Smoked Paddlefish Tacos
Smoked Paddlefish Tacos are a flavorful and delicious dinner that even fish haters are going to love. Marinated paddlefish is smoked to perfection and served up in crispy taco shells with all of the best Tex-Mex toppings.
Smoked Paddlefish Tacos
Paddlefish or Spoonbills are a rare treat for us. There is a limited time when you are able to snag them and keep them.
Recently my son and a couple of his friends took a day and give it a try. They were all successful and had a great time. My husband and older boys had been once before, so we knew we really loved paddlefish and I was thrilled to have some in the freezer.
Last weekend my son decided to try smoking the paddlefish and we made tacos with it. It’s seriously delicious and if you get the opportunity to go fishing for paddlefish, try it!
How to Make Smoked Paddlefish Tacos:
- Prepare marinade by mixing brewed coffee, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, Italian spices, garlic, smoked paprika and salt together in a small pan. Bring to a boil cook for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool completely.
- Cut fish into bite size chunks and place in a deep bowl or zip top baggie.
- Pour marinade over fish and place in refrigerator for at least one hour.
- Prepare smoker or grill to a medium fire of about 300°.
- Place fish on a grill pan and place on smoker or grill.
- Cook for 15-20 minutes or until internal temperature of fish reaches 145°.
- Remove from heat and cover with a foil tent until ready to serve.
- Meanwhile cook sliced peppers and onions in a skillet with olive oil until vegetables just start to caramelize. Set aside and keep warm until ready to serve
- Bake taco shells according to package directions.
- Top taco shells with smoked paddlefish, fresh tomatoes, sautéd peppers and onion, cotija cheese and cilantro.
We used the same marinade that we had tried on our Easy Marinated Pork Chops, which we also tried on shrimp and ribs and it’s the best marinade for grilling.
Paddlefish is a firm fish that has a texture more like chicken. It does not taste like chicken but the texture is similar. We loved the smoked paddlefish and we have also battered and deep fried it like you would catfish. These tacos can be made with any firm fish.
More Taco Recipes to Try:
Our classic Grilled Fish Tacos are made with Alaskan Pacific Cod and topped with a lime crema. Brisket Tacos are the best idea for leftover brisket from your weekend barbecue and make a quick and easy dinner. Blackened Chicken Tacos are always a hit with the hungry crowd and a nice change up for your weekly Mexican dinner.
We can’t get enough of these BBQ Chicken Tacos and Smoked Pork Carnitas make the best tacos and are so easy to feed to a crowd.
What to Serve with Fish Tacos:
Creamy Coleslaw is a great side for any fish dinner. Homemade Salsa is the perfect compliment to taco night as a topping or serve it with crispy tortilla chips as an appetizer. Roasted Garlic Guacamole is always a winner with any Tex-Mex dinner.
You might also enjoy these homemade crispy Fish Sticks or Grilled Salmon for a quick and easy weeknight dinner.
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Smoked Paddlefish Tacos
Ingredients
- 2 pounds paddlefish
- 3/4 cup brewed coffee
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons Italian seasonings
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 1 tablespoon granulated garlic
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 8 corn tortilla taco shells
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 cup chopped onions
- 1/2 cup chopped sweet peppers
- 1/2 cup fresh diced tomatoes
- 1/2 cup cotija cheese
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Instructions
- Add brewed coffee, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, Italian spices, garlic, smoked paprika and salt together in a sauce pan and bring to a boil. Cook 5 minutes and set aside to cool completely.
- Slice paddlefish into small chunks and place in a zip top baggie.
- Pour marinade over fish, seal and refrigerate for one hour.
- Heat smoker or grill to a medium fire of about 300°.
- Place fish on a grill pan and place on smoker or grill.
- Cook for 15-20 minutes or until internal temperature of fish reaches 145°.
- Cover fish loosely with foil until ready to serve.
- Meanwhile add olive oil to a skillet and sauté peppers and onions. Set aside and keep warm until ready to serve.
- Bake taco shells according to package directions.
- Top taco shells with smoked paddlefish, fresh tomatoes, sautéd peppers and onion, cotija cheese and cilantro.
Nutrition
We love spoonbill a friend of ours always brings us one I never thought about it for Taco we always cube it like chicken nuggets and batter it and fry it and every one actually thinks it’s chicken but we love it
Bev,
Yes, try it on the grill, it’s so good!
~ Milisa