Fish tacos are a really great way to incorporate fish into your diet. Tacos are versatile and allow guest to customize their meal using any topping imaginable. Firm meaty fish like shark, swordfish and mahi mahi are good options if you or anyone at the table are learning to appreciate seafood. This is because these fish mimic familiar kinds of meat like chicken and pork.

This recipe for mahi mahi fish tacos comes from my book Going Coastal. I am particularly excited about posting the recipe since I had an active role in preparing the fish thanks to one of my neighbors who owns a boat and goes out deep sea fishing every weekend. He brings home some amazing game fish like tuna and yellowtail. During his and his last he caught a total of 30 mahi mahi and gifted my family three of the largest – 20, 25 and 50 pounds.

I spent about 1 hour breaking down my bounty into fillets and processing the heads and bones for use on the grill and fish stock. I’m a big believer in nose-to-tail cooking so using as much of the fish as possible is my mission.

This taco recipe hails from the Yucatán Peninsula, an area of Mexico that separates the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea. Parts of the Yucatán also encompass the Central American countries of Belize and Guatemala. A few years ago, I visited the region and fully enjoyed exploring the beaches, the culture, and of course, the food scene. I certainly had my fair share of fish tacos, which are generally prepared with grilled fish, instead of the crispy, battered version that is popular in Baja California, Mexico.

The texture of the fish, paired with the corn tortillas and spicy toppings, makes for a delicious experience.