Mango Slaw – reliable for fish tacos

At a glance

What stands out: This mango slaw is the reliable topping for fish tacos, but you’ll find yourself eating it as a salad too, because it is that good!

How long it takes: 20 minutes, plus 1 hour to chill
Equipment you’ll need: mixing bowl
Servings: 8

Refreshing mango slaw

Versatile. We like to serve this mango slaw on salmon tacos, fish tacos, pork tacos, or chicken tacos. It’s particularly tasty on shrimp tacos, too. We guess you could just say it’s good on any kind of tacos! Mango slaw is also fantastic on its own as a salad. You can even serve as a dip for tortilla chips.

Make it ahead. Although you can serve the slaw right away, we find that it’s even better if you let it chill for an hour. The cabbage softens a little and the flavor melds together. You can pop it in the fridge, and then get to making the rest of your dinner. We love prepping ahead whenever possible; it takes the pressure off especially if you’re having guests.

How to Cut a Mango

The trickiest part of making this slaw may be cutting the mango. Here’s a good video and graphic to help you if you’re unsure of how to dice a mango.

Julie Said:

“Lighter, fresh and so delish! We just had a friend ask for the recipe!”

See More Reader Reviews

Recipe Tips & Variations

• Spice it up. If you want a little tingle of heat in your mango slaw, add a finely diced jalapeño pepper. Remove the seeds and ribs of the pepper if you want it to be a little less spicy.
• Skip the cilantro. We love the flavor fresh cilantro adds to this slaw but it’s still flavorful even without cilantro.
• Jazz it up with add-ins. Diced avocado is always a good choice! If you add avocado, we recommend adding it immediately prior to serving to prevent browning. The lime juice in the dressing will delay browning, too. Diced fresh pineapple is a great add-in (check out this salsa recipe). If you want to add cheese, try queso fresco or cotija.
• Make it vegan. You can substitute granulated sugar for the honey, or use agave. You can make the slaw Whole30 compliant by omitting the honey or agave. This will make it extra tangy, but the mango provides natural sweetness.

Keeping leftovers

If you refrigerate the mango slaw more than two hours in the fridge, the cabbage will start to soften a bit, but it’s still tasty. We frequently eat mango slaw three to four days after making it.

Black Bean and Avocado Salad (great with chips!)

• Yield: 8
• Prep: 20 minutes
• Total: 20 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 bag (8 ounces) coleslaw mix (about 3 cups)
• 2 large mangos, diced small (about 2 cups diced mango)
• 3 green onions, thinly sliced
• ½ cup minced fresh cilantro
• ½ red bell pepper, cut into thin short strips (about ½ cup)
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 2 tablespoons oil (use a mild-flavored oil such as avocado, grapeseed, or canola)
• 1 teaspoon honey or agave syrup
• ½ teaspoon chili powder, more if desired
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt

Method

1. Combine coleslaw mix, diced mango, green onions, cilantro, and bell pepper in a large bowl; stir gently to combine.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together lime juice, oil, honey, chili powder, and salt until blended.
3. Add dressing to salad; stir well until combined.
4. For best flavor, chill mango slaw for 1 hour to let flavors meld but it can be served immediately, if you prefer. Serve mango slaw as a topping for tacos (it's especially good on fish tacos) or as a side salad.

Notes

Add-ins: Add 1 jalapeño pepper, minced. Leave the seeds and ribs in for even more heat. If you like, add the zest of the lime to the dressing (be sure to zest the lime before juicing it). Finely diced pineapple or avocado can be added. If you want to add cheese, try queso fresco or cotija.

Storage: Leftover slaw can be refrigerated for up to 3 days. Stir before serving.