Make these delicious and healthy blackened fish tacos in under 30 minutes! Gotta love that simple weeknight meal. Tilapia crusted with a blend of pantry staple spices and a handful of ingredients to make a fresh crunchy slaw and spicy sauce makes this an amazing lunch or dinner the whole family will love.
Can I use a different kind of fish?
Sure thing! Any white fish will do, but if it's thicker or thinner, you'll have to adjust the cooking time. You can easily swap the tilapia for cod, bass, grouper, haddock, catfish or snapper. My favorite fish for tacos is Tilapia because it's thin for fast cooking, it's got a mild flavor and it's inexpensive. Plus, I love that I can get it frozen so I can make these any time. Go for whichever fish is freshest at your grocery store to ensure the best flavor.
Shrimp would also be amazing! Simply coat fish with spice mixture and either pan-fry or put on a skewer and grill. YUM!
Can I use something other than fish?
Yep! This recipe was inspired by our delicious Blackened Chicken recipe. I've turned leftovers of that recipe into tacos more times than I can count, so that was the inspiration for this recipe. If you prefer chicken, it can be made the same way. However, flatten the chicken first so that it cooks evenly and quick. Simply place chicken between two sheets of parchment paper and pound with a heavy pan or rolling pin until even thickness of about ¾ inch. Plus, all that pounding is a great way to let out some frustration!
Let's make these blackened fish tacos real quick
- In a small bowl, mix the spices for the tilapia. Sprinkle evenly over fish filets on both sides.
- Heat a skillet (this is my new favorite non stick skillet) over medium high heat. Once hot, add a drizzle of avocado oil or olive oil, then add fish and cook until white around the edges and spices create a crust on the bottom. This should take about 5 minutes, but keep an eye on it. Flip and cook the same on the other side until fish is cooked through.
- While fish is cooking, mix slaw with cilantro, lime and salt in a large bowl. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, mix up the sour cream with hot sauce. Add more or less sauce to taste. Remember the fish will have a lot of flavor, so the sauce is meant to help cool it down. Set aside.
- Once fish is cooked, gently break up into smaller pieces with the edge of a fork.
- Assemble tacos with fish, slaw and sauce. Top it off with more cilantro, pickled red onions or your other favorite taco toppings.
Best corn tortilla hack
There's nothing worse than your corn tortillas breaking and all the delicious fillings falling out. To avoid this catastrophe, warm up your tortillas in the microwave to keep them from cracking. Simply wrap 10 corn tortillas in wet paper towels and heat in the microwave on high for 2 minutes. They'll be really hot, so be careful when you unwrap. Even after they cool down, the tortillas will still hold together. This is one of my favorite hacks for corn tortillas!
The other way to ensure taco strength is to quickly pan-fry each tortilla. A little more time consuming, but then they get slightly browned, which is so pretty. Simply heat a skillet over medium high heat and coat with non stick spray or add butter for even more flavor. Add one tortilla at a time and heat each side until warm and lightly browned. Set aside and cover with foil to keep warm.
Homemade Tortillas
If you want to take these to the next level, make your own homemade tortillas. Great to make ahead and seriously outstanding! (Excuse the photography on that post, it's an older recipe and I was still a beginner!)
Dishes that taste great with Fish Tacos
- Cilantro Coconut Rice
- Garlic Jalapeño Pinto Beans
- Homemade Tortillas
- Easy Pico de Gallo
- Creamy Monterey Jack Queso
- Green Chile Chicken Tortilla Soup
Optional fish taco topping ideas
- Diced tomatoes
- Pickled jalapeños
- Cotija cheese
- Pickled red onion
- More cilantro
- Avocado
- Salsa (especially mango or pineapple)
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Blackened Fish Tacos with Cilantro Lime Slaw
Ingredients
For the Fish
- 1 lb tilapia - or other white fish
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
For the Slaw
- 16 oz bag of cole slaw
- juice of 2 limes
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ C cilantro - rough chopped
For the Sauce
- ¼ C sour cream
- 1 teaspoon sriracha - or other favorite hot sauce
For Serving
- 12 corn tortillas - warmed
- cilantro - optional
- pickled red onion - optional
- cotija cheese - optional
Instructions
- In a small bowl, mix the spices for the tilapia. Sprinkle evenly over filets on both sides.
- Heat a skillet over medium high heat. Once hot, add fish and cook until white around the edges and spices create a crust. About 5 minutes. Flip and cook the same on the other side until fish is cooked through.
- While fish is cooking, mix slaw with cilantro, lime and salt. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, mix up the sour cream with hot sauce. Set aside.
- To warm up tortillas, wrap 10 corn tortillas in wet paper towels and heat in the microwave on high for 2 minutes. This will help keep the tortillas from breaking while you eat!
- Once fish is cooked, gently break up into smaller pieces with the edge of a fork.
- Assemble tacos with fish, slaw and sauce. Top it off with more cilantro, pickled red onions or your other favorite taco toppings.
Notes
Nutrition
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