Easy Shawarma Spiced Fish Tacos Recipe

Shawarma Fish Tacos

Combine Middle Eastern spices with Mexican toppings to create fusion fish tacos, offering an original and hassle-free midweek dinner option that's both quick and nutritious.

Shawarma, a beloved Middle Eastern street food, typically features spiced meats cooked on a vertical rotisserie and wrapped in bread. Cooking your fish horizontally in an air fryer or a trusty old pan yields equally delightful results, as the magic of Shawarma lies in its zingy spice blend, infusing the fish with irresistible flavours and creating a juice fish centre with a delicate crispy coating.

For heartier fish bites opt for our premium fish fillets given their firm meaty texture (turbot steaks and monkfish fillets work particularly well) and marinate for 15 minutes. For a more delicate texture, opt for our standard white fish fillets and marinate for 10 minutes, you can then easily flake once crispy as pictured above. Make sure not to marinate for longer or the citrus will start to cook the fillets ceviche-style.

Assemble with your favourite toppings (such as avocado, tomato, shredded lettuce or cabbage) and a light yoghurt sauce to balance the heat from the spices.

Instead of traditional bread wraps, serve your succulent fish tacos on toasted corn tortillas, allowing the flavours and textures of the fish to truly shine. We source top-quality tortillas from our friends at Mexican Mama who deliver the best authentic Mexican groceries in the UK.

 

Ingredients for 2

For the marinated fish:

  • 2x 200g white fish fillets fresh or frozen (thawed overnight in the fridge)
  • 1/2 tsp ground cumin
  • 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
  • 1/2 tsp ground coriander
  • 1/2 tsp garlic granules
  • 1/2 tsp mild paprika
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
  • Sea salt
  • 1 lemon
  • Extra virgin olive oil

For the tortillas:

  • 1 pack of corn tortillas from Mexican Mama (flour tortillas works too)

For the sauce:

  • 4 tbsp of greek yoghurt
  • 1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • Pinch of salt

For the toppings:

  • Sliced avocado
  • Sliced tomatoes
  • Shredded cabbage or lettuce
  • Extra virgin olive oil for a last drizzle before biting into your tacos

 

Method

1. In a small bowl, mix the cumin, turmeric, coriander, garlic powder, sweet paprika and chopped onion to make your Shawarma mix.
    2. Pat the fish fillets dry with a paper towel and season with a little salt. Remove skin if sneed and slice into chunky bites before adding in a deep plate.
    3. Sprinkle the Shawarma spice mix and delicately toss, then squeeze the lemon juice and add a good drizzle of olive oil. Toss again and reserve in the fridge for 15 minutes if using meaty fish fillets like turbot or monkfish, or 10 minutes for standard fillets
      4. Once marinated, place the fish chunks onto your air fryer grilling rack or an oven-proof dish, removing any excess marinade (especially onions) as it would burn when grilling. Cook for 10 minutes or until cooked through and golden crispy (the fish will easily flake once cooked).
      5. While the fish cooks, make your sauce by mixing all ingredients and seasoning to taste, and warm up your tortillas in your toaster, oven or a pan.
      6. To assemble your tacos, start by spreading a layer of your toppings on your warm tortillas, then delicately pile on the sizzling fish bites and top it all off with the yogurt sauce. For more fun, you can also let everyone assemble their tacos at the table by serving the crispy fish chunks and toppings in separate bowls.
       
      7. Enjoy!

       

      Shawarma Fish Tacos

       

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