Fish Tacos with Pomegranate Salsa

Get ready for a delicious fusion of flavors! These fish tacos with pomegranate salsa are the best of both worlds- sweet and zesty with a satisfying crunch. Tender tilapia on a warm corn tortilla is topped with a crisp jicama slaw and sweet pomegranate salsa. It’s a spin on the traditional taco night that we know you’ll love!

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This is a delicious, winter-inspired fish taco recipe, but it’s also versatile enough to work any time of the year. While these tilapia fish tacos are sublime with our sweet and crunchy pomegranate salsa, if pomegranate is not in season, swap in your favorite salsa instead.

Our fish tacos with pomegranate salsa is the perfect Taco Tuesday dish, and a break from regular beef or chicken tacos. It’s fresh and light and but it packs the same kind of flavor punch that makes a good taco. If you want more quick fish dinners, try our rockfish recipe or our grilled swordfish.

How to Make Fish Tacos:

For this tilapia fish taco recipe, you can prepare the pomegranate salsa and jicama slaw a bit ahead of time, either breaking up the meal prep by making the two sides a few hours in advance or even the day before. Choose whatever works best for you!

Ingredients for Fish Tacos with Pomegranate Salsa:

This fish tacos recipe calls for:

• Pomegranate arils. For the pomegranate salsa- we use two large pomegranates. See our full pomegranate salsa recipe for tips on how to cut a fresh pomegranate and remove the arils.
• Fresh lime juice. It gives the salsa a little bit of zing.
• Chopped cilantro. We love cilantro in any salsa recipe!
• Shallot, diced. This gives the salsa that light, onion flavor.
• Jalapeño pepper. Stemmed, seeded and finely chopped.
• Salt. Add salt to taste.
• Jicama. For the jicama slaw. Make sure to shred it (you can use a box grater or mandoline).
• Green scallions. Chopped, these will be stirred into the slaw.
• Ground cumin. It gives the jicama slaw a nice flavor.
• Tilapia fillets. Or substitute for another type of firm-flesh fish.
• Salt and white pepper. For seasoning the fish.
• Olive oil or vegetable oil. To fry the tilapia.
• Corn tortillas. Warm them a little before assembling the fish tacos.
• Sour cream. Because every good taco needs it!
• Lime and cilantro sprigs. For topping these tilapia fish tacos.

Our Fish Taco Recipe:

To make these fish tacos with pomegranate salsa, we like to break up the process into four steps: make the pom salsa, prepare the jicama slaw, then cook the tilapia fillets and assemble the fish tacos.

Here’s the quick gist of the process, but be sure to scroll down the the recipe card at the bottom of the page for all the details. You can also check out our pomegranate salsa recipe and our jicama slaw recipe.

1. Prepare the pomegranate salsa: Stir together the pomegranate arils, lime juice, cilantro, shallot and jalapeño. Stir to combine, then taste and adjust the amount of salt as needed. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes before serving.
2. Make the jicama slaw: Peel the jicama and use a box grater or mandoline to shred about 2 cups worth. Toss it in a bowl with chopped scallions, cumin, and lime juice. Mix in the salt and pepper. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate while you prepare the tilapia.
3. Cook the tilapia fillets: Pat the fillets dry them dry and sprinkle them with salt and pepper. Add some oil to a hot skillet and cook the fish about 2 minutes on each side.
4. Assemble the fish tacos: While the fish cooks, wrap tortillas loosely in a damp kitchen towel and microwave them at 30-second bursts until they are warm and pliable. Assemble the tacos by placing one warm tortilla on each of four plates and add 1/2 cup of jicama slaw and one fish fillet. Spoon 1/4 cup of the pomegranate salsa on the fish, then add a dollop of sour cream. Garnish with cilantro and lime quarters.

Pro Tips for the Best Fish Tacos!

• Drying the fish with a paper towel to remove any surface moisture will help the fish develop a nice, crisp crust.
  
• Don’t crowd the pan when frying the tilapia. Instead, work in batches.
  
• Make sure to allow enough cooking time on that first side of the tilapia so that a nice crust forms. In fact, after you place it into the hot skillet, do not move the fish. Once the crust forms, it will release from the pan. You can gently nudge it with your spatula to see if it moves easily and is ready to flip.

These fish tacos with pomegranate salsa make a light and tasty meal that’s winter-inspired yet still full of freshness!

More Recipes You Will Love:

Tex-Mex Fish Tacos with Chipotle Slaw: These fish tacos are low-fat and addictive! Crisp fish fillets on a bed of zesty, crunchy slaw all wrapped up in a warm tortilla. What else could you ask for except maybe a cold brew!

Tri-Tip Fajitas: If you have some pre-cooked shredded tri-tip beef (or pork) you have the makings of an easy, fast dinner! Red, green and yellow bell peppers sautéed with onions and seasoned with a zesty sauce then folded into a warm tortilla!

Spicy Blackened Tilapia: Cajun spices coat these tilapia fillets with a zesty, peppery crust. The spicy rub caramelizes into the fish as it cooks, creating a crisp blackened outer crust with a tender flakey interior.

Prep Time: 20 minutes mins

Cook Time: 3 minutes mins

Total Time: 23 minutes mins

5 from 1 vote

Fish Tacos with Pomegranate Salsa

By Pat Nyswonger

A fusion of flavors! Fish tacos with pomegranate salsa! A crisp tilapia fillet on a warm corn tortilla, zesty jicama slaw and smothered in a crunchy pomegranate salsa! Perfect for Taco Tuesday!

If you make this recipe, please leave a star rating and comment.

Servings: 4 servings

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Ingredients 

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For the Pomegranate Salsa:

• ▢ 3 cups pomegranate seeds, from 2 large pomegranates, see Notes
• ▢ 1/2 cup lime juice, freshly squeezed
• ▢ 3 tablespoons cilantro, fresh chopped
• ▢ 1 medium shallot, diced
• ▢ 1 jalapeno, stemmed, seeded and finely chopped
• ▢ Salt , to taste

For the Jicama Slaw:

• ▢ 2 cups jicama, shredded
• ▢ 6 green scallions, chopped
• ▢ 1 large lime, juiced
• ▢ 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• ▢ Salt, to taste
• ▢ black pepper , to taste

For the fish:

• ▢ 4 tilapia fillets , or other firm-flesh fish
• ▢ Salt, to taste
• ▢ white pepper, to taste
• ▢ 2 tablespoons olive oil, or vegetable oil
• ▢ 4 corn tortillas, warmed
• ▢ Pomegranate salsa, see recipe
• ▢ Jicama Slaw, see recipe
• ▢ 1/2 cup sour cream
• ▢ 1 lime, quartered
• ▢ Cilantro sprigs , for garnish

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Instructions 

For the Pomegranate Salsa:

• In a small dish, add the pomegranate arils, lime juice, cilantro shallot and jalapeno.  Stir to combine, taste and add salt as needed.
• Cover the dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes before serving.  

For the Jicama Slaw:

• Peel the jicama and slice it in half.  Using a box grater or mandoline, shred enough of the jicama to measure 2 cups, place into a bowl and add the chopped scallions, cumin, and lime juice. 
• Toss the ingredients to combine, and add salt and pepper to taste.  Serve immediately or cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 6 hours.

To Cook the Tilapia Fillets:

• Place the fish fillets on a plate, and pat with paper towels to remove surface moisture. and sprinkle them with salt and pepper.  
• Set a skillet over medium heat, add the oil, and when it is hot but not smoking, add the fish. Do not crowd the pan. Work in batches. Cook the fish for 2-3 minutes until a crust forms on the bottom.  Do not move the fish until a crust forms! Flip the fish over and cook for an additional 2 minutes. 
• Tip: After placing the fish in the hot skillet, do not move it. Once the crust forms, it will release from the pan easily.  To check if it has formed the crust and is ready to flip, give it a gentle nudge with your spatula.
• While the fish is cooking, wrap the tortillas loosely in a dampened kitchen towel and place them in a microwave and zap at 30-second bursts until warm and pliable.  

To serve:

• Place a warm tortilla on each of four plates and add 1/2 cup of jicama slaw and one fish fillet. 
• Spoon 1/4 cup of pomegranate salsa on the fish and add a dollop of sour cream.  Garnish with cilantro sprigs and lime quarters.  

Notes

Pat the fish with paper towels to remove surface moisture. This will help with a good crisp crust.

The fish fillets will be easier to turn if you cook the fish in batches so as not to crowd the skillet.

Let a crust form on the bottom of the fish before turning. Otherwise, it will stick and leave a chunk of fish on the skillet. Once the fish forms a crust, it will release by itself.

Wrap unused jicama in plastic wrap and keep refrigerated for another use.

How to remove arils from pomegranates:

1. Using a sharp paring knife set at an angle about 1/2-inch from the crown, make cuts all around the crown, remove the crown and discard. 
2. Locate the six ridges on the outside of the pomegranate.  Make shallow cuts through the skin on each ridge from top to bottom.  
3. With your fingers, gently pry open the pomegranate exposing the ruby arils. 
4. Break the pomegranate into sections and, working with one section at a time, hold it over a bowl and remove the ariels with your fingers.  Discard the white membrane. 
5. Repeat the process with the remaining pomegranate.

Nutrition

Serving: 1, Calories: 498kcal, Carbohydrates: 51g, Protein: 40g, Fat: 18g, Saturated Fat: 5g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 8g, Cholesterol: 102mg, Sodium: 159mg, Potassium: 1.136mg, Fiber: 12g, Sugar: 22g, Vitamin A: 431IU, Vitamin C: 50mg, Calcium: 123mg, Iron: 3mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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