Blackened Tilapia

Spicy and delicious blackened tilapia

I had eaten blackened tilapia in a restaurant a couple of years ago. Ever since that meal I have wanted to try making it at home. We had tilapia in the freezer and I wanted something different for dinner and thought of the blackened tilapia.

I found the recipe at allrecipes.com and my Mike actually cooked the tilapia. He gets home from work before me. So when I arrived home from work he was in the process of cooking this for dinner. I have to admit he is quite the cook and sometimes I think that he loves to cook as much as I do.

Yeah, I have to admit I am one lucky gal. It is nice to come home after a long day at work to a house that is filled with the aroma of blackened fish.

This recipe is a bit spicier than what I remember of the tilapia that I had at the restaurant, but Mike used the whole amount of red pepper, which you can adjust if you don’t want it quite so spicy. But even though it was a bit on the spicy side I couldn’t quit eating it, it was really delicious.

Blackened Tilapia (Source: adapted from allrecipes.com)
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons paprika
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 pinch garlic powder
1 teaspoon ground white pepper
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon red pepper or to taste
2 teaspoons dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon celery seed
Salt to taste
4 tilapia fillets
Directions:
1. In a small bowl make the spice blend. Mix together the paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, white pepper, black pepper, red pepper, thyme, celery seed, and salt. Coat the fish fillets with the spice mixture, and all to sit at room temperature for no longer than 30 minutes
2. Heat a heavy skillet over high heat. Add oil, and heat until it is almost smoking. Place the fillets in the pan, and cook for about 3 minutes per side, or until fish is opaque and can be flaked with a fork. Remove from the pan and serve immediately.