Blackened Fish Tacos with Pineapple Cucumber Slaw

Name: Blackened Fish Tacos with Pineapple Cucumber Slaw
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 6 min
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 1.5 pounds tilapia ((I use 4 5 oz. fillets)); 6-8 6-inch corn tortillas, warmed; 1/2 cup Mexican cheese blend, more or less; 2 tablespoon olive oil, divided; 1 tablespoon butter; 3 tablespoons olive oil; 3 tablespoons lime juice; 1 tablespoon reduced sodium soy sauce; 1 1/2 tablespoons Spice Rub ((in directions)); 1 TBS EACH ancho chili powder, brown sugar; 1 tsp EACH smoked paprika, ground cumin, garlic pwdr, onion pwdr, salt; 1/2 tsp EACH dried oregano, pepper; 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper ((optional)); 2 cups chopped fresh pineapple; 2 cups thinly sliced red cabbage; 1 medium cucumber, peeled and chopped; 1/4 cup chopped red onion; 1/2 cup loosely packed cilantro, chopped; 1 tablespoon lime juice; salt and pepper (to taste); 1 medium avocado; 1/2 cup sour cream; 2 tablespoons mayonnaise; 1 tablespoon lime juice; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin; 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

by Jen 40 Comments

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Mind blowing Blackened Fish Tacos exploding with flavor from a quick fish marinade and the most flavorful spice rub!

Blackened Fish Tacos topped with complementary refreshing sweet and tangy Pineapple Cucumber Slaw and addictive silky Avocado Crema are the BEST light, flavorful and filling Fish Tacos that rival any restaurant!

Are you guys tired of my taco recipes yet? I sure hope not because I could eat the layers of flavors and textures all day, everyday, especially these Blacked Fish Tacos! Here in San Diego, we have our fair share of palate pleasing Mexican restaurants and I often find myself ordering the fish tacos whether deep fried Baja Fish Tacos (A MUST TRY) Grilled Fish Tacos or Blackened Fish Tacos as opposed to chicken because I don’t make as much fish at home. But to be completely honest, I think I just spoiled myself from ordering Grilled or Blackened fish tacos again because these are just that good and so much healthier than their fried counterpart. Both marinating and blackening the fish gives these easy fish tacos so much flavor while still tasting light, fresh and satisfyingly delicious.

I first tried making these tilapia fish tacos without marinating them and just using a spice rub – but I found all the flavor was on the outside and the inside of the fish was still bland. Not okay. Not good enough for you my friends! So to infuse these easy Blackened Fish Tacos with flavor through and through, I whipped up a simple marinade of olive oil, lime juice, soy sauce and some of the spices from the Spice Rub. Now we’re talking better than restaurant fish tacos! You marinate your fish for 30-60 minutes (no more or it will get mushy). Meanwhile you can prepare your crunchy, colorful, complimentary Pineapple Cucumber Salsa and silkilicious Avocado Crema.

But first, the Spice Rub, of ancho chili powder, smoked paprika, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, oregano, brown sugar and the option of cayenne if you want more of a kick. Although I personally use ancho chili powder a lot, I shy away from sharing it in recipes because I try and use common pantry spices so you don’t have to go buy more for one recipe – but I had to use it in this Blackened Fish Taco Rub. I tried the rub with chipotle powder, cayenne, etc., but it just wasn’t perfect. Ancho chili powder, however, was just right. Ancho chili powder comes from ground dried poblanos and is more mild than cayenne or chipotle powder but still has a deep rich, smoky, mild sweet heat. Perfection. So I promise if you buy ancho chili powder I will start using it more in my recipes so it won’t go to waste 🙂 but even if for just this recipe, it is so worth it.

After the fish marinates, you dab off the marinade and rub it with your spice rub mixed with a little olive oil and let it sit for 15 minutes then its blackening time! Blackening isn’t just burning – or we all might be expert at blackening by now, but is a cooking method in which fish or chicken is cooked in an extremely hot cast-iron skillet for a few minutes to sear the outside of the fish. The smoking skillet combined with the spice rub gives blackened food a a nice crispy seasoned crust. And the best part is cooking literally takes minutes – about 3 minutes per side which makes these Blackened Fish Tacos extra company friendly – do all the prep beforehand and when friends arrive, cook for 6 minutes!

These marinated Blackened Fish Tacos would not be complete without the refreshing sweet tang of the crunchy Pineapple Cucumber Slaw against the blackened smoky spice rubbed fish. Because after all, the best thing about tacos is layering them with flavors and textures so you have mouthfuls of spicy, savory, sweet, tangy, creamy all in one mouthful. The Pineapple Cucumber Slaw is a quick tossing together of fresh pineapple, red cabbage, cucumber, red onion, cilantro and lime juice – so refreshingly delicious and so ready to be piled on your Fish Tacos!

Lastly, I had to drizzle with my Avocado Crema that I use all the time. No matter whatever “drizzle” or crema I come up with, this one will always be my favorite ever since I used it in my wildly popular Chili Lime Chicken Tacos and Cilantro Lime Shrimp Tacos, because everything tastes better with creamy avocado infused with lime, cumin, garlic and cilantro.

Stuff your tacos until your content, with the Blackened Fish, Pineapple Cucumber Slaw and a drizzle of Avocado Crema and prepared to be blown away by the symphony of tastes and textures. You’re welcome. xo.

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©Carlsbad Cravings by CarlsbadCravings.com

Blackened Fish Tacos with Pineapple Cucumber Slaw

Mind blowing Blackened Fish Tacos exploding with flavor from a quick fish marinade and the most flavorful spice rub! They are topped with complementary refreshing sweet and tangy Pineapple Cucumber Slaw and addictive silky Avocado Crema are the BEST light, flavorful and filling Fish Tacos that rival any restaurant!

Prep Time

20 minutes

Cook Time

6 minutes

Servings

servings

Ingredients

1.5 pounds tilapia (I use 4 5 oz. fillets)
6-8 6-inch corn tortillas, warmed
1/2 cup Mexican cheese blend, more or less
2 tablespoon olive oil, divided
1 tablespoon butter

Marinade

3 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon reduced sodium soy sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons Spice Rub (in directions)

Spice Rub

1 TBS EACH ancho chili powder, brown sugar
1 tsp EACH smoked paprika, ground cumin, garlic pwdr, onion pwdr, salt
1/2 tsp EACH dried oregano, pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)

Pineapple Cucumber Slaw

2 cups chopped fresh pineapple
2 cups thinly sliced red cabbage
1 medium cucumber, peeled and chopped
1/4 cup chopped red onion
1/2 cup loosely packed cilantro, chopped
1 tablespoon lime juice
salt and pepper to taste

Avocado Crema

1 medium avocado
1/2 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoon lime juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

Prep Time

20 minutes

Cook Time

6 minutes

Servings

servings

Ingredients

1.5 pounds tilapia (I use 4 5 oz. fillets)
6-8 6-inch corn tortillas, warmed
1/2 cup Mexican cheese blend, more or less
2 tablespoon olive oil, divided
1 tablespoon butter

Marinade

3 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon reduced sodium soy sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons Spice Rub (in directions)

Spice Rub

1 TBS EACH ancho chili powder, brown sugar
1 tsp EACH smoked paprika, ground cumin, garlic pwdr, onion pwdr, salt
1/2 tsp EACH dried oregano, pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)

Pineapple Cucumber Slaw

2 cups chopped fresh pineapple
2 cups thinly sliced red cabbage
1 medium cucumber, peeled and chopped
1/4 cup chopped red onion
1/2 cup loosely packed cilantro, chopped
1 tablespoon lime juice
salt and pepper to taste

Avocado Crema

1 medium avocado
1/2 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 tablespoon lime juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

Instructions

Marinade: Mix together all of the Spice Rub ingredients in a medium bowl. Remove 1 1/2 tablespoons Spice Rub and add this to a large freezer bag along with all of the Marinade ingredients. Whisk together then add fish. Marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes. You will use remaining spices later.
Avocado Crema: Meanwhile, make the Avocado Crema by adding all the Crema ingredients to your blender and blending until smooth, scraping sides down as needed. Refrigerate in an airtight container until ready to serve.
Pineapple Cucumber Slaw: Add all of the Pineapple Cucumber Slaw ingredients to a large bowl. Toss to combine. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Spice Rub: After 30-60 minutes (no more), remove fish from marinade and pat dry. Mix remaining Spice Rub together with 1 tablespoon olive oil in a small bowl. Rub evenly over fish and let sit for 15 minutes at room temperature.
Cook: In a large cast iron skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium high heat. Once very hot, add 1 tablespoon butter. As soon as it melts add fillets and cook approximately 3 minutes per side, or until nicely blackened.
Assemble: Remove fish from skillet and break into large pieces. Evenly divide fish among tortillas then top with cheese, Pineapple Cucumber Slaw and Avocado Crema. Garnish with additional lime and hot sauce if desired.

Recipe Notes

Total prep time does not include marinating.

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