Blackened Fish Tacos Recipe

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Blackened fish has a special and unique flavor — spicy, smoky, and herby — that takes fish tacos to a new level. Don't confuse blackening with charring, though, as they're not exactly the same. While the blackened crust is technically charred because of high heat and the Maillard reaction, actual charring involves intentionally burning parts of food over high heat and a slightly burnt flavor. Blackened fish doesn't taste burnt, though, and it more so refers to a specific cooking technique invented by chef Paul Prudhomme in the 1980s. Inspired by Louisiana's traditional Cajun and Creole cuisine, Prudhomme sought to use the stove in his New Orleans restaurant to imitate the flavor of fish grilled over a charcoal fire outdoors. He was undoubtedly successful, and nowadays, all sorts of foods can be blackened, but fish remains a classic choice for a reason.

Recipe developer Michelle Bottalico has created a recipe for blackened fish tacos that follows Prudhomme's technique. The fish is dipped in butter and then coated in a special seasoning mix (another crucial element to blackening). When the fish hits a very hot cast iron pan, the milk solids in the butter sear and form a dark, almost black, crust, while the inside of the fish remains tender. The taco toppings in this recipe are kept simple to let the blackened fish truly shine. If you love this technique, you can expand and use it on other kinds of foods like other fish, meat, and vegetables, with the same signature flavor.

The ingredients for the blackening seasoning are smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, dried oregano, dried thyme, black pepper, and cayenne pepper. The fish doesn't end up being very spicy, but if you like things hotter you can increase the amount of cayenne pepper. You'll also need a cod fillet and butter. For the tacos, gather corn tortillas, lettuce, tomato, avocado, fire-roasted corn, and lime.

Make the blackening seasoning by placing the paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, oregano, thyme, black pepper, and cayenne pepper in a small bowl and whisking to combine.

Cut the cod into 3 pieces and pat it very dry.

Heat a dry, heavy bottomed skillet (preferably cast iron) on medium until very hot, about 10 minutes. Do not use a nonstick pan.

Meanwhile, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter on medium-low in a small separate pan. Remove the pan from the heat.

Dip the cod in the butter and turn to coat it evenly.

Sprinkle the blackening seasoning evenly over both sides of the pieces of cod.

Add 1 tablespoon of butter per piece of cod to the hot cast iron pan. Work in batches if you don't have a large pan rather than overcrowding the pan (if you're only cooking 1 piece of fish at a time, add 1 tablespoon of butter at a time).

When the butter is melted and bubbly, add the cod to the pan and let it cook for 2-4 minutes, depending on the thickness. Do not move or disturb the fish while it is cooking. This will allow the butter to char, or blacken, on the underside.

After that time, the fish should naturally release from the pan. Flip the cod and cook the other side, undisturbed, for an additional 2-4 minutes. The outside should be seared, blackened, and crispy while the inside is opaque and flakes can easily be separated with a fork.

If working in batches, repeat the cooking process for the other pieces of cod, adding more butter to the pan in between each piece. Scrape the pan clean with a spatula in between batches so anything left in the pan doesn't burn and smoke. Set the cod aside on a plate once all the pieces are cooked.

Warm the tortillas in a dry pan for about 30 seconds per side.

Divide the lettuce evenly among the 8 tortillas.

Divide the cod into 8 parts and distribute it across the tortillas.

Divide the tomato, avocado, and corn evenly over the cod.

Serve the tacos immediately with freshly squeezed lime juice.

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First, work in batches if needed rather than overcrowding the pan, which will prevent the fish from getting properly crispy. You'll need a generous amount of butter. The fish is first dipped in butter and then covered in blackening seasoning. The seasoning is easy to make yourself (just make sure you use dried herbs). As a bonus, you can get creative with using leftover blackening seasoning.

When working in batches, rebutter the pan in between each piece of fish, and scrape any small pieces out of the pan before rebuttering, or they will eventually burn and possibly set off the fire alarm. The pan needs to be very hot. Heat up a well-seasoned dry cast iron pan on medium for about 10 minutes before putting the butter in. The butter should bubble energetically and melt right away, but not burn. Don't use a nonstick pan, which can't handle this kind of heat safely. Restaurants don't tend to butter the pan, but we recommend it for cooking at home.

Don't touch the fish after it hits the pan. Let it cook undisturbed so the crust forms properly. Once it's formed, the fish will easily release from a well seasoned pan, so you can flip it and blacken the other side. Cod takes 2-4 minutes per side when cooked this way, depending on the thickness. You may need to adjust the cooking time for other kinds of fish.

There's a wide range of fish you can use for fish tacos, but since the fish is blackened, we recommend certain types. To make Prudhomme's original recipe, use redfish, specifically red drum fish. In general, it's best to use a firm white fish that can stand up to the high heat of the blackening technique. More fragile fish that easily falls apart when cooked (think thin flounder fillets) will just make a mess.

Besides redfish, some good options are grouper, snapper, tilapia, catfish, petrale sole, wahoo, cobia, and pollock. Some oily fish, like salmon or swordfish, can be blackened carefully. Generally speaking, though, oily fish is not recommended, so don't try to blacken herring, mackerel, tuna, and sardines. This recipe uses cod, and the results are delicious. Cod is very flaky, and the flakes separate a little when fillets are cooked. That breaks up the black surface a little, but it doesn't affect the taste. Besides fish, seafood like shrimp and octopus are often blackened as well.

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