Blackened Fish Tacos {20-minute meal}

These blackened fish tacos totally rock my world. Crispy tacos filled with blackened butter-fried tilapia. Light and flaky fish encased in crunchy taco shells loaded up with delicious toppings. 

A few weeks ago I had someone ask me if I had to eat only one thing for the rest of my life what it would be. Oh boy that was a tough one. Because I. love. food.

But…after much thought and serious consideration (this is serious business folks), I decided on fish tacos.

Namely, these fish tacos. They really are the best.

Oh fish tacos. How I love thee.

Fish tacos are one of those meals that we have often. And by often, I mean that sometimes once in a week is not enough for me.

I haven’t always loved fish. In fact there was a time that I thought I detested it. But looking back on that time, I think it was because I had never really tasted any good fish.

What kind of fish?

Fish is one of those ingredients that really needs to be good quality if you want it to taste good. Fresh fish is always the best. But where I live fresh fish is hard to come by and extremely pricey. So for this recipe, I usually use frozen tilapia fillets.

All frozen tilapia fillets are not created equal – so try a few brands till you find one you like. I like the individually frozen tilapia loins from Costco the best.

If you are using frozen tilapia fillets you will need to unthaw them for this recipe. And it is really easy to do. Simply place the frozen tilapia fillets in cool tap water for about 15-20 minutes or until unthawed.

There’s just something about a good fish taco that gets me so excited I can hardly stand it.

Maybe its the crispy crunch of the taco shell (I always prefer mine crispy).

Maybe it’s the flaky, seasoned, butter-fried fish (the black seasoning in this recipe make it especially stunning in my estimation).

Or maybe it’s the toppings. Oh the toppings. I love all the fresh ingredients piled high on my beloved fish tacos.

Fresh salsa. This works particularly well in the summer and fall with all the fresh produce readily available. But if you don’t have it, canned will do. Avocados and sour cream and don’t forget a squeeze or two of fresh lime juice.

Or maybe it’s all of the above plus a prep-time of just 20-minutes that makes this a winner meal of all meal winners in my recipe stash.

If YOU could only eat one thing for the rest of your life, what would it be?

I’d love to hear your favorite foods ever.

Until next time, my friends, I’ll leave you to drool over a few blackened fish tacos.

Print

Blackened Fish Tacos {20-minute meal}

Crispy tacos filled with blackened butter-fried tilapia.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Seafood

Keyword Fish Tacos

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 20 minutes

Servings 4 servings

Author Heather @ thecookstreat.com

Ingredients

• Blackened spice mix see recipe below
• 3 4-ounce tilapia fillets thawed if frozen, see note
• 3 tablespoons butter
• ¼ cup canola oil
• 8-10 corn or flour tortillas taco-size
• Toppings as desired: diced fresh tomatoes, chopped avocados, sour cream, cheese, shredded lettuce or cabbage, salsa, lime wedges, cilantro sprigs

Blackened Spice Mix:

• 1 ½ teaspoons paprika
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon onion powder
• ½ teaspoon thyme
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• ½ teaspoon chili powder
• ½ teaspoon oregano

Instructions

1. In a shallow dish or pie pan, mix together spices for blackened spice mix. Place each tilapia fillet in pie pan and coat both sides evenly with spices.
2. In a large skillet melt 3 tablespoons butter over medium heat. When butter is melted and sizzles slightly add tilapia. Cook tilapia 5-6 minutes on each side or until blackened and starts to flake.

3. While fish is cooking, add ¼ cup oil (I used canola oil) to a small skillet and heat over medium heat until it is hot and sizzles. Cook corn or flour tortillas about 30 seconds to a minute on each side or until brown and crispy. Carefully fold tortillas in half when browned on both sides and drain on a paper towel-lined plate.

4. Prepare toppings.
5. When cooked, cut tilapia into pieces and serve in cooked tortillas with toppings as desired.

Recipe Notes

1. Nothing works better than fresh tilapia, but if you do need to go with frozen, I really like the individually frozen tilapia loins from Costco.

Recipe Source: Heather @ The Cook’s Treat, the blackened spice mix was adapted from this recipe on The Naïve Cook Cooks via Pinterest

All images and text ©The Cook’s Treat

Disclaimer: post contains affiliate links for items on Amazon.