I have over 20 recipes for fish tacos pinned on Pinterest. I’m always a little hesitant to cook fish, it feels expensive, and I never know what kind to buy and I don’t have a lot of experience cooking it. Which is quite silly since fish so good for you and I’ll only get more experience cooking it if I actually cook fish. So inviting my parents over for lunch was the perfect excuse to challenge myself to cook up these delicious blackened fish taco bowls with cilantro lime slaw.

I always enjoy taco bowls because I like being able to customize the rice to slaw ratio, but if you prefer real tacos, you can absolutely do that and just serve with the slaw and fish. I also made some black beans because they’re super easy and make great leftovers.

The flavors in this meal were so great. I loved all the crunchy cool vegetables, and the nicely seasoned tilapia cooks up really quickly, it pairs perfectly with the warm rice and beans. Super delicious.

Do you have a meal you’ve been longing to make? What’s one food you’re nervous about cooking?

Blackened Fish Taco Bowls with Cilantro Lime Slaw

Adapted from Host the Toast and Pinch of Yum

• 1/3 cup canola oil
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 cup chopped green onions
• 1 cup chopped cilantro leaves and stems (be sure to give a good rinse)
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 tsp salt
• 3 limes, juiced (about 1/4 cup)
• 2/3 cup plain Greek yogurt (sour cream or mayo would work too)
• 6 cups shredded green and/or purple cabbage
  
• 1 1/2 lbs tilapia fillets (6 fillets)
• 1 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp chili powder
• 2 Tbsp canola oil
• 4-6 cups cooked rice
• Black beans

In a food processor, pulse the first 8 ingredients together (canola oil to Greek yogurt), taste and adjust seasoning as needed. In a large bowl, mix the shredded lettuce and 1/2 the dressing together. Refrigerate the slaw while making the fish. (If making the beans you can put those on to cook now too).

In a small bowl, combine the paprika, garlic powder, oregano, onion powder, cumin, salt, brown sugar, and chili powder together. Drizzle a little oil on the tilapia and cover in spice mixture. In a large skillet, heat canola oil over medium high heat, and place the tilapia spiced side down, then season the top again with spice mixture. Cook for about 3 minutes on each side. Tilapia is usually quite thin, so it should be cooked in just about 6 minutes and nicely browned. Fish will flake and the tilapia will be white all the way through when cooked. If you have to cook it in batches, you can set your oven to 200°F and place fish on a baking sheet to stay warm while you cook in batches.

Serve with rice, cilantro lime slaw, black beans, and blackened tilapia. Top with a little fresh cilantro and scallions, hot sauce if desired, and/or pickled onions.