BLACKENED FISH TACOS

Blackened Fish Tacos made with a blend of Cajun spices makes these tacos that are absolutely loaded with flavour.

One of my greatest sources of inspiration are food blogs. I am continually amazed by the creativity, wealth of knowledge and talent that is “out there” in the food blogging community.

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Today I’d like to share with you, Blackened Fish Tacos with Avocado-Lime Slaw. Anytime I’m at a restaurant and see the option to have something blackened, I jump on it! A blend of spices popular in Cajun cuisine, it adds serious flavor to anything it touches, and chances are you already have the spices needed in your pantry. I love making a big batch to have on hand for a quick and easy weeknight meal – tilapia, mahi mahi, shrimp, even chicken breasts all get a burst of flavor with this spice blend. What’s even better – you’re adding an incredible amount of flavor without adding a lot of fat. Of course the fat I’m referring to is from the olive oil used to cook the fillets and that’s healthy fat, so another win for the dish!

When it comes to the coleslaw there seems to be two camps – vinegar based and mayonnaise based. Personally, I’m team mayo when it comes to fish tacos. Rather than piling on veggies dripping with mayonnaise after I just went on about how you can get so much flavor without adding fat to the fish fillets, I thought it best to find an alternative. Enter avocado-lime dressing. A yogurt based sauce; it adds a cool, creamy texture with a zippy flavor – a perfect compliment to the bold spices of the blackened fish.

Now because I just couldn’t help myself, I did end up adding a touch of mayo as a finishing sauce by making a quick Sriracha aioli. It’s actually pretty loose; as I’ve thinned it out a bit with lime juice – so you get a little drizzle of some of that flavor from the fat without big globs of it. Again, adding another layer of flavor to the dish.

5.0 from 8 reviews

BLACKENED FISH TACOS

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PREP TIME

20 mins

COOK TIME

6 mins

TOTAL TIME

26 mins

Fish cooked with a punchy spice rub of Cajun Flavours! Perfectly paired with a Avocado-Lime Slaw to make these irresistible tacos.

INGREDIENTS

Avocado-Lime Slaw

• ½ cup greek yogurt
• 1 avocado
• 1 cup cilantro/coriander leaves
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 limes zested and juiced
• 2 jalapeños
• 2 tbsp mint, roughly chopped
• ½ tsp Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 cup red cabbage, finely shredded*
• 1 cup green cabbage, finely shredded*
• 2 carrots, grated*

Quick Sriracha Aioli

• ¼ cup mayonnaise
• 1 tsp Sriracha
• 1 tbsp fresh lime juice

Blackened Fish

• 2 tbsp paprika
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 2 tsp onion powder
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tsp dried thyme
• 2 tsp dry mustard
• 1¼ tsp Kosher salt
• ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 4 tilapia fillets

To Serve

• 8 (6 inch) tortillas
• 2 jalapeños, sliced
• 1 small bunch cilantro

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In the bowl of a food processor, add the yogurt, avocado, cilantro, garlic, lime zest, lime juice, jalapeños, mint, salt, and pepper. Puree until smooth and creamy. Taste and add more salt and pepper, if needed. Place the shredded cabbage and carrots in a large bowl. Add ½ a cup of the avocado-lime dressing from the food processor and stir to combine. Add more dressing if you would like a creamier slaw. If not, you can use the extra dressing to top the tacos later. Refrigerate until ready to use.
2. In a small bowl, combine the ingredients for the Sriracha Aioli. Refrigerate until ready to use.
3. If you would like to toast the tortillas (highly recommended if you are using corn tortillas)* heat a pan over medium-high heat. Once hot, warm each tortilla 1 to 2 minutes per side – you want to heat the tortillas just enough to slightly char and add a bit of crispness, but not so much that when you fold it, it cracks. Wrap the tortillas in a clean tea towel to keep warm and set aside.
4. On a large plate, combine all of the spices to make the blackened seasoning. Dredge both sides of each fish fillet in the spice mixture. In a large saute pan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. At the first wisp of smoke from the pan, add the fillets, working in batches if needed. Cook for 2 -3 minutes on each side. (Do not move the fish fillets around while they're cooking. Leave them be until they're ready to flip). Transfer the cooked fillets to a cutting board and slice each fillet in-half, vertically - making 8 pieces.
5. To serve, top each tortilla with the fish, avocado-lime slaw, jalapeños, cilantro, and drizzle with the Sriracha aioli. Serve with extra wedges of lime and enjoy!

NOTES

1. If you want to keep things super quick and easy, you can buy a bag of shredded cabbage and carrots at most grocery stores. The slaw can also be assembled the day before.

2. Heating tortillas on a skillet certainly adds a nice texture to your tacos. However, it serves a dual purpose with corn tortillas (not so much with flour tortillas). Corn tortillas easily fall apart - which is why if you don't heat them, they are generally served with two tortillas per taco. By very slightly charing the corn tortillas, you are making them stronger and more pliable. Careful - you don't want heat them so much so that they become crispy and break when you fold them.

Nutrition per taco.