Fish Taco Sauce
Fish taco sauce is quick, easy, and the perfect way to add a little, creamy, tangy kick to fish tacos or sandwiches. We also use it as a fry sauce!
Creamy Taco Sauce without Sour Cream
Have you ever had Baja fish tacos or fish stick tacos? Tacos are one of my favorite meals.
They’re quick, simple, and fresh. I love the meaty fish, soft tortillas, crisp fish taco slaw, and especially this easy fish taco sauce.
Finding the right sauce can be tricky, though. This one uses mayonnaise and lemon juice for a creamy, tangy flavor that pairs really well with white fish.
We make this sauce without sour cream, but you can swap in a little sour cream for some of the mayonnaise if you prefer.
It comes together in about 5 minutes and works on more than just fish tacos.
If you’re looking for something different type of topping, we also have homemade dill sauce, zesty fry sauce, and homemade tartar sauce made with fresh dill and horseradish.
How to Make Fish Taco Sauce without Sour Cream
Fish Taco Sauce Tips and Variations:
The flavor gets stronger as the sauce sits, so I think it tastes even better after a little time in the fridge.
For the best texture and flavor, use full-fat mayonnaise. Miracle Whip or other salad dressing-style substitutes will change the taste quite a bit.
We use this sauce most often on fish tacos, but it also works well with fish taco slaw or as a swap for classic coleslaw dressing.
The spices are easy to adjust. If you want a milder sauce, reduce the chipotle or leave it out altogether.
This version is made without sour cream, but you can replace a portion of the mayonnaise with sour cream if you’d like.
Storage
Because it has a mayonnaise base, this fish taco sauce should be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator and used within 3 to 4 days.
More ways we love to use this sauce
This sauce is usually the one I reach for when we’re making homemade mahi mahi fish tacos or an easy dinner of tilapia fish tacos, since it adds a creamy, tangy layer without a lot of extra work.
If you want to try a different sauce with seafood, my 5-minute remoulade sauce recipe and flavorful chipotle cream sauce are both solid options depending on the flavor you like.
For a more classic taco night spread, you might also like my homemade taco sauce. It’s a different kind of sauce, but it’s another easy recipe to keep in the fridge when you want something quick for tacos, bowls, or wraps.
How to Video
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cup mayonnaise
- 1 ½ tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, juice from ½ a lemon
- 1 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning
- ½ teaspoon dried dill
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ teaspoon chipotle powder
- ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¼ teaspoon garlic salt
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Mix all ingredients together in a medium bowl.1 ¾ cup mayonnaise1 ½ tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice1 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning½ teaspoon dried dill½ teaspoon onion powder¼ teaspoon ground cumin¼ teaspoon chipotle powder¼ teaspoon smoked paprika¼ teaspoon garlic salt¼ teaspoon salt⅛ teaspoon black pepper
- Keep cold in the refrigerator until ready to use.
- The sauce can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 days in an airtight container.
Soo good and soo versatile! We use it in sandwiches, burgers, quesadillas, etc.
Thanks so much, Kristina!
We appreciate the comment and the star rating. John and I agree! We use this sauce on so many dishes. If you haven’t tried it as a dipping sauce for french fries and onion rings, give it a try sometime! It’s so good! 😁 Thanks again and have a great evening!
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe! I don’t like sour cream OR yogurt, so I’ve never been able to find a good fish taco sauce that I can actually eat. So grateful!
Thank you Amber! Kim and I are glad you enjoyed the taco sauce. Thank you again for commenting and rating the recipe. Have a lovely day 🙂
This is now our go-to sauce for fish tacos! I’m so grateful to have a tasty option as I have to be dairy-free. And the spices are really moldable.. sometimes I don’t have enough of one and those substitute a little of something else and it always turns out great. Thank you!
Thank Kimberly! I started making this taco sauce almost 10 years ago. I too have had to make a few spice substitutions from time to time. Thank you again for commenting and rating the recipe, we appreciate it. Have a lovely day 🙂
This sauce is so good on fish tacos. Next I’ll try on salmon!
Thanks so much, Jane!
We’re glad you enjoyed it! Have a fantastic weekend! 🙂
Thank you for this amazing sauce recipe, I will never put any other sauce on my fish again, this was simply delicious.
Thank you Angie, we’re glad you enjoyed the taco sauce. Have a lovely day 🙂
Wow, easy, fast, delicious! My kids are quite picky and let me know when they don’t like things. This passed muster and I added it to my family cookbook page next to my grandma’s fish recipe. Thanks!
Thank you Laura, Kim and I are glad everyone enjoyed the fish taco sauce. Have a lovely weekend 🙂
This sounds delicious! I am curious though, why does it only keep in the refrigerator for only 3-4 days? I keep my plain mayonnaise in my refrigerator much longer than that.
Good morning Elaine, thank you for the compliment and asking a question. Kim and I worked in restaurants for a number of years in our teens and twenties. During that time, it was common practice to toss leftover refrigerated sauces after 3-4 days. That practice included mayonnaise based sauces. So, that’s why we recommend trashing most of our leftovers after 3-4 days. Thank you again for dropping by to leave a comment, have a lovely day 🙂
Oh my goodness!! I wrote the first chapter of a book praising this sauce ON THE WRONG WEBSITE!! AARGH! I will wait till it post and attach it here where it belongs. This recipe IS ALL THAT!! 5+ stars folks and I’m darn picky about my cookin.
Hi Patty!
We’re thrilled that you like the fish taco sauce. It’s great dipping sauce for French fries, too, if you haven’t tried that combo yet! Thanks for coming back to comment. We hope you have a lovely weekend! 🙂
@Kimberly, Another 5 star Review!!! My post never showed up on the other(WRONG) website! So here’s what I did… I pan fried catfish nuggets coated in Zatarains Fish Fry, because I was out of Kentucky Kernel seasoned flour. I had homemade flour tortillas made and and heated them with a smidge of butter in a hot pan on the stovetop 25 seconds each side. Put on a plate with some catfish, “THE SAUCE”, fresh chopped tomato, chopped green scallions and some cool, crisp lettuce shredded and topped with fresh cilantro sprigs. Oh my, oh my what a fantastic dance of flavors in my mouth and the sauce brought it all together with zing. P.S. I added a little diced jalapeno to the mix to spice it up. YUM!! and THANK YOU!!
Hi Patty!
This sounds like an amazing dish! 🙂 Thanks so much for coming back to add the details. We hope you have a great evening! 🙂
@Kimberly, Printed this recipe and it’s getting taped to the inside of my spice cabinet door for easy reference! Happy New Year!
I made this sauce to go with tilapia fish tacos. It was awesome!!! The whole family loved it. I didn’t put old bay seasoning because it was out of stock at the store but the sauce was still great without it. Thanks for sharing!!
Thank you, Becky! We’re glad you and your family loved the sauce. If you decide to make it again and the store is out of Old Bay seasoning, you could add 1/2 teaspoon of seasoned salt in place the Old Bay. Thank you again for coming back to comment on and rate the recipe card. Kim and I hope you have a lovely day 🙂
RECIPES ARE ONLY AS GOOD AS THEIR SPICES. CAN YOU SAY WHAT BRAND SPICES YOU USE. THEIR ARE SO MANY TO CHOOSE CAN’T WAIT TO TRY THIS. THANK YOU
Good Morning Mary, unfortunately, I can’t recommend a brand with confidence. Because, spice brands can have regional availability. When I developed that recipe, I lived in Southern Florida. So, I used a brand called Badia. It was affordable and tasted good. Since we’ve moved, we don’t have Badia in our new city. So, we use McCormick, Spice Island, and other imported brands when needed (using Amazon).
What I recommend is using a brand YOU trust and tastes good to you. I understand it might not seem like the best advice; however, hear me out. You know what you like (what tastes good to you) so, you’re the best person to pick out a spice brand.
The important thing is that my recipe gives you the blueprints (main components), the mayo (fat), the lemon juice (acid), and blend of seasonings. The only spice brand listed is Old Bay and that’s because they use a unique blend of seasonings in their product that pulls everything together. In closing, I hope this information helps. Thank you for asking your question, Kim and I hope you have a lovely day 🙂
Would this sauce be good on shrimp tacos as well?
Absolutely, this sauce will work. Or, we also have a key lime sauce for shrimp as well. Have a lovely day 🙂
Love it. I did use 1/2 sour cream in place of half of the mayo. Great recipe! Thank you for posting it!
Hi Joline!
Thanks so much for giving it a try! Using 1/2 sour cream is a great idea. We’re glad you enjoyed the taco sauce and stopped by to leave feedback. Have a great weekend!