15-Minute Fish Tacos (with a trick that makes the fish part very easy)

Because I love fish tacos – and I think they’re the perfect healthy-ish weeknight meal

Welcome to the first official issue of Little Feast! Your weekly nudge out of the food rut.

Each week you'll get one practical cooking tip (the Zhuzh ✨), plus one delicious, easy recipe to put it into action (the Nudge 🍽).

This week: a little trick to super-easy pan-fried fish – plus a 15-minute fish taco recipe that tastes like the weekend but is actually doable on a Tuesday.

As you can see from my camera roll, 16 minutes from first step to finished tacos. And that’s with me stopping to take photos and videos along the way.

If you’re anything like me, around 5pm you suddenly realize: ugh, dinner again. You want something healthy-ish and tasty, without a ton of effort. And honestly, how many more times can you eat chicken, beans, or tofu without losing it?

That was me last week. I'd just gotten back from a run, wanted something satisfying ASAP (like, in 20 minutes or less), and landed on fish tacos.

I know, you’re probably thinking: Seb, fish tacos? On a busy day? Here’s the thing – I have a simple trick for pan-frying white fish that gives you perfectly crispy outsides and tender, flaky insides every single time.

You could totally just serve the fish with some veg, and that would be delicious. But if you want 15-minute tacos that taste like weekend food on a Tuesday, keep reading.

The Weekly Zhuzh ✨

How to pan-fry fish without the drama (crispy crust, juicy middle, no sticking)

I know a lot of people are scared of cooking fish. But, you really don’t have to be. This little trick makes it ridiculously easy.

1. Lightly coat in flour 2. Add to a hot pan 3. Cook undisturbed until crispy.

Here’s how:

• Pat your fish fillets dry, season with salt on both sides (more on fish selection in the recipe below).

• Put a little all-purpose flour (GF is fine too!) on a plate, and gently press both sides of your fillets into it. Shake off the extra.

• Grab a pan (cast-iron, non-stick, whatever you have), heat it on medium-high, add a good glug of olive oil (or any vegetable oil). This is the only fat in the whole dish, so be generous.

• Once it's hot, lay your fish down. Now DON’T TOUCH IT for about 5-6 minutes. This is hard, I know. Distract yourself by slicing some veg.

• Once you see golden crispy edges, carefully flip, and cook another minute. Done.

This little flour trick makes all the difference. It keeps the fish from sticking, locks in moisture, and gives it a crispiness that feels way fancier than the 8 minutes of effort you actually put in.

Fish cooked like this will be great in a salad, with some simple veg, or in a taco:

The Nudge 🍽️

15-Minute Actually-Fantastic Fish Tacos

Because you don’t have to go all out with beer-battered fish and a salsa made from scratch to have a Little Feast.

Serves 2 hungry people

You'll need:

• About 400g white fish (cod, hake, tilapia, whatever’s sustainable and not too pricey. Frozen and thawed works too)

• 2 tbsp all-purpose flour (or gluten-free alternative)

• 6 small corn or wheat tortillas

• 1 ripe avocado

• 1 tomato

• Mayo, yogurt or sour cream (whatever’s in your fridge)

• Crunchy veg: cabbage, radish, or red onion slices (pick at least one)

• Lime wedges, hot sauce, fresh coriander (optional, but highly recommended)

Do this:

1. Pan-fry the fish exactly as above. Let it rest while you…

2. Slice avocado, dice tomato, prep your crunchy veg.

3. Warm tortillas (microwave, pan, or directly on the hob).

4. Place 3 tortillas on a plate. Spoonful of mayo or sour cream, fish on top (just tear it apart, no perfection needed), avocado slices, tomato, crunchy veg.

5. Finish with lime juice, coriander leaves, and hot sauce.

That’s it for the very first issue of Little Feast!

I’d honestly love nothing more than to hear what you think – what was helpful, what you'd love more of, or what you're currently struggling with in the kitchen. Leave a comment or just hit reply to this email, I’ll read every single one.

Let’s make this a two-way thing. 💌