In my never-ending quest to reduce meat consumption while on the Whole30 diet, I turned to the fish section at the grocery store. Sure, I love my salmon and salmon cakes as much as the next person on a diet, but what about a neutral-tasting protein? One that I could slather in a spicy rub and pile on top of a cool and creamy slaw? Enter stage right: cod for fish taco bowls! Wild cod came in a neat package already portioned into two perfect filets at my store. It was meant to be. Plus, I had to use the rest of the bag of slaw from making my Egg Roll Bowls, you know? I promise I would never make you buy a 12-ounce bag of slaw and only give you a recipe to use half of it. Leftover food that potentially might go to waste keeps me up at night. I truly detest leftovers, which is why I do this whole cooking for two thing!
So, what’s in a Fish Taco Bowl?
I’m so glad you asked! Fish taco bowls contain everything a fish taco typically has, minus the shell or tortilla! -deliciously spiced fish (I used cod with a smoky chipotle marinade)
- bright and crisp slaw (mimics the crunch of the taco shell) -spicy ranch dressing -tangy accoutrements: lime wedges, cilantro sprigs, creamy avocado and cherry tomatoes. Raw jalapeños if you like it spicy!
Very astute readers will notice the similarities between this fish marinade at the chicken marinade on my Bacon Chicken Recipe. I have no proof other than my own tastebuds, but this marinade tastes exactly like Chipotle’s chicken marinade. I’ve eaten a lot of burrito bowls in my days in an attempt to guess the ingredients, and I landed on this flavor combination years ago. For these fish taco bowls, if you want them spicy, use chopped chipotles instead of tomato paste. That’s what I used in the photo below, but a milder, less-spicy substitute is tomato paste. I also want to point out that we’re leaning on a store-bought Whole30 condiment again: Paleo Ranch Dressing. I buy it at online (because they deliver to my door and are much cheaper!), and it helps so much during Whole30. It’s made with avocado oil to make it Whole30 compliant; no dairy here! Check labels at the grocery store. Speaking of condiments, if ordering condiments is something you don’t have time for (I get it), try my avocado chicken salad that relies on creamy avocados instead of mayonnaise to deliver big flavor.
The goal with the Whole30 deal is to eat as much delicious food as possible to limit snacking and limit the amount of time we spend thinking about the foods we can’t have. Snack time on Whole30 is especially hard. I’m someone who craves salty, crispy things for snacks, which is why I pick my Bacon Wrapped Asparagus as a substitute for French fries. If you’re someone who craves sweet, I’m sending you thoughts of strength and solidarity. I’m told sugar cravings dissipate over time; Godspeed, my friends! If I wasn’t on this weird diet for the month of January, I would still make this recipe. Except, I would add a handful of crushed tortilla chips on top to mimic the lovely crunch of a fish taco. My husband hails from Southern California, and the man knows his fish tacos like you wouldn’t believe. For the time being, an extra squeeze of lime mimics the salty flavor, and we will pretend the crunch of the cabbage in the slaw is a chip, ok?
Any cravings half-way through Whole30, friends?
Now that we’re half-way through, I hope some cravings and destructive thoughts have passed for you. I mentioned on my Bacon Chicken Recipe post that I slipped up and ate a piece of carrot cake in an extremely stressful situation. I’m happy to report no other relapses. I should also apologize for not bringing you a plethora of recipes as promised; I hope you’ve been able to scan my Whole30 recipe collection and the internet to find the things you need! There are so many great resources out there! I just want to help you make Whole30 recipes for 2-3 people so that you don’t get tired of leftovers on day 6. Most of my recipes so far have served 2-3 people, or enough for dinner for two with a lunch portion leftover. I hope this is helpful for you!
Get ready for another amazing week, friends! By the way, it’s been so fun developing dinner recipes for you, especially these delicious fish taco bowls! For a long time, my traffic has been noticeably higher on the weekends, and I didn’t know why. But I understand now that you guys bake on the weekends. This warms my heart so much! Now that I share quick and easy dinners for two, it’s nice to see you guys during the week, too! If you haven’t already, sign up for my weekly newsletter here, where I deliver 2 new recipes each week.
*If you want spicy fish taco bowls, use chopped canned chipotle peppers. For a non-spicy fish taco bowl, substitute tomato paste. **Whole30 compliant Ranch dressing lacks dairy or soy, and is made with avocado oil. I use the brand Primal Kitchen, and I buy it at Thrive Market. Final note: the nutrition information below seems off to me, because Whole30 ranch is considerably lower in calories than regular ranch. My nutrition info is auto-calculated; sorry for any confusion.
