Easy Weeknight Dinner: Blackened Tilapia Fillets

Tilapia is mild, inexpensive and readily available, so I'm always looking for tasty new ways to prepare it. In this recipe, the fillets are dusted with a bold Cajun spice rub, then sautéed in olive oil until crisp and flavorful on the exterior and tender and flaky within.
This post was published on the now-closed HuffPost Contributor platform. Contributors control their own work and posted freely to our site. If you need to flag this entry as abusive, send us an email.

2013-01-08-blackenedtilapia.jpg

Tilapia is mild, inexpensive and readily available, so I'm always looking for tasty new ways to prepare it. In this recipe, the fillets are dusted with a bold Cajun spice rub, then sautéed in olive oil until crisp and flavorful on the exterior and tender and flaky within. It's easy to make, and you can have it on the dinner table in fifteen minutes, including prep time.

2013-01-08-ingredients.jpg

Begin by making the homemade Cajun spice rub. Simply combine the paprika, brown sugar, oregano, salt, cumin, garlic powder and cayenne in a small bowl. Don't worry about the amount of cayenne -- the fillets have a little kick to them but they're not too spicy, even for kids.

2013-01-08-spices.jpg

Next, dust the spice rub evenly over the tilapia fillets.

2013-01-08-dustingfishwithspicerub.jpg

Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan, then cook the fillets a few minutes per side, until crisp and reddish-brown ("blackened") on the outside and flaky on the inside. GET THE RECIPE

2013-01-08-cookingtilapia.jpg

For more easy weeknight dinner recipes, visit my blog, Once Upon a Chef.

Popular in the Community

Close

HuffPost Shopping’s Best Finds

MORE IN LIFE