Grilled Chilean Sea Bass Fish Tacos

By Christie Vanover | Published March 4, 2012 | Last Updated December 29, 2022

When I first heard about fish tacos 15 years ago, my immediate reaction was, “a what taco?” I was thinking of opening a Schlotzsky’s franchise, and my cousin in San Diego recommended I open a Rubio’s Fish Taco restaurant instead.

I wasn’t confident that customers in Louisville, Kentucky, were ready for this Baja cuisine in the early 90s. It was nothing like the traditional ground beef crunchy tacos we were used to. Needless to say, I didn’t open up either restaurant.

It was probably 3-5 years later before I was ever able to make it to a Rubio’s to try a fish taco. Boy was a missing out all these years. These were great.

Delicate white fish, mixed with a crunchy sour slaw all wrapped in an earthy corn tortilla.

I only make it to San Diego once every 12-18 months, so I had to learn to prepare these at home. And although you can also make them with fried fish, I like grilling my fish for on my STOK Quattro grill for a healthier dinner.

You can use cod or halibut, or even shrimp, but I like the texture and buttery flavor of sea bass, so that was my poisson du jour. Bon appetit!

What Is Sea Bass

There are many types of fish known as freshwater and saltwater bass. In fact, Britannica reports that there are 475 different species. Striped bass, white bass and black sea bass are all common varieties found in recipes.

Personally, I love to cook with Chilean sea bass, because it’s very mild and buttery flaky fish, but it’s actually not really a sea bass at all.

The species is actually Patagonian toothfish. According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, the U.S. imports around 10,000 tons of Chilean sea bass each year, and it was the Chileans who first marketed the “toothfish” to the U.S., which is how it got its name.

Patagonian toothfish, or Chilean sea bass, whichever you prefer to call it, grows in the deep oceanic waters near Antarctica.

• Sour Cream: Great fish tacos always include a fresh made lime crema. Sour cream is the base for this recipe.
• Lime Juice: Fresh squeezed is always best.
• Apple Cider Vinegar: The vinegar and lime juice add tangy notes to the sauce.
• Sugar: A little granulated white sugar will sweeten the sauce, so it’s not so tart.
• Cabbage: You can buy a whole head of green cabbage and shred it, or buy pre-shredded cabbage coleslaw mix.
• Jalapeño: This is optional, but it provides added crunch and a little heat.
• Tomatoes: These are for the garnish. You can dice larger red tomatoes or cherry tomatoes.
• Chilean Sea Bass: You can buy white fish fillets at the grocery store fish counter or frozen. If you buy frozen, be sure to thaw it and pat it dry with paper towels to remove the excess moisture.
• Olive Oil: To keep the fish from sticking to the grill.
• Seasonings: Salt, black pepper and ground cumin.
• Corn Tortillas: I like the earthiness of yellow or white corn tortillas with fish tacos, but you can also use flour tortillas, if you like them better.

1. STEP ONE: In a small bowl, whisk together the sour cream, juice of one lime, apple cider vinegar, sugar and a pinch of salt and cumin to taste.

2. STEP TWO: To make the cabbage slaw, shred the cabbage and place it in a medium bowl. Toss in the dressing. Cut the jalapeño into strips, removing the stem and seeds. Add that to the bowl.

3. STEP THREE: Pat the sea bass with a paper towel, removing as much moisture as possible. Season both sides with salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil. The olive oil will prevent the fish from sticking to the grill.

4. STEP FOUR: Heat your charcoal grill, gas grill or pellet grill to high or 400F degrees. Place the fish on the grill skin side down. Don’t move it. It needs to sear so it doesn’t stick. Allow it to cook for 4-5 minutes.

5. STEP FIVE: Flip and cook for another 4-5 minutes. Remove the fish from the grill and slice into ½-inch strips.

How to serve sea bass tacos

Warm tortillas on the grill. Then, place a strip of grilled sea bass on each tortilla. Top with the cabbage slaw and fresh tomatoes. Fold into a taco and serve.

For an added pop of flavor, serve with fresh lime wedges and hot sauce. Your diners can add a squeeze of fresh lime juice or a couple dashes of hot sauce to their liking.

Storage

If you have leftovers, it’s best to save the ingredients separately. The cabbage can be saved for 1-2 days. If you save it too much longer, it will start to get liquidy. The grilled fish can be saved in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Fish tacos do not freeze well.

Looking for even more grilling recipes, visit my other website girlscangrill.com