Fish Taco Cabbage Bowls

Fish Taco Bowls with cabbage and a spicy lime dressing are delicious for an easy fish dinner any time of year! And everyone who likes Fish Tacos will love this popular bowl meal that has those same flavors!

PIN the Fish Taco Bowls to make this for dinner later!

These Fish Taco Cabbage Bowls are a delicious low-carb dinner for everyone who likes fish tacos! I think this is a perfect dinner when the seasons are changing and it’s hard to plan what to cook. And you might still find cabbage that’s on sale, so I’m recommending this as my Friday Favorites pick for this week!

Trust me when I say that the fish taco bowls with cabbage and perfectly-seasoned fish are really a WOW. My sister Sandee loves this recipe and makes it over and over. And this is one of my personal favorites as well.

The bowl meal with fish taco flavors was so delicious that when I tested the recipe with my nephew Jake, we kept saying how good they were! I hope you’ll give this recipe a try; I bet you’ll love it like we did for a quick and healthy dinner!

What ingredients do you need for this recipe?

(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe with ingredient amounts.)

• fillets of any mild white fish
• Olive Oil (affiliate link)
• Szeged Fish Rub (affiliate link) or fish rub of your choice
• ground Cumin (affiliate link)
• Chili Powder (affiliate link) or ground chile powder
• green cabbage
• red cabbage(see notes)
• green onion
• guacamole or diced avocado, for serving (completely optional, but good)
• mayo
• fresh-squeezed lime juice, I used my fresh-frozen lime juice
• Green Tabasco Sauce (affiliate link)
• Vege-Sal (affiliate link) to taste, or use slightly less regular salt

What fish is good for Fish Taco Bowls?

Any type of mild white fish will work for this recipe. Make it with cod, bass, grouper, haddock, catfish, snapper, halibut, or Mahi Mahi. And if you’re a fan of salmon, I bet that would be delicious too.

Can you eat the fish taco ingredients in a lettuce wrap or tortilla?

You can make this recipe into tacos by eating eat the fish and slaw inside a tortilla or inside lettuce wraps. If you use Mission Carb Balance Low-Carb Tortillas (affiliate link) or another low-carb tortilla, it will still be a pretty low-carb meal.

How spicy is the slaw for the Fish Taco Bowls?

If you use the two teaspoons of Green Tabasco Sauce the recipe calls for, the slaw dressing will be slightly spicy. I recommend starting with one teaspoon and tasting to see if you want more heat. And people who love spicy food might want an additional teaspoon of hot sauce!

How low in carbs are the fish taco bowls?

These delicious cabbage bowls with fish taco flavors only have 4 net carbs per serving and 12 grams of protein!

How to make the Fish Taco Bowls:

(This is only a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

1. I used three pieces of fish, which was enough fish for 4 fish taco bowls. Use any type of mild white fish. 
2. Mix spices together, then rub the fish with olive oil and the spice mixture and let it come to room temperature.
3. You could buy pre-sliced coleslaw mix. We sliced the cabbage with a Mandoline Slicer (affiliate link) and the 3cm blade.  You’ll also need some thinly sliced green onions.
4. Whisk together mayo, lime juice, Green Tabasco Sauce, and a little Vege-Sal or salt.
5. I used my Stovetop Grill Pan (affiliate link) to cook the fish, but a regular frying pan will work. 
6. Brush on a little olive oil and heat the pan before you put the fish on. After about 4 minutes on medium-high, turn fish to the second side and let it cook about 4 minutes more.
7. Remove the fish and let it cool just a minute or so; then use two forks to shred it apart.
8. Mix about half of the green onions with the cabbage mixture, and toss with enough dressing to barely moisten.
9. Fill a bowl with the cabbage mixture and top with desired amount of the shredded fish.
10. Then drizzle a little more of the spicy mayo mixture over the top.  Sprinkle with a few green onions and devour! 
11. We like this Fish Taco Bowl served with guacamole or diced avocado, which adds another punch of flavor, but that’s optional!

Who else really likes bowl meals?

Check out my category for Bowl Meals if you also like the idea of a tasty meal served in a bowl!

Want more cabbage recipes?

If you’re a big cabbage fan like I am check out Low-Carb and Keto Cabbage Recipes for more fun ideas with this healthy vegetable.

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Yield: 4 servings

Fish Taco Cabbage Bowls

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 8 minutes

Total Time 23 minutes

Fish Taco Cabbage Bowls are great for a season-spanning low-carb dinner, and this is quick and easy to make!

Ingredients

Ingredients:

• 4 small fillets of any mild white fish
• 4 tsp. olive oil
• 2 tsp. Szeged fish rub (see notes)
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp. chili powder (or ground chile powder)
• 1 medium head green cabbage, thinly sliced
• 1/2 medium head red cabbage, thinly sliced (see notes)
• 1/2 cup thinly sliced green onion (or more)
• guacamole or diced avocado, for serving (completely optional, but good, see notes)

Dressing Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup mayo
• 2 T fresh-squeezed lime juice; see notes
• 2 tsp. Green Tabasco Sauce (more or less to taste).
• salt or Vege-Sal to taste

Instructions

1. Thaw fish overnight in the refrigerator if frozen.
2. Mix the fish rub, ground cumin, and chile powder in a small dish.
3. When you’re ready to cook, pat fish dry with paper towels, then rub both sides with 2 tsp. of the olive oil followed by the fish rub mixture.
4. Let the fish come to room temperature while you prep the other ingredients.
5. Cut away the core of the cabbage and discard, then use a knife or a Mandoline Slicer (affiliate link) to cut the cabbage into thin slices; we used the 3 cm blade for the mandoline.  (You can also use pre-sliced coleslaw mix if you don’t want to bother cutting the cabbage.)
6. Thinly slice the green onion.
7. Whisk together the mayo, lime juice, Green Tabasco Sauce, and Vege-Sal (or salt) to make the dressing (affiliate links).
8. Brush a stove-top grill pan or heavy frying pan with the other 2 tsp. olive oil and heat the pan about a minute at medium-high heat.  Then add the fish and cook about 4 minutes on the first side.
9. Turn gently and cook about 4 minutes more on the other side.  (Actual cooking time will depend on how thick your pieces of fish are.  Fish should feel barely firm to the touch when it’s done.)
10. While the fish cooks, mix about half the green onions into the cabbage mixture and stir in enough dressing to barely moisten the cabbage.
11. When the fish is done, let it cool slightly on a cutting board, then use two forks to shred the fish apart.
12. Fill bowl with 1/4 of the cabbage mixture and top with desired amount of fish. Drizzle a little more dressing over the top.
13. Serve the Fish Taco Cabbage Bowls right away, with green onions for garnish and guacamole if desired.
14. If you prefer traditional fish tacos or lettuce wrap fish tacos, just use the ingredients here inside a low-carb tortilla or lettuce wrap!

Notes

If your fish fillets are very large, you'll only need 3 pieces of fish to make four servings.

You could also make this with pre-sliced coleslaw mix if you don’t want to slice the cabbage.

I love Szeged Fish Rub (affiliate link) but there are many good brands.

I used my fresh-frozen lime juice, which is something I always have in the freezer.

We used Green Tabasco Sauce (affiliate link) but another type of hot sauce can work.

This recipe created by Kalyn with inspiration from fish tacos and some other bowl meals.

Nutrition Information

Yield

4

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 354Total Fat 31gSaturated Fat 5gUnsaturated Fat 25gCholesterol 43mgSodium 521mgCarbohydrates 7gFiber 3gSugar 2gProtein 12g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.

Did you make this recipe?

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Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
This Fish Taco Bowl recipe is great for all Low-Carb or Keto diets, or for any phase of the original South Beach Diet. The recipe is also gluten-free.

Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Bowl Meals to find more recipes like this one. Use the Diet Type Index to find more recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.

Historical Notes for this Recipe:
The recipe for Fish Taco Cabbage Bowls were first posted in 2014 and I’ve made this recipe over and over since then! It was updated in 2023 with the suggestion to make the fish taco bowl meal ingredients into fish tacos or lettuce wrap tacos. The recipe was last updated with more information in 2026.