Blackened Fish Tacos Recipe
Prep Time:
16 minutes
Cook Time:
16 minutes
Servings:
8 Tacos
Ingredients
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon dried oregano
  • ½ teaspoon dried thyme
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper
  • ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper, or more to taste
  • 1 pound cod fillet
  • 5 tablespoons butter, divided
  • 8 corn tortillas
  • 1 cup shredded lettuce
  • ½ cup diced tomato
  • ½ cup diced avocado
  • ½ cup fire-roasted corn
  • 1 lime, sliced into wedges, for serving
Directions
  1. 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.
  2. Cut the cod into 3 pieces and pat it very dry.
  3. Heat a dry, heavy bottomed skillet (preferably cast iron) on medium until very hot, about 10 minutes. Do not use a nonstick pan.
  4. Meanwhile, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter on medium-low in a small separate pan. Remove the pan from the heat.
  5. Dip the cod in the butter and turn to coat it evenly.
  6. Sprinkle the blackening seasoning evenly over both sides of the pieces of cod.
  7. 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).
  8. 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.
  9. 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.
  10. 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.
  11. Warm the tortillas in a dry pan for about 30 seconds per side.
  12. Divide the lettuce evenly among the 8 tortillas.
  13. Divide the cod into 8 parts and distribute it across the tortillas.
  14. Divide the tomato, avocado, and corn evenly over the cod.
  15. Serve the tacos immediately with freshly squeezed lime juice.