Blackened Fish Tacos

Dinner | Mexican

Prep time: 10 min Cook time: 10 min Servings: 1

Fish tacos is one of my favourite weeknight dishes as it's super easy to make, everyone loves them and it's only going to take you about 20 minutes from start to finish.

What is blackened fish?

Now, if you haven't heard of blackend fish before, it's a Cajun technique where the fish is rubbed with a spice spice and then cooked at a high heat until the crust chars slightly on the outside. It might look burnt but it's not, it's just the sugars and spices being caramelised that gives it that look.

Spice mix

The spice mix has smoked paprika, garlic powder, cayenne, dried herbs, and a small amount of brown sugar, which helps the crust develop at lower temperatures than cast iron cooking requires, so you can get a proper result in a standard frying pan.

The cook

We'll cook the fish skin-side down under a protein press for 5-6 minutes, then gets a quick 30-second flip before resting and being sliced into thirds across the three tortillas. While it cooks, put together a quick red cabbage and jalapeño slaw dressed with red wine vinegar and a fresh avocado and tomato salsa with lime. The tortillas are toasted in a dry pan before assembling.

Ingredient Notes

Smoked paprika: The smoky base of the blackening spice rub. Use smoked paprika rather than sweet or hot: the smokiness is what makes the crust taste like it belongs on charred fish. Sweet paprika gives you the colour but not the flavour.

Corn tortillas: More traditional with fish tacos than flour tortillas and naturally gluten free. Toast them in a dry pan for 30 seconds per side, or hold them directly over a gas flame until they have a little colour and char. A toasted tortilla is firm enough to hold the filling without going soggy. You can find corn tortilla is most supermarkets, delis or specialty grocers.

Brown sugar: A small amount in the spice mix that helps the crust develop and darken faster. The sugar caramelises at a lower temperature than the spices alone, which is what lets you get a proper blackened crust in a regular frying pan rather than needing a cast iron skillet at full heat.

Equipment

Chopping board
Chef’s knife
Small bowl (for spice mix)
2 medium bowls (for slaw and salsa)
Small frying pan
Protein press (or heavy pan)
Tongs or spatula

Ingredients

½ tsp smoked paprika
pinch cayenne
¼ tsp garlic powder
¼ tsp dried mixed herbs
½ tsp brown sugar
180g white flesh fish fillet (coral trout, barramundi, snapper)
1 tbsp olive oil
sea salt and pepper, to season
1 cup shredded red cabbage
1 Jalapeno, thinly sliced
1 tsp red wine vinegar
1 lime
½ avocado, diced
¼ cup chopped coriander (cilantro)
5 cherry tomatoes, halved
¼ white onion, diced
3 corn tortillas, toasted

Directions

Combine paprika, cayenne, garlic powder, mixed herbs and sugar in a medium bowl. Season with salt and pepper.
Rub fish with a little of the oil, then sprinkle with spice mix and toss to coat well. Set aside.
Toss cabbage, jalapeno and red wine vinegar in a bowl, season with salt to taste.
Mix avocado, coriander, tomatoes, onion and juice of ½ the lime in another bowl. Season to taste.
Heat remaining oil in a small frying pan on medium.
Add fish, skin side down pressed down with a protein press, and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook for 5-6 minutes, until the skin is crispy and flesh is just cooked through.
Turn and cook for a further 30 seconds to seal the other side, then transfer to a tray to rest.
Slice fish into 3 pieces, then place down the centre of each tortilla. Add some cabbage mixture and top with avocado tomato salsa.
Fold over and serve immediately with the other half of your lime.

Ingredients

Directions

Recipe notes