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Easy Blackened Tilapia Fish is seasoned with smoky, slightly spicy blackened seasoning and baked into a sheet plan meal with zucchini and carrots or vegetables of your choice. For less heat just take the cayenne red pepper down a bit! Your family will love this filling meal that is easy to clean-up.
Today’s Easy Blackened Tilapia Fish is one we love! If you like bold, flavorful fish dinners, you might also love our Blackened Fish Tacos with creamy slaw for a fun taco night twist. I first fell in love with seafood in the air fryer when I created this Crispy Air Fryer Cod Recipe. Today’s recipe uses tilapia which is a nice light fish but the blackened spices add a smokiness to the fish. When I make this blackened fish recipe I like to create this sheet pan meal with carrots and zucchini. You can add any vegetables you have on hand like bell peppers, onion or broccoli. I like the layer of lemon slices to bring some brightness and a bit of sweetness to the fish.
Tilapia is a great fish to cook with. If you like tilapia you also might like cod, which is also light and flaky. Try my Easy Blackened Cod Recipe, Baked Cod with Lemon and Herbs, Pan Fried Garlic Butter Cod, or Sheet Pan Mediterranean Cod Dinner.
Why We Love this Blackened Tilapia
Blackened seafood originates in Cajun cuisine, where the fish is coated in a blackened seasoning. This seasoning is a blend of dry spices, which, once cooked, turn a dark brown. The seasoning chars a little and seals in the flavor of the fish, whilst keeping it moist.
Here is why we love this fish:
• Easy Preparation: This blackened tilapia recipe is an easy recipe to make. After you make your spice mix and prepare the tilapia you will quickly heat it in a skillet. I also offer an optional pineapple salsa recipe that is optional.
• Versatile Recipe: It’s worth mentioning that the blackened tilapia seasoning would work equally well with other fish, seafood, meat and poultry.
• Flavorful: The blackened seasoning adds so much flavor to the fish. It is one of my favorite spice blends to use on seafood. If you like cajun food try this Easy Cajun Shrimp Recipe, Creamy Cajun Sausage Rice Skillet or this Cajun Pasta with Chicken Sausage and Shrimp.
Recipe Ingredients
You will love this easy recipe and the simple ingredients. It is one of my favorite recipes!
- Tilapia: I used tilapia in this recipe. It works great with the blackening seasoning and gets nice and flaky and holds the flavor well.
- Vegetables: I added fresh vegetables to the sheet pan. I used zucchini and carrots but you can use a variety of any vegetables including bell peppers, tomatoes or onion.
- Spices: The blackening seasoning spice mixture or creole seasoning I used includes smoked paprika, cayenne red pepper, thyme, garlic powder, cumin, parsley, oregano, onion powder, salt and pepper.
- Lemon: Fresh lemon slices are added to this sheet pan meal and brighten up the fish and pairs nicely with the warm, rich spices.
- Butter: The butter helps create a rich blackened crust. You can sub olive oil instead butter if you want a healthier version.
How do you Make this Blackened Tilapia Fish Recipe?
Step 1: Season the Vegetables: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place the carrots, zucchini and garlic in a mixing bowl. Add the olive oil, salt, pepper, chives and mix well.
Step 2: Add the Vegetables to the Sheet Pan and Roast: Next pour the vegetables mixture onto a sheet pan and place in the oven for 25 minutes.
Step 3: Combine the Seasoning: Melt the butter or set the olive oil in a bowl. In a small bowl combine the spices for blackened seasoning. Use paper towel to pat the fish dry then dredge fish first in the butter or olive oil and then in the cajun seasoning.
Step 4: Sear the Fish: Heat the large skillet on the stove over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the hot skillet and sear the tilapia filets for 1 minute per side. Remove from the heat.
Step 5: Remove the Vegetables: Remove the vegetables from the oven. Create a bed of lemons on top of the vegetables for the fish. Place the fish on top of the lemons.
Step 6: Finish Baking Fish: Place the sheet pan back in the oven for 10 minutes. Check the fish and remove once it reaches 145 degrees F and the fish flakes. Remove from heat and top with fresh cilantro.
If you like tilapia try my Baked Mediterranean Tilapia, Greek Baked Tilapia with Lemon and Herbs, Air Fryer Tilapia Fillets, Parmesan Crusted Tilapia or this Easy Blackened Tilapia Fish.
Leftover Ideas
- Blackened Tilapia Tacos: The blackened tilapia can be used in tacos, served with some guacamole, pickled red onions, crispy lettuce and a drizzle of your favorite hot sauce.
- Blackened Tilapia Wraps: Spread hummus or tzatziki on a whole-grain wrap, add the leftover tilapia and salsa, and pile on some fresh veggies like spinach, red onions, and shredded carrots.
- Salad: Flake the tilapia over a bed of greens with cucumbers, tomatoes, and a lemon vinaigrette or pair it with this Greek Chickpea Salad or this Mediterranean Chickpea Salad with Lemon Dressing.
What Type of Fish to Use in this Recipe?
I think the fish fillets that works best with this blackening seasoning is a mild white fish. Many people like to make blackened tilapia, blackened catfish and blackened mahi mahi. I also often see blackened cod which is one of my favorites.
Some other great options are below:
- Shrimp: I think shrimp would be a nice option with this spice blend. I would cover the shrimp with olive oil and then toss them in the spice blend before sautéing.
- Seafood Options: Some other great seafood options are black sea bass, branzino, flounder, rainbow smelt, red snapper, rainbow trout, Alaska pollock, grouper, haddock, Pacific cod, Pacific halibut, Pacific rockfish and striped bass.
For a lighter Mediterranean-style option, try our Mediterranean Baked Fish with olives, capers and lemon.
Storage Tips
- Store cooked tilapia in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days. Warm leftovers in a 275°F oven for about 15 minutes to prevent drying out.
- To freeze, wrap cooled fish in parchment or wax paper, place in a ziplock bag, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge before reheating.
Recipe FAQ
You might be wondering what the difference between these three are. From my experience Cajun tends to be more spicy, Creole includes a blend of herbs and Blackened seasoning tends to fall somewhere in between.
When you see the term “blackened” on a recipe, it is referring to the Cajun cooking term to add a blackened seasoning to food, such as fish, seafood, meat or poultry. The term blackened does not mean burnt, although the seasoning will take on a dark color once cooked.
I used carrots and zucchini but you also could use bell peppers, celery, white or red onion, tomatoes, green beans, broccoli and cauliflower.
If you eat blackened seafood often you might notice that the blend of spices depends on the chef that is making the food. The seasoning I created uses the following: smoked paprika, cayenne red pepper, garlic powder, cumin, parsley, thyme, oregano, onion powder, sea salt and black pepper.
More Seafood Recipes
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Easy Blackened Tilapia Fish
Ingredients
- 4 tilapia filets
- 3 tablespoons melted butter or olive oil
- 5 carrot sticks
- 1 zucchini, chopped into rounds
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 1 Tablespoon chives
- 1 lemon, cut into quarters or slices
For the Blackened Seasoning:
- 3 Tablespoons smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon cayenne red pepper {less for less spice}
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1/2 teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400*.
- Place the carrots, zucchini and minced garlic in a medium mixing bowl. Add 2 Tablespoons olive oil, salt, pepper, and chives.Mix to combine.
- Pour the vegetable mixture onto a sheet pan and place in the oven for 25 minutes. Melt the butter or put the olive oil in a shallow dish.
- Combine spices for blackened seasoning and dredge fish first in the butter or olive oil and then in seasoning.
- Heat a skillet on the stove on medium high heat. Add 1 Tablespoon of olive oil to the skillet and sear fish 1 minute per side. Remove from heat. Remove veggies from the oven. Create a bed of lemons on top of the veggies for the fish. Place fish on top of lemons.
- Place the sheet pan back into the oven for 10 minutes. Check the fish and remove once it reaches an internal temperature of 145 degrees F. Remove from heat and top with fresh cilantro.
Notes
- Store cooked tilapia in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days. Warm leftovers in a 275°F oven for about 15 minutes to prevent drying out.
- To freeze, wrap cooled fish in parchment or wax paper, place in a ziplock bag, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge before reheating.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
