Fish Taco Cabbage Bowls are a delicious and easy-to-make idea that can be a great low-carb or Keto dinner any time of year! And if you prefer, grab some lettuce and make the bowl ingredients into Lettuce Wrap Fish Tacos!

PIN the Fish Taco Cabbage Bowls to make it for dinner later!

Fish Taco Cabbage Bowls shown on napkins with forks and guacamole

Don’t you think times when the seasons are changing are the hardest time to plan what to cook? That’s just one reason I love these tasty Fish Taco Cabbage Bowls, no matter what the weather is doing that day, this will be a great low-carb dinner. And you might still have some of that cabbage you bought on sale this month, so I am recommending this as my Friday Favorites pick for this week!

And trust me when I say that these low-carb fish taco bowls are really a WOW. My sister Sandee loves this recipe and makes it over and over. And this is one of my personal favorites as well. The Fish Taco Cabbage Bowls were so delicious that when my nephew Jake and I tested the recipe, we kept exclaiming over how good they were.

The cabbage bowls topped with fish taco fixings are definitely an offspring of Sriracha Beef Cabbage Bowls (another recipe I love). I hope you’ll give this fish-taco-in-a-bowl recipe a try; I bet you’ll love it just like we did for a quick and healthy dinner! 

What ingredients do you need for this recipe?

(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

  • fillets of any mild white fish
  • Olive Oil (affiliate link)
  • Szeged Fish Rub (affiliate link) or fish rub of your choice
  • ground Cumin (affiliate link)
  • Chili Powder (affiliate link) or ground chile powder
  • green cabbage
  • red cabbage(see notes)
  • green onion
  • guacamole or diced avocado, for serving (completely optional, but good)
  • mayo
  • fresh-squeezed lime juice, I used my fresh-frozen lime juice
  • Green Tabasco Sauce (affiliate link)
  • Vege-Sal (affiliate link) to taste, or use slightly less regular salt

What kind of fish is good for Fish Taco Cabbage Bowls?

Any type of mild white fish such as cod, bass, grouper, haddock, catfish, snapper, halibut, or Mahi Mahi will work for this recipe. I haven’t tried making it with salmon, but I bet that would be delicious too.

Can you eat the fish taco ingredients in a lettuce wrap or tortilla?

If you’re a fan of fish tacos or lettuce wrap fish tacos, just make the Fish Taco Cabbage Bowl ingredients and then eat inside a tortilla or inside lettuce wraps. That will also be a delicious option, and if you use Mission Carb Balance Low-Carb Tortillas (affiliate link) or your favorite low-carb tortillas, it will still be a pretty low-carb meal.

Want more cabbage bowl meals or cabbage recipes?

If you’re a cabbage fan like I am check out Low-Carb and Keto Recipes with Cabbage or for more more cabbage bowl ideas check out Low-Carb Bowl Meals You’ll Make Over and Over. (This recipe was also featured in Ten Low-Carb Mexican Food Favorites You’ll Make Over and Over.)

Fish Taco Cabbage Bowls process shots collage

How to make Fish Taco Cabbage Bowls:

(This is only a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

  1. I used three pieces of fish, which was enough fish for 4 fish taco cabbage bowls; use any type of mild white fish. 
  2. Mix spices together, then rub the fish with olive oil and the spice mixture and let it come to room temperature.
  3. You could buy pre-sliced coleslaw mix, but we sliced the cabbage using a Mandoline Slicer (affiliate link) and the 3cm blade.  You’ll also need some thinly sliced green onions.
  4. Whisk together mayo, lime juice, Green Tabasco Sauce, and a little Vege-Sal or salt.  If you’re not a big mayo fan, a mix of mayo and Greek Yogurt would also be good here.
  5. I used my Calphalon Stovetop Grill Pan (affiliate link) to cook the fish, but a regular frying pan will also work. 
  6. Brush on a little olive oil and heat the pan before you put the fish on. After about 4 minutes on medium-high, I turned my fish to the second side and let it cook about 4 minutes more.
  7. Remove the fish and let it cool just a minute or so; then use two forks to shred the fish apart.
  8. Mix about half of the thinly sliced green onions with the cabbage mixture, and toss with enough dressing to barely moisten the cabbage.
  9. Fill a bowl with the cabbage mixture and top with desired amount of the shredded fish.
  10. Then drizzle a little more of the spicy mayo mixture over the top.  Sprinkle with a few green onions and devour! (Green onions apparently didn’t make it into the photo at this point!)
  11. We like this served with guacamole or diced avocado, which adds another punch of flavor!

Fish Taco Cabbage Bowls close-up photo

More Tasty Low-Carb Dinners with Fish:

Fish Taco Cabbage Bowls square thumbnail image
Yield: 4 servings

Fish Taco Cabbage Bowls

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 8 minutes
Total Time 23 minutes

Fish Taco Cabbage Bowls are great for a season-spanning low-carb dinner, and this is quick and easy to make!

Ingredients

Ingredients:

  • 4 small fillets of any mild white fish
  • 4 tsp. olive oil
  • 2 tsp. Szeged fish rub (see notes)
  • 1 tsp. ground cumin
  • 1/2 tsp. chili powder (or ground chile powder)
  • 1 medium head green cabbage, thinly sliced
  • 1/2 medium head red cabbage, thinly sliced (see notes)
  • 1/2 cup thinly sliced green onion (or more)
  • guacamole or diced avocado, for serving (completely optional, but good, see notes)

Dressing Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup mayo
  • 2 T fresh-squeezed lime juice; see notes
  • 2 tsp. Green Tabasco Sauce (more or less to taste).
  • salt or Vege-Sal to taste

Instructions

  1. Thaw fish overnight in the refrigerator if frozen.
  2. Mix the fish rub, ground cumin, and chile powder in a small dish.
  3. When you’re ready to cook, pat fish dry with paper towels, then rub both sides with 2 tsp. of the olive oil followed by the fish rub mixture.
  4. Let the fish come to room temperature while you prep the other ingredients.
  5. Cut away the core of the cabbage and discard, then use a knife or a Mandoline Slicer (affiliate link) to cut the cabbage into thin slices; we used the 3 cm blade for the mandoline.  (You can also use pre-sliced coleslaw mix if you don’t want to bother cutting the cabbage.)
  6. Thinly slice the green onion.
  7. Whisk together the mayo, lime juice, Green Tabasco Sauce, and Vege-Sal (or salt) to make the dressing (affiliate links).
  8. Brush a stove-top grill pan or heavy frying pan with the other 2 tsp. olive oil and heat the pan about a minute at medium-high heat.  Then add the fish and cook about 4 minutes on the first side.
  9. Turn gently and cook about 4 minutes more on the other side.  (Actual cooking time will depend on how thick your pieces of fish are.  Fish should feel barely firm to the touch when it’s done.)
  10. While the fish cooks, mix about half the green onions into the cabbage mixture and stir in enough dressing to barely moisten the cabbage.
  11. When the fish is done, let it cool slightly on a cutting board, then use two forks to shred the fish apart.
  12. Fill bowl with 1/4 of the cabbage mixture and top with desired amount of fish. Drizzle a little more dressing over the top.
  13. Serve right away, with green onions for garnish and guacamole if desired.
  14. If you prefer traditional fish tacos or lettuce wrap fish tacos, just use the ingredients here inside a low-carb tortilla or lettuce wrap!

Notes

If your fish fillets are very large, you'll only need 3 pieces of fish to make four servings.

You could also make this with pre-sliced coleslaw mix if you don’t want to slice the cabbage.

I love Szeged Fish Rub (affiliate link) but there are many good brands.

We love Good Foods Tableside Chunky Guacamole, which was easy and good for this recipe. 

I used my fresh-frozen lime juice, which is something I always have in the freezer.

We used Green Tabasco Sauce (affiliate link) but another type of hot sauce can work.

This recipe created by Kalyn with inspiration from Sriracha Beef Cabbage Bowls.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 354Total Fat: 31gSaturated Fat: 5gUnsaturated Fat: 25gCholesterol: 43mgSodium: 521mgCarbohydrates: 7gFiber: 3gSugar: 2gProtein: 12g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.

Did you make this recipe?

Did you make this recipe? Please leave a star rating (under the PRINT button in the recipe) or share a photo of your results on Instagram! THANKS!

square image of Fish Taco Cabbage Bowls shown on napkins with forks and guacamole

Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
This Fish Taco Cabbage Bowl recipe is great Low-Carb or Keto diets, or for any phase of the original South Beach Diet. The recipe is also gluten-free.

Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Bowl Meals to find more recipes like this one. Use the Diet Type Index to find more recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Danica's Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagramon TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.

Historical Notes for this Recipe:
This recipe was posted in 2014 and I’ve made it over and over since then! It was updated in 2023 with more information and the suggestion to make the cabbage bowl ingredients into fish tacos or lettuce wrap fish tacos, and was last updated in 2024!

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