Blackened Tilapia Taco Bowl

Taco Tuesdays have become a staple in our home.... it's easy, reliable, gives us an excuse to eat guac, and the meat is almost always marinated and ready to go from the freezer. We usually do a flank steak, grilled peppers and onions, and salsa on top.

This week, we decided to mix it up and try something a little bit different..... FISH TACOS! 

After diving into Costco membership this week, we decided that we need to start replacing one of our red meat nights (which we adorrrrreeeee) with a night of lighter seafood fare! So we bought a giant flat of fresh, beautiful Tilapia and portioned it out to freeze when we got home.

When it came time to thaw out some protein for tacos this week, my husband challenged me to create a fish taco bowl... here's what we came up with.

I hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

Blackened Tilapia Taco Bowl
Serves: 2-4 depending on hunger levels ;) 
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

4 Tilapia Fillets
Bekah's Blackened Fish Rub (recipe below)
1 can black beans, rinsed
1 can sweet white and golden corn (or 2 corn cobs, cooked, and removed from cob)
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 red onion, diced
1 avocado, cubed, if desired
handful of cherry tomatoes, if desired
1 lime, sliced for garnish
4 tsp olive oil

 When it comes to tacos and fajitas, I like to make sure to cut up and rinse all the veggies and extras first. On more occasions that I can count, we have sat down to the table, eaten our entire meal, and then realized that the bell pepper (or some other sort of important side ingredient) was completely left out. By laying everything out, I have an extra moment of taking stock and making sure we've got everything we want to include.... plus it's so colorful and pretty :)

 

Bekah's Blacked Fish Rub
In a small dish, mix together:
1.5 T chili powder
1 T ground cumin
1/2 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. ground cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. oregano
pinch of sea salt

You could adjust the amount of ground cayenne pepper to up the spice intensity... we're not huge on super spicy foods in our house, so this is just the right amount of kick for us.


Directions:

1. Rub both sides of the tialpia fillets with the spice mix, and set aside while you heat a cast iron skillet (or other frying pan) to medium.

2. Once the pan is heated, add 2 tsp of olive oil, followed by 2 fillets of fish. --This is all my skillet can hold, if you have one that can fit all 4, feel free to add all of the oil and all of the fish :)

3. Cook 2-3 minutes on each side, until the fish is cooked through and flakey. Remove from the heat to a plate and cover with tin foil. Repeat with the remaining oil and fish.

4. Once the fish is cooked, add the red pepper, onion, and corn to the skillet. Let it cook as it lays in the pan so that it caramelizes a little bit in the remnants from the fish. Cook for 5-7 minutes until onions are translucent, or until your desired level of done-ness. (I mean, they're veggies that are yummy cooked or raw... you can't really screw this up.)

 5. Mix in the black beans and warm for 1-2 minutes, just before removing the veggies from the heat.
6. Spoon into a bowl (or tortillas, or lettuce wraps if you're opting for more of a classic taco) and top with the fish!

Optional toppings:
squeeze 1/4 of a lime over the top
fresh sliced tomatoes and avocado
light squeeze of a chipotle mayo

7. Enjoy!