What is the best fish for fajitas?

We love barramundi in this recipe because it's hearty, meaty, and holds its shape well (it's really a perfect fajita fish!) You can mix up the fish in these oven baked fajitas if you like, though: Cod, halibut, salmon, or shrimp also work well here. Just keep in mind that you may need to adjust the cook time depending on the protein you use. You can also make this recipe with chicken, pork, or steak if you don't want to use seafood (it's also great with our meal prep turkey meatballs !)

Can I use frozen barramundi?

Yes! You can absolutely cook barramundi straight from the freezer. If you're using frozen white fish fillets for these sheet pan fajitas, place them on the sheet pan at the same time you add the veggies, and bake everything together for the entire time (instead of adding the fish halfway through). You may still need to adjust the cook time depending on the size of your fish, and keep in mind that frozen fish may not cook as evenly as thawed fish.

Can I adjust the spice mixture?

Yes - feel free to play with the blend of the spicy olive oil in this recipe! We like the simplicity of chili powder and a bit of cumin, but you can also add things like garlic powder, paprika, cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes, or onion powder. We recommend starting with the sauce as written, then adding to the spice mix as needed to suit your tastes.

Barramundi Sheet Pan Fajitas

Description

Delicious one pan fajitas - perfect for busy weeknights!

Ingredients

Scale

For the Sauce:

1/4 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon chili powder (we recommend a chipotle or ancho chili powder)
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
kosher salt, to taste

For the Fajitas:

2 large bell peppers, seeded and sliced (we used one yellow pepper and one red pepper)
1 large poblano pepper, seeded and sliced
1/2 large yellow onion, sliced
10-12 ounces barramundi, thawed (see recipe notes)
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1 lime, cut into wedges
8 fajita-sized flour tortillas (about 4-6" in diameter)

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Instructions

Prep & Make the Sauce:

Heat oven to 400° Fahrenheit while you prep your ingredients.
Whisk olive oil, chili powder, cumin, and salt together in a small mixing bowl. Set aside.

Make the Fajitas:

Place sliced bell peppers, poblano, and onion on a large sheet pan. Pour half of your prepared sauce over the veggies; use tongs to toss them together until they are evenly coated. Spread veggies out over the pan to give them as much room as possible, then place in the hot oven and bake for 15 minutes.
Remove sheet pan from the oven. Use tongs to give the veggies a toss, and then push the veggies towards the sides of the sheet pan to make room for the barramundi.
Place the barramundi fillets into the spaces you just created on the pan. Spread remaining sauce over the top of the fish.
Return the sheet pan to the oven and bake another 12-15 minutes, until the veggies are browned and the fish is cooked through. When it's cooked, barramundi will turn bright white and will flake easily with a fork. Pro Tip: Heat up your tortillas while the barramundi cooks.
Gently flake the barramundi into large pieces so it's easier to load into your tortillas. Top with cilantro and a squeeze of lime. Serve immediately.

Notes

A note on barramundi. We developed this recipe with The Better Fish Simply Skinless barramundi fillets, which are typically 4-6 ounces apiece. In these photos, we used 2 portions that totaled about 12 ounces. Don't worry if the exact weight of the barramundi is a little off - you can eyeball this a bit and add more or less fish depending on how full you'd like each fajita. Use a full barramundi fillet instead of portions if you like (you may need to adjust the cook time).

Thaw frozen barramundi before cooking for best results. If you don't have time to thaw the fish, you can the barramundi straight from the freezer: Add frozen barramundi to the sheet pan when you first add the veggies, and let it cook the entire time (as opposed to cooking the veggies on their own for a bit before adding the fish). Keep in mind that frozen barramundi may not cook as evenly, and you will likely need to adjust the cook time, so keep an eye on it.

Cut veggies to roughly the same size to ensure they cook evenly.

Additions and Substitutions. Use salmon, shrimp, cod, or halibut in place of barramundi (you may need to adjust the cook time). Add extra veggies (sweet potato, broccoli, carrots) to the onion and bell pepper mix if you like. Use less poblano if you don't like spice; add more if you'd like more heat. You can also use a jalapeño or two in place of the poblano if you prefer.

Warm your tortillas for best results. We used flour tortillas in these photos, and lightly charred them on the stovetop just before serving. Corn tortillas are also great here. Learn more: How to warm up tortillas.