NJBC Eats: Fish Tacos
Fish tacos are one of my favorite warm weather foods. and I’d like to share some swaps to make them healthier. Instead of a traditionally prepared fish taco made with battered and deep fried fish, try substituting seasoned grilled fish or shrimp as the protein. This can save calories and fat without sacrificing flavor. Veggies like shredded cabbage, tomatoes and avocado go great with fish tacos and up the crunch and fiber. You can go even ‘greener’ by ditching the tortillas altogether and serving tacos on top of salad or wrapped in lettuce leaves to save around 100 calories and 17 grams of carbohydrate.Â
Serving size = 2 tacos. Recipe serves 4. Â
Ingredients:
- Siete almond flour tortillas (gently heated), other low-carb tortillas or lettuce cups
Grilled Fish
- 1 lb lean tilapia, or your choice of fish
- Sea salt + pepper to taste
- 2 tbsp. Olive or avocado oil
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp ground cuminÂ
Slaw
- 1 cup shredded cabbage
- â…“ cup greek yogurt
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- Juice of 1 lime
- 1-2 tsp sriracha, optionalÂ
Toppings
- 1 avocado slicedÂ
- 2 roma tomatoes chopped
Instructions:
- Season tilapia on both sides with salt and pepper. In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, smoked paprika, garlic powder and cumin add fish and cover. Marinate for 20 to 30 minutes.
- Heat grill to medium-high heat. Grill tilapia for 3-4 minutes per side. Remove from heat and allow to rest for a few minutes before gently shredding.Â
- Add all slaw ingredients to a medium bowl, mix well.Â
- Assemble your tacos: place almond flour tortillas on a plate, top with shredded tilapia, slaw, avocado and tomatoes.
By: Dana Babeu, R.D.
Dana Babeu, RD, is a registered dietitian at New Jersey Bariatric Center, a medical & surgical weight loss center with offices in Springfield, Somerville, Hoboken, East Brunswick, Hackettstown and Sparta, New Jersey. She provides pre-operative and post-operative nutritional counseling to New Jersey Bariatric Center’s Gastric Bypass, Gastric Sleeve, LAP-BAND (gastric band) and revision patients, in addition to dietary counseling for patients in our Medical Weight Loss program.