Blackened Tilapia
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Blackened tilapia makes a super quick and flavorful weeknight meal. You can have it on the table in just 15 minutes!
Tilapia is a flaky, mild-tasting, inexpensive, and readily available white fish that’s super easy to cook and prepare. It is especially good blackened, which doesn’t mean burnt but rather coated in a Cajun-style spice blend that takes on a dark reddish-brown, almost black color when cooked. In this quick and simple recipe, the fish fillets are dusted with a rub made from spices, brown sugar, and salt and then sautéed in olive oil until blackened and flaky.
Serve the blackened tilapia with a vegetable, like roasted asparagus, along with cornbread muffins, cilantro lime rice, hush puppies, or cheddar bay biscuits.
Table of Contents
“First time making tilapia this way. Now, it’s gonna be my only way.”
What You’ll Need To Make Blackened Tilapia
Step-by-Step Instructions
Begin by making the Cajun spice rub. In a small bowl, combine paprika, brown sugar, oregano, salt, cumin, garlic powder, and cayenne. Don’t worry about the amount of cayenne — the spice rub has a little kick but the dish won’t be too spicy, even for kids.
Mix to combine.
Evenly dust the spice rub evenly all over the tilapia fillets.
Heat the olive oil in a large nonstick pan, then add the tilapia, presentation side down.
Cook a few minutes per side, until crisp and reddish-brown (“blackened”) on the outside and flaky on the inside.
Enjoy!
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Blackened Tilapia
Blackened tilapia makes a super quick and flavorful weeknight meal. You can have it on the table in just 15 minutes!
Ingredients
- 1½ teaspoons paprika
- 1½ teaspoons light brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ¾ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon cumin
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 4 six-ounce tilapia fillets
- 1 lime, cut into wedges (optional, for serving)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, for cooking
Instructions
- Combine the paprika, brown sugar, oregano, garlic powder, cumin, cayenne pepper and salt in a small bowl; mix until well combined (use your fingers to break up the lumps of brown sugar). Sprinkle the spice rub evenly over both sides of the tilapia fillets.
- Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a large non-stick pan. Cook the fillets for 2-3 minutes on each side until reddish-brown on the outside and flaky on the inside. Serve immediately with lime wedges.
Pair with
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (4 servings)
- Calories: 236
- Fat: 10g
- Saturated fat: 2g
- Carbohydrates: 3g
- Sugar: 2g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 34g
- Sodium: 672mg
- Cholesterol: 85mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Gluten-Free Adaptable Note
To the best of my knowledge, all of the ingredients used in this recipe are gluten-free or widely available in gluten-free versions. There is hidden gluten in many foods; if you're following a gluten-free diet or cooking for someone with gluten allergies, always read the labels of your ingredients to verify that they are gluten-free.
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So I had some tilapia in my freezer but did not want to stop by the store on my way home. Googled a tilapia recipe and came across this one. Best one ever! Family loved it. I paired it with some cilantro rice and sauted garlic kale with cajun seasoning.
This was absolutely delicious. I substituted coriander for paprika and oregano (didn’t have either in the house) but it still came out great. Thank you!
Tilapia is great and so is this recipe. Just be sure of the source of your tilapia. Tilapia imported from China is known to be farmed raised in sewage treatment ponds.
This recipe is just delicious. The look of the finished product is exactly like the photograph in the recipe. I changed nothing in preparation and the whole family loved it. We served the fish with Jasmine rice and fresh vegetables on the side.
Just made this was delicious! The whole family loved it!!
I love this recipe but can I use it on Swai fish
Hi Stephanie, Yes, that should work.
This recipe was absolutely awesome! Will become a favorite in our family! Thanks for sharing!
Hi Jenn,
Can I use flounder fillets? I’m trying not to fry fish. Do you recommend baking or broiling? If so, which one is better and for how long? Will the fish still be blackened?
Hi Seidi, Flounder fillets will work. I’d probably coat them with a bit of oil and then broil them so that they blacken a bit more.
Delicious, super easy and fast. I love it! Note: the spice was a bit much for the kids. Enjoy!
Could you broil this in the oven? If so, how long?
BTW, I think your website & recipes are fantastic! Top-notch. 🙂
Hi Debbie, Yes that would be fine. I’d say 5-10 minutes, depending on the size of the fillets. And thank you!
Man this was easy and tasty. Takes a very plain fish and makes it extremely flavorful. Quick weeknight dish.
I love this recipe! It has become a family favorite and enjoyed often.
I don’t like cayenne so I mixed up the rub mix and used taco seasoning instead and it turned out great. Love how easy these are to make – and good for you too!
Tilapia has become our favorite fish…so versatile and adapts well to many preparations. I made this the other night and both my husband and I were saying yum all the way through dinner. I’m going to make up some of the rub and keep in a zip lock bag and try it on a pork tenderloin and also boneless chicken breasts. Thanks for a great, easy recipe. I’m really enjoying your website!
We have this so often in our household, I keep a jar of the spice mixture all made up, then, it cuts down on prep time. So good. Would be good on corn on the cob too!
Can I do this without cumin ? I don’t have that on hand. But my husbands in the mood for tilapia
Hi Kayla, You could but it won’t be quite the same; the cumin adds a lot of flavor.
Can I use this recipe without cumin ?? I have everything but that .
This was delicious! I’ve always been afraid to cook fish but when I saw this recipe I just knew I had to try it and it turned out great. This will become a regular dish. Thank you!
Jen, this recipe is wonderful. I’ve made these three times for my teens and I’m making again tonight at the request of my uber-finicky son. I always find frozen tilapia on sale and never really knew how to make them taste good compared to other fleshier fish. Thanks. Really love your blog, visuals, and most importantly…your recipes. Nice job!
This was so easy and very good. I’ll be making it again soon.
Saw this in my inbox yesterday and picked up the tilapia at the store. The rest is history. This goes down as the “best fish I have ever made, as exclaimed by my 22 year old son”. I had all the ingredients on hand except the fish, and it was a very quick, simple, impressive and delicious high point of our meal. Thanks once again! All I have to say is once upon a chef…and my family knows what to expect! (This would be great to use in a fish taco dish).
This is a super easy full proof fish recipe and we all love it. Thanks for taking the fear out of cooking fish!
Absolutely delicious! A new go to for quick dinners! This is easy to make for one person, esp since you can keep the spice mixture sealed up!
I paired with sauteed green beans and brown rice & quinoa mixture.
Another fabulous recipe. Served it with oven roasted broccoli splashed with a little fresh squeezed orange to balance out some of the heat. We ate on a OUAC kick and have been using your recipes almost every day. Keep them coming. I love checking my emails for new recipes !
I have made this dish many times as it’s so very easy and tasty. My husband loves it every time and even my grandaughters’ have eaten it. I have doubled the spice mixture to make it easy to prepare it the next time we have it. I’ve served it with rice and roasted vegetables for an easy, nutritious meal. Thank you Jennifer for creating this recipe!
This is a fantastic weeknight meal – simple and quick to prepare, and best of all delicious! My entire family loves this recipe – I do put a little less of the spice mixture on the kids’ fillets, my husband loves it loaded up. To keep things quick and simple, I serve it with couscous and sautéed spinach.
This recipe is a staple in our home. My family loves the flavorful tilapia and I love the speed and ease with which it can be prepared even on a busy weeknight. I usually pair it with rice and a green veggie. Thanks for sharing this recipe.
I have served this tilapia dish often. It is quick and delicious, a hit with my whole family. The rub is awesome; I have used it on salmon and chicken as well. I have made the rub as is, and also cut the paprika in half and used regular chili powder in its place. They are both good; it is a little spicier with the added chili powder, which we like. Serve with rice and a green vegetable.
Simple, fast, and yummy. Perfect weeknight recipe.
This is one of my favorite ways to make tilapia. It delicious and perfect for a quick, weeknight meal. I prefer to use fresh tilapia and I it cooks up easily in my cast iron skillet. I like to serve it with sauteed swiss chard or roasted broccoli. In the summer, it is great with fresh corn on the cod.
Great when combined with the Black Bean Salad with Corn, Red Peppers, Avocado & Lime-Cilantro Vinaigrette!!!
To do a proper backened fish of any type, you MUST use a cast iron skillet and the spice mix is only pressed to one side.
You recipe is great – I am not debunking it – but it is not blackened by definition.
I LOVE this recipe!! I made the tilapia exactly as you suggest, and used it in fish tacos (after eating a bite or 5 of the fish). This seasoning rocks. Would love to see more easy fish recipes 🙂
I feel a bit embarassed, but what do you serve this with beside the lime wedges? Fries or mashed potatoes? Any suggestion would appreciated. Thank you.
I like to serve this with roasted sweet potatoes, but roasted potatoes or buttered rice would also work well. And any simply prepared vegetable would be good too…check out my recipes for roasted carrots or garlicky roasted broccoli.
A delicious go-to dinner! I’ve made this dish numerous times and shared it with many friends and family who also give it rave reviews. If you are sensitive to heat you can leave out the cayenne or just use less. So good…a must try!
We loved the tilapia recipe. My kids don’t like a lot of spice so I used 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper instead of 1/4 and it was just as good with a little less”spice” for them
We use this spice combination on tilapia, haddock, flounder and halibut. It makes any fish taste delicious! I sometimes bake the fish in parchment paper in the oven to avoid using oil. It’s still moist and delicious!!
Loved this recipe. Have used it with shrimp as well.
It was the first receipe I tried from you and got me to follow you and “Like” you on Facebook.
Love this recipe. It even got a non fish eater to eat fish.
I have cooked this recipe for my family three times since I discovered it on your site. I reduce the cayenne pepper to 1/8 of a tsp, as I am cooking for young children. After seasoning with the spice blend, I use a light dusting of a seafood breading mix. My family loves this dish.
Another fantastic dish!! I have gone from not cooking at all to cooking 5 nights a week, and everything is from your blog!
Jenn — I loved this recipe! I used tilefish — was on sale at Balducci’s — and it was delicious! My picky 10 year old asked for seconds. Thanks so much — keep these great recipes coming!
your blog is so pretty.. love this dish.. my favorite fish is salmon, tilapia is on my list too, love any kind of fish spiced up.
This looks great! I’m not a huge fan of tilapia. Can I substitute another white fish? Any suggestions?
Hi Kristen, You could substitute just about anything here, but snapper, grouper or mahi mahi would work particularly well. Salmon would be good too.
Made this tonight for a quick mid-week supper. This was so delicious and easy, too. I had to double the recipe for my big family and not one bite left! I substituted 1/8 tsp granulated garlic for the 3/4 tsp garlic powder. Served the fish with a basmati rice pilaf and some fresh steamed green beans. Thank you, Jenn, for another simple but unbelievably tasty recipe. My husband and I had forgotten how good fresh tilapia can be!
Glad you all enjoyed it, Liesel!
We loved your recipe. It was quick and easy and I already had everything in my cupboard. Both my two and five year old enjoyed a large portion each. They especially enjoyed squeezing the lime wedges and we all talked about how the juice enhanced the flavor. Thanks for the wonderful and easy recipe.
You’re welcome, Sofia. Glad to know it is kid-friendly!
This recipe was wonderful! I had to use packaged, frozen salmon on hand (which I thawed — salmon is one of our emergency staples) and luckily the fillets were really thin, so they were similar to tilapia in size. The rub was delish!!! It wasn’t overly spicy, so the spice level was perfect. My husband raved and asked me to add it to my recipe collection. Yay!! Thanks again, Jenn, for another winning recipe!
I will most definitely be trying this one!
Thanks.
Teresa
Looks fantastic ~ especially because I don’t have to change anything to make it gluten free! Thanks so much.
Hi Jennifer – I am definitely going to try this recipe.
One of our New Year’s Resolutions is to eat healthier and that includes more fish.
Problem is, my husband firmly BELIEVES that he HATES Tilapia – and I have to agree that most restaurants do a lousy job with it . Still I’ve been afraid to try making it at home because I don’t want him to think I’m making something he doesn’t like just to be mean!
This recipe sounds perfect for a secret test run to see if I can “trick” him into changing his mind. Right now our repertoire is limited to and by his pricey favorites: FRESH Alaskan Halibut, Tuna, Swordfish and Salmon… If this recipe works with him – I’ll feel emboldened and liberated!
Oh and I been meaning to tell you that one of my (OUR) favorite and regular recipes is one of yours from last year:
“Golden Roasted Cauliflower with Pecorino Romano Cheese” (Feb 19)
My Honey/Hubby went from being a confirmed cauliflower hater to sometimes actually preferring this recipe to Mac & Cheese! And THAT is really something!
Thank Jennifer and Happy New Year!
I’ll let you know how Project Tilapia goes!
Hi Jesselyn, Nice to hear from you! I agree with you both — most restaurants do a lousy job with tilapia. It really needs the right preparation to be as good as those pricier options. This would definitely be a good one to try but you might try another recipe on my site first — the Crispy Tilapia Fingers with Lemon-Garlic Mayo — then graduate to this one. Good luck!
hi jenn,
i tried the tilapia fingers with garlic-lemon mayo during christmas eve. it was perfect! those who arent fish lovers become one! no joke. the mayo was so perfect too. but i added 2 more choices of sauce – ready made thai sweet chili and soy-vinegar sauce made from scratch.
thanks for this recipe.
happy new year!
Now that’s a simple and delicious AND quick dinner!
Happy New YEar to you!