Gimme Some Oven

10-Minute Blackened Tilapia

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

blackened-tilapia

Do you have a quick “go-to” dinner recipe? A fallback for when you arrive home from work uber-exhausted, and just want to whip up something healthy and delicious in a snap?? Well any roommate of mine who’s heard the oil start sizzling in the skillet minutes after I walk in the door will tell you I undoubtedly have a favorite: blackened tilapia. It’s true — I make this all the time, but have yet to ever tire of it!

The beauty of this recipe is that, especially if you can mix together a batch of the blackening powder beforehand to have ready in the cabinet, it truly is super-speedy to cook. And, it’s super-healthy. And, you get a ton of flavor for minimal calories. And…it’s the fish that Jesus ate! :)  (Heard our pastor mention a few years back that scholars believe this to be true, since apparently tilapia are plentiful in the Sea of Galilee. Go figure!)

While it can easily stand on its own, you could also serve this recipe topped with creamy sauce to balance out the spice. (For some reason I’ve never been a fan, but know that many are!)  Or, it works fantastically in fish tacos or on sandwiches.

My favorite method to turn this into a 10-minute meal, however, is to cut up and stir-fry whatever veggies I have on hand simultaneously in another skillet. Then, cut up some fresh fruit to go on the side – and voila! A very yummy dinner is served. :)

blackened-tilapia-prep

 
Print
clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon

10-Minute Blackened Tilapia

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 4.9 from 20 reviews
  • Prep Time: 4 minutes
  • Cook Time: 6 minutes
  • Total Time: 10 minutes

Description

This 10-minute blackened tilapia is one of my go-to weeknight meals!


Ingredients

Scale

Tilapia filets:

  • Vegetable Oil

Blackening Powder Recipe:

  • 1 Tbsp. smoked paprika
  • 2 tsp. thyme
  • 1 tsp. cumin
  • 1 tsp. oregano
  • 1 tsp. garlic powder
  • 1 tsp. onion powder
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp. ground red pepper

Instructions

  1. Mix dry ingredients together in a small bowl to create blackening powder. Then moisten the sides of each tilapia filet (either with water or cooking spray), and coat with blackening powder. (I generally use about 1 Tbsp. powder per filet.)
  2. Heat 1 Tbsp. of oil per filet in a skillet over medium-high heat. Once oil is almost smoking, add filets and cook for about 3 minutes per side, or until fish is opaque and can be flaked with a fork. Remove from pan and serve immediately.

blackened-tilapia-cooking

Share this Post

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe rating 5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

55 comments on “10-Minute Blackened Tilapia”

  1. Very good to know. We’ve got a lot of tilapia in our freezer. We’ll have to try this. W.W.J.E.? – tilapia, of course!

  2. The photo all by its lonesome made me even more hungry than I already was. Beautiful blog!

  3. Oh my goodness, absolutely delicious! It is just full of flavor. I hope this isn’t a tilapia fopue, but I made this for me while Jamie grilled brats and I wanted to seem like I was grilling out too…so I put the tilapia on a hot dog bun with a bit a mayo and it was awesome :)

  4. Do you know the recipe for creating a quick cream sauce that can be added to the blacken tilapia recipe?

    • Hi Ava!

      Hmmm…one easy idea is to just do a mayo sauce. (1 cup mayo, plus maybe some lime juice and cilantro. Or lemon and flat-leaf parsley.) Or you could combine mayo and sour cream (or yogurt!) and do the same.

      Or for a sauce with actual cream (or milk), just make a roux by sauteeing 2 Tbsp. butter and 2 Tbsp. flour together in a saucepan over medium-heat until well-blended. Then gradually add 1 cup of milk (or cream), and continue stirring fairly often until the mixture is brought to a simmer. Maintain the simmer until the sauce thickens. And feel free to add in some herbs (thyme, paprika, or whatever sounds good), plus salt and pepper. :)

      And a dash of hot sauce always seems to make any creamy sauces better in my opinion.

      Hope that helps! Enjoy!

      ~A

  5. This was a delicious recipe. Thanks for submitting it!

  6. Delicious and so simple..love Tilapia!

  7. Tried this tonight and it was delish! The hubs and son loved it. Had asparagus with it.

  8. Going to have to try this. We love Talapia, so looking for new recipes for it.
    Thanks for the post.

  9. What brand is the blackening powder?

  10. What is the name of the blackening powder you talk about?

  11. Right on! I have struggled for years to make good blackened fish, I followed your recipe to the ‘T’ (ok that’s a lie: I had no Thyme and I subbed Chile powder for the ground red pepper), and it was awesome!!!

    Quick, easy, delicious and healthy…me and the Mrs. thank you Ali!

  12. I do agree with all the ideas you’ve presented in your post. They’re very convincing and will definitely work. Still, the posts are very short for starters. Could you please extend them a little from next time? Thanks for the post.

  13. What is the name of the Blackened seasoning you can buy online you like so good. You did not put it in your message.

    • Hi !! You recommended a blacking powder above, but did not name it !!! I’d like to order some.

      … tom

    • I love the blackening seasoning from Planter’s — https://www.plantersseed.com/categories.php?CID=1&SID=&alpha=A

  14. Do you have a good dill sauce to use with Salmon and Tilapia.. I think it would be good with either.

  15. This is the best Blackened Seasoning I have found. I found one for Salmon that is close to this one but a little different. But this one is also very good on Salmon also
    Thanks for this one

  16. I don’t cook, but this was soooo easy. If you like New Orleans style “blackened”, which is peppery, hot, and kills any fishy flavors, this is the recipe for you. Thank you.

  17. I made this tonight and it was truly delicious. Wrote it on a card and it’s in my recipe box for good. Thanks!

  18. Tonight was the first time I’ve ever make blackened tilapia I felt that this was a good recipe to use, the recipe was very easy..unfortunately I was little disappointed. It’s was a little too spicy for me..and I can handle some pretty spicy foods. But I did scrape off some of the seasoning to make it a bit more manageable to eat. But I do commend you for sharing your inspirational recipes for the us cooks out here. Don’t knock it til you try it.

  19. I loved that this was so easy to make – so thank you! My boyfriend and I did however find it a bit salty. I think next time I will omit the salt or do less salt. Other than that it was good! Also, thanks for the recommendation on the blackening powder. I am definitely going to give it a try. 

  20. My husband said this was in the “Top 2” Tilapia dishes I’ve made for him. He said that it brought him back to visiting family in the Key West. Thanks for sharing such a delicious recipe. :)

  21. this sounds yummy but quick question, has anyone tried frying it with olive oil instead of vegetable oil?

    THanks 

  22. One of THE best recipes ever.  Thanks for sharing.   Husband loved it very much.   Thank you 

  23. Wonderful it was delish!!!!’

  24. Try adding fennel powder to Cajun spice, you will never go back. lol

  25. Obviously this was the simplest of meals, but that spice mix is a great recipe and perfect for the fish. Thanks so much!






  26. how many servings of fish are for the blackened powder??

    • Hi Daniela! It says in the last sentence of the first paragraph of directions: (I generally use about 1 Tbsp. powder per filet.) We hope you enjoy! :)

  27. Having a seven-month-old baby doesn’t give me a lot of cooking time all the time. Thanks for the recipe super delicious and quick to make. Used as part of my meal prep






  28. I used the seasoning on tilapia a few times until my boyfriend says “Can you season the brussel sprouts like this, too?” So I made a few batches and put it in an empty container to also season our vegetables the same way. We’ve also been eating tilapia a lot more often! Thanks!






  29. Simple and delicious. Thank you for sharing.






  30. This recipe is delicious






  31. I’m always looking for new and different ways to eat healthy. This recipe did not disappoint. Thank you, my husband and enjoyed this very much.






  32. Only had regular paprika, omitted salt and used olive oil instead of vegetable oil which caused too much smoke but fish turned out delicious! Only needed about 2 minutes on the 2nd side






  33. Added a tsp or old bay and it was perfect!






  34. Absolutely phenomenal. The only thing I was missing was onion powder – that tin at the back of my cabinet had long since expired. I will definitely be making this again during Lent.






  35. This is one of my new fav recipes. I added mine on top of a salad and it was incredible!






  36. Awesome – fast and tasty! Everyone (family) ate it and liked it. Thanks.






  37. Great recipe and so easy! I’ve started making this at least once a week! Great way to enjoy fish in my diet. I used sesame oil instead of vegetable oil.






  38. Tried this tonight. Was really good but needs a bit of heat IMHO but good. Fried some and baked some cause we rarely eat anything fried. Both came out awesome! Definitely will be doing this again!






  39. This turned out amazing!! Two thumbs up!!!!






  40. Very good and is my 2nd time making Blackened Fish. I must cook again soon. Very soon. Today I made toast tacos and tomorrow, something. Healthy and lite.

  41. This recipe is great! Family loved!! I also added a tsp of Old Bay to add some extra flavor.






  42. Real easy to make and I loved it, I’ll definitely have it as one of my go to recipes from now!






  43. Let me tell ya, I’m no cook but I nailed this simple yet very delicious recipe, thank you for sharing!!






  44. Delicious🤗






  45. This was really good! I didn’t have thyme, but I did have oregano and it worked out just fine. I will be adding this to my meal rotation. Thanks!






  46. Thank you for sharing! The blackened seasoning by far is the best I have ever tried.