Blackened Tilapia Bowls
Blackened tilapia bowls are a lightened up twist on fish tacos. Pieces of zesty blackened tilapia are served with traditional toppings like corn, black beans, peppers, onions and avocado over a bed of rice for a dinner that is as good as it is good for you!
I try to work fish into my family’s meals as often as I can.
And while they can be somewhat picky- see also the fish can’t be too fishy- they all love these blackened tilapia bowls.
What’s not to love?
It’s basically a fish taco bowl with spicy blackened tilapia playing the starring role.
And I love it because it’s pretty easy and it’s full of good for you veggies and fish that my family will happily eat.
Ingredients
To make this you’ll need:
- Spices– Chili powder, cumin, cayenne pepper, smoked paprika, onion powder, oregano, salt and pepper
- Tilapia filets– You could also use another white fish of your choice
- Olive oil– To saute the fish in
- Garlic– Minced
- Lime zest
- Corn– Either cooked canned or frozen corn kernels or cooked kernels cut off the cob
- Bell pepper– Red bell pepper diced
- Black beans– Canned black beans drained and rinsed
- Rice– Cilantro lime rice
- Other taco toppings– Fresh cilantro, avocado slices, sour cream, shredded cheese, pico de gallo, etc
How to Make
Blackened tilapia bowls are pretty easy to make!
To do it, use a fork to stir all the spices together in a small bowl until they are evenly incorporated.
Then evenly divide the spices between the pieces of fish and gently press them into both sides of the fish.
Then heat olive oil up over medium high heat in a large cast iron skillet or dutch oven.
When the oil is nice and hot, saute the garlic while stirring for about 20 seconds.
Then cook half of the fish, letting it sit undisturbed for 2-3 minutes so it develops a deep, almost charred sear.
After 2 to 3 minutes, carefully flip the tilapia over and let it keep cooking on the other side for 2 minutes.
When the fish is completely cooked through, transfer the tilapia to a platter.
Repeat this with the second batch, adding more olive oil before continuing.
Transfer the second batch of cooked fillets to the same platter and sprinkle each filet with a bit of lime zest.
Add more olive oil to the same skillet.
Stir in the corn and red bell pepper, and let it cook for 1-2 minutes without stirring so it also gets a little char.
Then stir and continue cooking for a few more minutes, or until the veggies are tender.
Stir in the black beans and let them cook cook just until heated through.
Remove the skillet from heat, and set aside.
Assemble 4 bowls, adding 1/2 cup of cilantro lime rice to the bottom of each bowl.
Top each bowl with a quarter of the veggie mixture, a quarter of the fish and any toppings you like.
Serve and enjoy!
Topping Ideas
You can top these blackened tilapia bowls with anything you would put on fish tacos.
Our favorites include:
- Pico de gallo
- Pineapple Mango Salsa
- Fresh cilantro
- Lime wedges
- Sour cream
- Shredded cheese
- Avocado slices
Storing Leftovers
If you think you might have leftovers, I recommend not adding to the bowls but just refrigerating the rice, fish, and veggie mixture in an airtight container for up to 2 days.
Reheat them in the microwave and then top the bowl with any additional toppings.
Tips and Tricks
- The blackening spice do make the fish spicy. For a milder flavor, omit the cayenne pepper.
- It’s really important to not touch the tilapia for 2 to 3 minutes while it sears. You want to let it sit without moving it to let it blacken.
- You might want to turn the fan on over your oven. This can get pretty smoky!
Other Easy Fish Recipes
Blackened tilapia bowls are a lightened up version of fish tacos the whole family will love!
Make them and enjoy!
Looking for other easy fish recipes?
Here are a few favorites:
If you’ve tried these BLACKENED TILAPIA BOWLS, or any other recipe on my site, let me know in the comment section how it turned out, we love hearing from our readers! You can also follow along with me on PINTEREST, FACEBOOK, and INSTAGRAM to see more amazing recipes and whatever else we’ve got going on!
Blackened Tilapia Bowls
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- 1 tbsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/4 tsp onion powder
- scant 1/8 tsp oregano
- lime zest
- 4 tilapia filets or other white fish filet of your choice
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 cup cooked corn kernels canned or cut off the cob
- 1 red bell pepper diced
- 1 can black beans drained and rinsed
- 2 cups cooked cilantro lime rice
- fresh cilantro diced avocado, shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, pico de gallo, thinly sliced red onion, lime wedges, shredded cheese, sour cream, use as many or as few as desired
Instructions
- Add all the spices to a small bowl and use a fork to stir together until evenly incorporated. Evenly divide the spices between the pieces of fish and use your hands to gently rub/press them into both sides. Liberally salt and pepper the fillets.1 tbsp chili powder, 1 tbsp cumin, 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper, 1/2 tsp smoked paprika, 1/4 tsp onion powder, scant 1/8 tsp oregano, lime zest, 4 tilapia filets
- Drizzle a large cast iron skillet, or dutch oven, liberally with olive oil and heat over medium high heat. When the oil’s hot quickly add in the garlic and saute while stirring for about 20 seconds.3 cloves garlic
- Working in batches of two, add in the fish fillets. Let the fish cook undisturbed for about 2-3 minutes so it develops a nice deep sear, almost char-like. Use a spatula to carefully flip the fish over and continue cooking on the other side for 2 minutes. When the fish is completely cooked through use a spatula to transfer the fillets to a platter. Repeat this with the second batch, adding more olive oil before continuing.
- Transfer the second batch of cooked fillets to the same platter and sprinkle each filet with a bit of lime zest.
- Use the same, now empty skillet and add a bit more olive oil. Stir in the corn and red bell pepper. Cook for 1-2 minutes without stirring, then stir and continue cooking for a few more minutes, or until the veggies are tender.1 cup cooked corn kernels, 1 red bell pepper
- Add in the black beans and stir to evenly incorporate, and cook just until heated through. Remove the skillet from heat, and set aside.1 can black beans
- Add 1/2 cup cilantro lime rice to a bowl and top with some of the veggie mixture, pieces of blackened fish, and any/all of the assorted toppings.2 cups cooked cilantro lime rice
Notes
- The blackening spice do make the fish spicy. For a milder flavor, omit the cayenne pepper.
- It’s really important to not touch the tilapia for 2 to 3 minutes while it sears. You want to let it sit without moving it to let it blacken.
- You might want to turn the fan on over your oven. This can get pretty smoky!
Nutrition
Looks delicious Meaghan – I’m yet to use fish in my Mexican dishes as it’s too easy to just go to chicken or beef. Check out the Fiesta Friday guidelines to see how simple it is to make your post eligible for this week’s features selection!
Those do seem like the go-to options right? It’s easy to swap fish though and it’s such a fresh, healthy substitution!
It sounds healthy and delicious and a great meal for the whole family :)
Thanks, and it sure is Petra :)
This sounds amazing! How do you make the cilantro lime rice? Sorry if I missed it, I tried to read and couldn’t figure it out. (I’m tired, haha)
You didn’t miss it, April. I didn’t think to include it as it’s not really a recipe or mandatory. Regular rice works just fine, and for the other version I just stir in fresh lime juice and chopped cilantro leaves, to taste.