101 Cooking For Two - Everyday Recipes for Two: Oven Baked Blackened Tilapia

Friday, August 3, 2012

Oven Baked Blackened Tilapia

Oven Baked Blackened Tilapia from 101 Cooking For Two
Bursting with spicy goodness, everybody will love this easy recipe. This is now the current leader for recipe of the year and it is FISH.

Do you want grilled version? Try my Grilled Blackened Tilapia

I have been thinking of doing this for awhile. I had 5 or 6 recipes saved in my file with one over a year old. I looked at Paula Deen but really lots of thyme and no pepper. It just didn't seem right for me. I ended up with an Aaron MaCorgo Jr (Food Networks "Big Daddy") recipe. This man can really cook and is a joy to watch, highly recommended. Only a few changes. I use spanish paprika instead of smoked. I just like the taste better. I cut the cayenne pepper a little. It was just right for me and my wife. The whole teaspoon would have been way too much for me. The big change was going from fry pan to oven. See my reason below.

Rating
Wonderful.

Notes:
I did an easy tarter sauce that went well with this. This is included in the recipe. The seasoning would go well on chicken and other things and I will be trying it there. My tilapia was frozen and ended up being very large fillets. I cooked them for 10 minutes and they were just right. Thinner fillets probable need a minute or two less. I was oven baking but did not want dry so I use more oil on the tray and even sprayed the top with some oil in the form of PAM. I find frying fish in a pan a "pain". You have to do multiple batches, keep it warm in the oven and stand there all the time. Oven baking is just a lot easier and less messy.
Lastly the heat... I use a half teaspoon plus of cayenne pepper. This was a 7/10 hot.

 Preheat oven to 425 convection. Combine 3 T paprika, 1 t salt, 1 T onion powder,1 t black pepper, 1/2 to 1 t cayenne pepper, 1 t dry thyme, 1 t dry oregano and 1/2 t garlic powder.
 Line a sheet pan with foil and add 2 T olive oil. Brush it over the foil in any area that will have fish.
 Rinse and pat dry 1 pound of tilapia.
 Brush with olive oil.
 Cover the fillets with the spices and rub it in (both sides).
 Place on the oiled pan and give the fish a light spray of PAM. Place in the preheated oven.
 If you want a homemade tarter sauce, combine 1/3 cup mayo, 2 t lemon juice, 1 t sweet pickle relish and 1/4 t onion powder. Mix well.
Cook until nicely brown and flaky. This is about 10-11 minutes for big fillets and a minute or two less for small to medium fillets.



Oven Baked Blackened Tilapia


Bursting with spicy goodness everybody will love this easy recipe. This is now the current leader for recipe of the year and it is FISH.

Ingredients

  • 1 pound tilapia fillets
  • 2 T extra-virgin olive oil

Blackening Rub

  • 3 T Paprika
  • 1 t salt
  • 1 T onion powder
  • 1 t black pepper
  • 1/2 to 1 t cayenne pepper
  • 1 t thyme
  • 1 t oregano
  • 1/2 t garlic powder

Simple Tarter Sauce

  • 1/3 cup mayonnaise
  • 2 t lemon juice
  • 1 t sweet pickle relish
  • 1/4 t onion powder

Instructions

1) Preheat oven to 425 convection. Combine 3 T paprika, 1 t salt, 1 T onion powder,1 t black pepper, 1/2 to 1 t cayenne pepper, 1 t dry thyme, 1 t dry oregano and 1/2 t garlic powder.2) Line a sheet pan with foil and add 2 T olive oil. Brush it over the foil in any area that will have fish.3) Rinse and pat dry 1 pound of tilapia. Brush with olive oil. Cover the fillets with the spices and rub it in (both sides).4) Place on the oiled pan and give the fish a light spray of PAM. Place in the preheated oven.5) If you want a homemade tarter sauce, combine 1/3 cup mayo, 2 t lemon juice, 1 t sweet pickle relish and 1/4 t onion powder. Mix well.6) Cook until nicely brown and flaky. This is about 10-11 minutes for big fillets and a minute or two less for small to medium fillets.
Details
Prep time: Cook time: Total time: Yield: 4

Updated

April 18 2013

Dan Mikesell

Labels: , ,

39 Comments:

At August 9, 2012 at 8:05 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

I love blackened fish! Cannot wait to try this is the oven. I usually do mine in my cast iron skillet.

 
At August 9, 2012 at 10:43 AM , Blogger Beedermpath said...

Thanks for the great website! I made the tilapia, strawberry salad, and smashed potatoes and it was all good. I'm new to cooking, so I really appreciate your photos.

 
At August 24, 2012 at 6:33 PM , Blogger Ana said...

AMAZING!! I just made it for myself, can do it every single day!

 
At January 7, 2013 at 7:00 PM , Blogger 2 yummy said...

Just tried, it was delish! And the smells coming from my oven; I could hardly wait for it to finish cooking. I rate it a 5!!

 
At January 15, 2013 at 1:53 PM , Blogger J said...

Spray the fish lightly with Pam, or the pan?

 
At January 15, 2013 at 3:27 PM , Blogger Unknown said...

I mean to give the fish a light spray of PAM (oil...) to prevent it from drying so much and give a little oil texture and you will hardly know it is oven baked. I can see the wording is a little confusing. Fixed...

 
At January 15, 2013 at 3:46 PM , Blogger J said...

Gotcha. I thought that was what you meant. I just wanted to make sure. Thank you. Can't wait to try it Saturday.

 
At January 21, 2013 at 3:39 PM , Blogger texashugs said...

I just tried making this. Left it in the oven for 11 min. It looked and tasted good but it wasn't too brown or crisp. Should the outside have a crisp crust?

 
At January 21, 2013 at 7:49 PM , Blogger Unknown said...

It is not very crispy but it should brown a bit like the picture. I would question the temp of the oven some if you're have issues with other high temp baking since this is at 425 convection. You could skip the spray of PAM but it will dry some. Be sure to keep that spray light.

 
At January 22, 2013 at 2:59 PM , Blogger Lyall said...

I just made a trip to Tesco to buy the ingredients for this, and I'm cooking it as we speak. I haven't even put them in the oven yet but OH MY GOD it smells amazing! I've also put the rub on a Pollock fillet, just to see what happens...

 
At January 29, 2013 at 3:51 PM , Blogger Unknown said...

Can this be done in a conventional oven? If so, at what temp and for how long?

 
At January 29, 2013 at 4:46 PM , Blogger Unknown said...

Try 450 for the same time. Keep the rake in the middle of the oven.

 
At February 10, 2013 at 5:46 PM , Blogger Unknown said...

I can't wait to try this. I think I am going to skip they chayenne pepper so it's not spicy for my kids. I hope it turns out just as amazing as it looks!

 
At February 13, 2013 at 11:01 PM , Blogger Anjeanette said...

My husband and I loved it! Great recipe! I make my own tarter sauce too but I just had to try your tarter sauce recipe and it was just right. Delicious. I found this recipe on my mobile phone in the middle of prepping and I wanted something different. Easy and yummy.

 
At March 12, 2013 at 6:57 PM , Blogger Unknown said...

Awesome recipe! I made this 2x this week. Very easy for even the worst cook. It's a little too spicy for the kids. This is our new house favorite!!

 
At March 29, 2013 at 11:05 AM , Blogger Unknown said...

I am going to try this this afternoon for good Friday dinner. Will inform you later on the out come.

 
At March 29, 2013 at 9:42 PM , Blogger Moody said...

I tried it but didn't have olive oil, so I used veggie oil. I surprised my wife and tired out good. only changed it to 450.

 
At March 30, 2013 at 12:02 PM , Blogger Unknown said...

Use the oil you have. The olive oil is healthier (the doctor in me says) use what you have. I also had an email this morning from EdS. who had a question about the ground vs leaf oregano. The oregano is ground. I believe the leaf is more for salad or salsa like things.

 
At April 1, 2013 at 6:28 PM , Blogger camry said...

I'm trying this tomorrow ... can't wait!

 
At April 1, 2013 at 7:19 PM , Blogger Unknown said...

I just cooked it!!!!! It is delicious :)

 
At April 1, 2013 at 7:24 PM , Blogger Unknown said...

Camry... Let us know how it goes
Robin... Great I'm clad it worked for you.

 
At April 2, 2013 at 8:49 AM , Blogger Unknown said...

Loved it. Thank you. Will cook it again next week.

 
At April 2, 2013 at 10:02 AM , Blogger Unknown said...

I'm going to make it next week too. I think I'm gonna do all the work the night before and then put them in the oven when I'm ready to cook them. Do you think they can be frozen with all the ingredients and cooked in a few days? Have a great day everyone!!!!
Happy cooking

 
At April 2, 2013 at 1:10 PM , Blogger Unknown said...

I would suggest mixing the spices and tarter sauce ahead. If using frozen fish, thaw for a day or two in the refrigerator. The rest can be done in only a few minutes. A lot less time than the oven will take to preheat.

 
At April 2, 2013 at 5:59 PM , Blogger camry said...

It's delicious!!! I'm making it again tomorrow - lol

 
At April 2, 2013 at 8:22 PM , Blogger Unknown said...

Thanks for the report

 
At May 1, 2013 at 10:28 AM , Blogger birdman said...

Does this work with the whole fish instead of fillets?

 
At May 1, 2013 at 1:36 PM , Blogger Unknown said...

Of course the seasoning would be fine on any meat. The cooking technique almost for sure would not. The thickness and the total mass being different. Check out other references for the prep and cooking of the whole fish.

 
At May 5, 2013 at 11:42 AM , Blogger Unknown said...

Im not a big seafood person but I'm fond of tilapia. I give my fish a quick soak in vinegar and lemon juice to alleviate the fishy taste and smell.

 
At May 6, 2013 at 7:30 PM , Blogger Unknown said...

I have not heard of that trick. I'm good with tilapia and salmon but other fish just have not been high on my list.

 
At May 10, 2013 at 12:45 AM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

This is one of the easiest Tilapia Recipes I have tried. It is definitely spicy, Oh Baby...Hot! Next time I'll use about half as much cayenne pepper. The tarter sauce is a perfect compliment. We have fish a couple of times a week and this was on the request list for next week too.

 
At May 10, 2013 at 9:41 AM , Blogger Unknown said...

It does have some bite. A half tsp is the most I can tolerate. The original blackening recipe has 1 tsp and it burns just to think of it. 1/4 tsp is probably more for us normal humans.

 
At May 12, 2013 at 3:35 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

I just made this for my boyfriend and I. We left out the Cayenne (because neither of us like it) and the Thyme because we didn't have it, and used vegetable oil in place of olive. My boyfriend loves it, but me not so much.
I have to admit, it smelled pretty amazing while cooking. I think I'm not much of a tilapia fan. It has a weird taste to it that I just can't really get past.

Other than that I give this a 4/5! If I can make something that my boyfriend will eat, I'm more than happy to keep making this recipe. Even if I'm not the one eating it. =D

 
At May 12, 2013 at 4:04 PM , Blogger Unknown said...

I'm clad it mostly worked for you. You may like it a bit better with the thyme. Also, try a pinch of cayenne, maybe an 1/8 tsp. it will balance the recipe.

 
At May 28, 2013 at 10:04 PM , Blogger Unknown said...

I seriously dislike fish... with that said, I really enjoyed this!

 
At May 28, 2013 at 10:41 PM , Blogger Unknown said...

I'm from Iowa and if it doesn't moo, oink or cluck then you don't eat it. With this recipe, I don't even think I'm eating fish and no fish smell (I really hate fish smell). I continue to repeat this recipe at home. Try the grilled version, I think it is even better with a little grilling char on it.

 
At June 6, 2013 at 2:06 PM , Blogger Unknown said...

Excellent! quick,easy,delicious,A+ Thanks!

 
At August 8, 2013 at 4:10 PM , Blogger Unknown said...

I just made this with 4-good sized fillets. I loved the flavor profile and the quick assembly. For my taste, I would cut most of the spices in 1/2 or take it up to the broiler for the last 2-4 minute to crust the seasonings on top. just a tad too much dry/bulk seasonings on the surface... AWESOME flavor, will make again. My wife and I have a rating scale 5-Keeper as is, 1-wadded and thrown away. Strong 4.5 with adjustments...

 
At August 8, 2013 at 9:58 PM , Blogger Unknown said...

I'll take a 4.5 any day. Yep, it is 7/10 hot with the 1/2 t cayenne. The original recipe for the seasoning was a full tsp. That is really manly man stuff... I have stayed at 1/2 tsp but maybe I should sneak it down a little. I have tried the broiler to "crisp" it up some and it seemed to dry before it browned much. Maybe a tad more PAM would help. The grilled version is nicely crisp.

Thanks for the comment.

 

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