Blackened Cajun Tilapia

blackened cajun tilapia

I took the easy route and made fish for dinner for one of our date nights late last month. Also that month, my boyfriend made baked salmon, soooo clearly we’re a duo that loves fish!

In honor of Mardi Gras, I decided to make a blackened cajun-style fish. It was so unbelievably moist and juicy! My favorite part are the crispy edges of the fish! If you love the crispy edges, don’t be afraid to cook them a little bit longer :)

Also feel free to use any white fish you like! This is tilapia…sadly, I couldn’t find catfish anywhere! Rinse with water and pat the fish very dry with paper towels.

If available use a pre-made cajun or creole style seasoning mix. I had to go to three grocery stores (Trader Joe’s, Sprouts, and Fresh and Easy) to find this seasoning mix! Alternatively, you can google a recipe for cajun mix which is what I will do next time when this bottle runs out.

Season both sides of the fish liberally, shaking off the excess. You’ll want to really pat it on! As you can tell, I’m pretty heavy-handed with my seasoning :)

In a cast-iron or heavy-duty pan, pour some olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan and heat over medium-high heat. It is important to have a very hot pan when cooking the fish. When the pan is hot enough, add the tilapia fillets, and let cook until it’s blackened on one side (takes about 2-3 minutes) then flip and blackened the other side.

Cooking tip: It’s time to flip when you notice nice dark crispy edges forming along the sides of the fish.

In only a matter of a few minutes, you’ll have a nice piece of juicy delicious blackened cajun fish!

Another super easy and quick meal idea for date night! Hope you get to give this a try!

xoxo, kat

Blackened Cajun Tilapia

serves 2

• 2 tilapia fillets
• cajun/creole spice mix
• olive oil

Directions:

1. Rinse and pat the tilapia fillets dry. Completely coat both sides of the fillets with the cajun mix, and shaking off any excess.
2. Heat a cast-iron pan over medium-high heat, and pour some olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Once the pan is hot and sizzling, add the tilapia fillets (one at a time) and cook until blackened, about 2 – 3 minutes. Then flip and cook for another 2-3 minutes until blackened.