These quick flounder tacos are perfect for busy weeknights. The flounder is coated in an easy blackening seasoning and then pan-seared in less than five minutes, so you'll have dinner on the table in no time at all.
About this Recipe
During the week, I don't have time to fuss with complicated recipes. If dinner can't be cooked in around 20 minutes, I don't want to do it. These flounder tacos are a go-to for a quick and easy dinner that's healthy, filling, and delicious.
The flounder itself takes around five minutes to cook, then we throw it into some tortillas with a southwestern chopped salad kit and salsa. The chopped salad mimics a slaw but takes no time at all and is our favorite weeknight shortcut for great tacos.
These tacos are especially good in the summer with our peach mango salsa. We serve them with our easy black beans and a microwaved cilantro lime rice packet from the freezer section of the grocery store. Easy peasy.
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Key Ingredients and Substitutions
Flounder: We use frozen flounder fillets (we get ours at Wegmans and they're delicious). They're easy to thaw, last in the freezer for a long time, have a nice neutral taste, and are inexpensive. If you want to use a different fish that's still similar, try halibut.
Chopped salad kit: This is the secret to making these tacos super quick and delicious—pick up a chopped salad kit from the grocery store. Any southwestern-inspired chopped kit will work, and many grocery stores have their own varieties. Anything with a chipotle, cilantro, or avocado-type dressing works well.
For example, we love the Southwestern Chopped Salad from Trader Joe's, the Chipotle Cheddar Kit by Fresh Express (we found it at Food Lion, but I think most chain grocery stores carry it), and Taylor Farms' Southwest Chopped Salad.
Flour tortillas: We like to get street taco or taco-sized flour tortillas—not the larger fajita- or burrito-style. You can substitute corn tortillas if that's what you prefer.
Salsa: We like to top our tacos with our favorite salsa. We usually just get whatever we're feeling at the grocery store, but when we have some extra time, we especially love these tacos with our peach mango salsa.
Seasonings: Ground cayenne, salt, black pepper, garlic powder, sweet paprika, chili powder, and cumin
Other ingredients: cooking oil
See recipe card below for full ingredient list and amounts.
Print📖 Recipe
Quick Flounder Tacos
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 6-8 tacos 1x
Description
These quick flounder tacos are perfect for busy weeknights. The flounder is coated in an easy blackening seasoning and then pan-seared in less than five minutes, so you'll have dinner on the table in no time at all.
Ingredients
¼ teaspoon ground cayenne
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon chili powder
½ teaspoon cumin
1 pound flounder fillets, thawed if using frozen
2 tablespoons avocado oil (or your preferred high-smoke point cooking oil)
1 10-ounce southwestern chopped salad kit (see note 1)
Taco-sized flour tortillas
Salsa of your choice
Instructions
- Add the spices to a small bowl and mix to combine.
- Pat your fish dry with a paper towel. Then coat it in 1 tablespoon of the oil and the spice mixture.
- Heat a large pan over high heat. Add the remaining tablespoon of oil, then the flounder fillets. Reduce the heat to medium-high. Cook for 3 minutes, then flip and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes, or until the fish is opaque and easily flakes with a fork. Then remove it from the heat and break it up into small chunks with a fork.
- Prepare the salad kit according to package instructions.
- Prepare your tacos. Warm the flour tortillas slightly (we like to put them directly on our gas burners for a few seconds on each side, but a pan or the microwave works too), then add the fish, salad, salsa, and other desired toppings.
- Enjoy immediately!
Notes
- The chopped salad kit is the secret to making these tacos super quick and delicious. Any southwestern-inspired chopped kit will work, and many grocery stores have their own varieties. Anything with a chipotle, cilantro, or avocado-type dressing works well.
- Other toppings that work well: avocado, pickled or candied jalapeños, pickled onions, pico de gallo, and cojita cheese.
- We serve these tacos with our easy black beans and a microwaved cilantro lime rice packet.
- Leftovers can be stored in separate air-tight containers in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
- Nutritional information is only an estimate.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Pan-seared
- Cuisine: Mexican
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 taco
- Calories: 277
- Sugar: 1.9 g
- Sodium: 890.8 mg
- Fat: 11.7 g
- Saturated Fat: 1 g
- Carbohydrates: 30.5 g
- Fiber: 0.9 g
- Protein: 12.3 g
- Cholesterol: 27.3 mg
Michael says
These flounder tacos are amazing and so easy to make!