl. Whisk in a squeeze of lime juice and a dash of Creole seasoning. Taste and add more seasoning as desired, and place in the refrigerator until needed.
Have a seasoning that you like better than Creole that you think would work better? Give it a try!
3. Tangy Avocado Sauce
The combination of avocado and tartar sauce adapted from Foodie Crush gives this fish taco sauce a delightful tanginess. One of the few fish taco sauce recipes on this list that don’t contain any chilis or peppers, it’s ideal for offsetting an extra spicy fish taco recipe.
The base of this sauce is tartar sauce and avocado, giving it a rich, creamy consistency. Things are kept pretty simple flavor-wise with just cilantro, lime, and salt added into the mix.
Mix the ingredients in a small bowl or food processor until smooth. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
4. Asian-Inspired Sweet Chili Sauce
This Asian-inspired sweet chili sauce from Ask Chef Dennis is equal parts sweet and spicy, perfectly offsetting fish tacos. If you’re ready to change up your usual cream-based fish taco sauce for something new, give this one a try.
There’s no cream, mayo, or tartar holding this sauce together; rice vinegar and rice wine work together to blend together the strong flavors of:
- Sriracha, sambal oelek, or garlic chili sauce
- dried red chili flakes
- garlic
- ginger
- soy sauce
A bit of corn syrup lends sweetness, and cornstarch thickens the sauce up. This sauce requires a bit more work than most on this list, and it is the only one that requires boiling.
You’ll boil all ingredients except the cornstarch in a small saucepan, stirring regularly. Once the sugar has dissolved, stir in the cornstarch. Stir continually for about a minute until the sauce thickens. Let the sauce cool, then refrigerate until ready to use.
5. Healthy Fish Taco Sauce
This healthy fish taco sauce from Verywellfit.com is spicy and refreshing, and since it doesn’t contain dairy, it’s the perfect choice for lactose-intolerant diners.
Mayonnaise is the main ingredient of this sauce, thinned as needed by water or the milk alternative of your choice. All you need to do is combine it with a spicy paste made out of:
- ground ancho chile
- cumin
- smoked paprika
- salt
- lime juice
- olive oil (preferably garlic-infused)
Just whisk the paste into the mayo and add enough water or milk alternative so that the sauce is thick but still pourable.
6. Simple Jalapeno Fish Taco Sauce
You don’t need a long list of fancy ingredients to make a mouthwatering fish taco sauce, as this recipe from The Spruce Eats proves. The smokiness of the roasted jalapeno lends this sauce a wonderfully rich flavor that will be right at home on top of a freshly made fish taco.
Sour cream (or Mexican crema) and mayonnaise make up the bulk of this sauce, combined with:
- garlic powder
- lime juice
- salt
But the star of the show is the jalapeno, which you’ll roast over an open flame or broil until it’s charred and blistered. Remove the stem, skin, seeds, and membrane. Transfer it to a food processor along with the other ingredients and blend until smooth. Chill in the refrigerator.
7. Creamy Fish Taco Sauce
One of the best things about this recipe from Chili Pepper Madness is that you’ve probably already got everything you need to make it. You’ll be pleasantly surprised at the way a few simple ingredients can come together to make such an appetizing sauce to compliment your tacos.
This sauce calls for combining:
- mayonnaise
- Mexican crema (or sub sour cream or Greek yogurt)
- lime juice
- hot sauce of your choice
- garlic powder
- salt
Just whisk all the ingredients together, and voila! You’ve got the perfect accent for your crispy fish tacos. Chill until ready to serve.
(You might also be interested in knowing about the Best Fish for Fish Tacos)
8. Authentic Fish Taco Sauce
This authentic fish taco sauce from Mexican Food Journal is simple to make and will add a delightful bit of creamy spice to your fish tacos. The key ingredient here is the oregano, which makes the sauce incredibly savory.
Mayonnaise and sour cream or crema are, as usual, the base ingredients in this one. Other common fish taco sauce ingredients also make an appearance:
- chipotle peppers in adobo
- garlic
- Mexican oregano
- lime juice
- sea salt
But add in some chipotle peppers in adobo and a bit of Mexican oregano, and the authentic taste will make you feel like you’re in Baja.
Mix the ingredients by hand or using a food processor, and store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
9. Cherry Bomb Fish Taco Sauce
This cherry bomb sauce provides a welcome change from the usual chili-based fish taco sauces. This recipe, which is from Soup Addict, will add a bit of sophistication to your fish tacos with minimal effort.
As usual, you’ll be combining everything with mayonnaise and sour cream (or substitute Greek yogurt) and a bit of lime. But the ingredients list for this sauce is longer than some of the others we’ve gone over:
- cumin
- coriander
- dried dill weed
- dried oregano
- chipotle chili powder
- capers
- cherry bomb pepper or pepper of your choice
- fresh cilantro
Combine ingredients in a large bowl and chill until serving.
10. Gourmet Fish Taco Sauce
This recipe is from Chelsea’s Messy Apron, and it offers a level of flavor complexity that more basic sauces lack. Don’t let the long ingredient list scare you – once everything’s measured out, it’s just a matter of mixing them together.
Most of these ingredients are likely to be already sitting in your spice rack, so it should be a no-brainer. This sauce is a typical mayonnaise-sour cream base, with not only lime juice but lime zest as well.
Then it’s just a matter of grabbing some fresh cilantro, a jalapeño pepper, and some spices:
- garlic
- fine sea salt
- pepper
- paprika
- chili powder
- cumin
- garlic powder
Whisk all ingredients together and chill until ready to serve.
Fish Taco Sauce Honorable Mentions
There are so many delicious fish taco sauce recipes out there, that it was nearly impossible to narrow down the list to just ten. These honorable mentions are also flavorful and easy to make, so they’re worth trying out.
- Easy Fish Taco Sauce: This sauce is perfect for fish tacos and just about any other seafood dish that you can think of. It’s tangy with just a hint of spice, so it won’t overpower the meal. Just whisk the ingredients together in a large bowl. Keep in the refrigerator until needed.
- sour cream
- mayonnaise
- lime juice
- adobo sauce
- garlic powder
- onion powder
- table salt
- Spicy Fish Taco Sauce: This fish taco sauce recipe is another simple one that combines a few basic ingredients with mouthwatering results. It has a bit of a kick to it, which you can ramp up or tone down by adjusting the amount of sriracha you include. Mix all the ingredients until smooth and store in the fridge until ready to serve.
- sour cream
- mayonnaise
- lime juice
- garlic powder
- sriracha or other hot sauce
(Try reading our article on Best Fish Cookbooks to know about the other yummy recipes)
Wrapup
These delicious sauces take less than ten minutes to make, and most of them don’t require anything more complicated than measuring out a few ingredients and whisking them together. Next time you want to impress a group with your culinary skills, you’ll be armed with these outstanding fish taco sauce recipes that guarantee delicious success.
