Marlin Fish Tacos with Lime Dill Sauce
I cannot tell you how much I love fish tacos; practically every restaurant I go to if it’s on the menu, it’s what I order. Recently we were in Los Cabos, Mexico and my husband, Cory, had the opportunity to go Deep Sea Fishing where they were lucky to catch a Marlin and bring some home. It’s the first time I’ve had Marlin and what better way than Marlin Fish Tacos. You have to be drooling.
The day prior to this adventure, we went on a whale watching excursion which was fabulous but I learned that I tend to get a little sea sick so when the deep sea fishing excursion came up, I was more than happy to stay on land while Cory and a few friends went to bond for the 10 hour excursion. I was hopeful that they’d catch something, especially a Marlin, because it was his first time out and they did. In fact, they caught 5 Tuna and 1 Marlin which was quite exciting, partially because they were the first fishermen to catch one in the last month.
They were out past the famous arch at Cabos San Lucas in Mexico at sunrise where Cory snagged some beautiful pictures for me. He knows me so well. The guide and captain were more than knowledgable, filleting the fish in minutes before they got off the boat back at the marina, packaged and ready to freeze for the ride home. Yes, you can bring fish back.
Not only were the seagulls and pelicans happy to hang around for tasty remnants of the fish but sea lions decided they needed to visit the boat too in hopes of an easy meal. These guys were so close, Cory was about 5 inches from this one for the picture. It looks like she was happy to pose for a photoshoot, and a few bait fish.
In the end, Cory brought home a smile on his face, an experience for the books and these beautiful fillets of Marlin (and Tuna).
Marlin Fish Tacos – Flavour
For us Canadians on the prairies, Marlin is hard to come by and even harder to get fresh. We sampled the fish simply by frying it in butter, salt and pepper before we left the resort in Mexico and I was already in love. I like seafood but fish with a heavy fish taste aren’t my favourite. This Marlin has a deliciously light fish meaty flavour with a juicy and flaky texture of perfection. Add on a spice rub to bring out the best in the fish and you have perfection in a fish taco.
*If you don’t have access to Marlin, I’m sad for you but you can use any fresh thick white fish. Ensure proper thawing and keeping methods are used when handling seafood.
The addition of pickled coleslaw with cilantro, lime and dill sauce makes these tacos more delicious. I mean seriously, these are all my favourite flavours thrown into one.
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- 1 lb marlin fish fillet
- 1½ tbsp cooking oil
- 12 small tortilla shells
- ½ cup red cabbage, chopped
- 1 cup green cabbage, chopped
- ¼ cup pickled red onion
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro
- Rub...
- 1 tbsp corse salt
- ½ tbsp pepper
- ½ tsp paprika
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- ¼ tsp onion powder
- Sauce...
- 1 cup greek yogurt
- juice of 1 lime
- 1 tbsp fresh dill
- ½ avocado, smashed
- 1½ tbsp honey
- Mix rub spices together and rub evenly over the sides of the fish and set aside.
- In a skillet or grill pan, heat cooking oil on medium high heat. Place fish into hot pan and sear for 4 minutes one side, flip and sear for 6 minutes on the other side. Cover with the lid with the heat turned off for another 4 minutes. Depending on the thickness of your fish and the heat, you may need to reduce searing time and reduce stove temp to avoid burning. The fish should be cooked through, flaky and juicy, not dried out.
- In a small bowl, mix sauce ingredients together and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, mix coleslaw ingredients together and set aside.
- Using a fork, flake the fish into chunks for the tacos. Set tortilla's, coleslaw, fish and sauce on the table for your dinner guests to make tacos with the ingredients and enjoy!
Absolutely delicious recipe! I loved the spice rub and sauce although since I didn’t´t have yogurt, I used Ranch dressing (yes fattening). The marlin I used was fresh caught given to me and so tender and mild! I´m going to try Marlin steaks because of this recipe. Muchas gracias!!!
I’m so glad you liked it 🙂 Marlin is so delicious, isn’t it?!