I don’t think there is such a thing as a perfect fish taco. It can’t be because there are just so many good ways to do it, no one recipe could ever be the best. Nevertheless, I am always in the pursuit of perfecting recipes and fish tacos are easily a food group in my house, so here is another variation for you to try: smoky trout tacos with lemon garlic aioli.
Can we talk about aioli for a minute, please? Does anyone actually use eggs to make their aioli? Maybe I’m the only one that is totally hooked on the ease of using mayo, but what can I say? It’s delicious, easy to make, and I don’t have to fuss with raw eggs. Win-win in my book.
I did make these tacos with delicious rainbow trout, but you can go so many directions with your proteins here. Try another type of fish, such as simple tilapia or go big with mahi-mahi. Make it vegan with some tofu or chickpeas. Seriously, the sky’s the limit.
What makes these fish tacos smoky? Smoked paprika! Get some fresh smoked paprika, the flavor is so worth it. I pair it with plenty of garlic, and some earthy coriander and black pepper for a full rounded flavor profile.
Tips and tricks for this Smoky Trout Tacos with lemon garlic aioli recipe:
- Why grate the garlic? Grating the garlic makes it finer so it melds into the aioli a little more smoothly. You could also buzz the aioli in a mini food processor, or just enjoy the little chunks if you prefer to mince.
- Why soak the garlic in lemon juice? The acidity of the lemon juice “cooks” the garlic so that it looses its raw flavor. It’s a lot faster and easier than roasting garlic, with similar mellow results.
- Toppings: I went with simple lettuce and tomato for the pictures, but a cabbage and avocado slaw is also amazing. Use what you have on hand, or make both for all the picky eaters in your house!
- Heat it up: Add some cayenne or Aleppo pepper into the spice blend to make the fish tacos spicy.
- 2 garlic cloves, grated or finely minced
- 1 ½ TBS fresh lemon juice (about ½ large lemon)
- 1 tsp each: garlic powder and smoked paprika
- ¼ tsp each: coriander, black pepper and salt
- 4 skinless trout fillets, cut into bite sized pieces, about ½lb
- 2 tsp canola oil
- 6 small tortillas (corn or flour)
- 3 TBS cup mayo
- Toppings: sliced cabbage, minced cilantro, diced tomato, chopped lettuce, diced avocado etc.
- Mix together the garlic and lemon juice. Let this rest for 10 minutes to mellow the garlic.
- Mix together the garlic powder, smoked paprika, coriander, black pepper, and salt. Toss the bite-sized pieces of trout in the spice mixture to coat.
- Heat the oil over medium high heat in a skillet until shimmering. The trout pieces should sizzle on contact. Add the fish and cook 2-3 minutes, or until opaque, turning once.
- Hear the tortillas according to package directions.
- Mix the garlic mixture into the mayo until combined. Drizzle or spread the aioli over the tortillas.
- Top the tortillas with fish and toppings of choice.
