Cajun Blackened Cod is a super easy less than 15 minute meal that even the picky fish eaters will love. Perfect with a drizzle of lemon or in a fish taco.
Can you get your kids or meat eaters in the family to eat fish? And just as a FYI fish fingers do not count...!
If fish is on the menu for dinner, my boys usually make the usual face expression like they just bit into a sour lemon, or immediately make plans to eat at their friend's house or if that fails they have been known to fake the flu...Usually fish for dinner does not go over well.
However, I found the perfect solution for picky fish eaters that even teenagers and grown meat-eater men will love and that is my Cajun Blackened Cod. Delightful spices that tingle the tongue and wake up the senses with earthy cumin, spicy chili, tasty taco seasoning and of course a little garlic for good measure is all you need to make your meat eaters like fish. With your first bite, the spices hit your tongue and the moist flaky texture is perfect all on its own but with a little drizzle of lemon on top is just pure heavenly.
If you are looking for more delicious Low Carb fish recipes, be sure to try our...
Healthy Mediterranean Baked Fish
Grilled Swordfish with Summer Vegetable Crab Salad
Lemon Herbed Baked Rainbow Trout
The trick is in the iron skillet
The iron skillet gets really hot and is a good conductor of heat and when you add the spices it seals the outer section of the fish with a crust of "blackened" spices and seals in the juicy flaky fish. If you do not have an iron skillet you can still make this in a regular pan but the fish may not get as golden/blackened crust but the taste is still great.
Spice it Up!
I think the secret for getting "anti-fish eaters" to like fish is to disguise the fish taste. I am not suggesting that you dress the fish up like Mr. Steak but adding some zesty spices transforms the usual scary baked smelly fish into something they do not even think is fish. I used a pre-made taco seasoning but you can make your own with a mixture of chili powder, paprika, onion powder, sea salt, garlic powder, cumin, oregano, black pepper, cayenne pepper, and red pepper flakes.
You can use any white fish you like but I had cod on hand and it worked like a charm. Last week I made Cajun Blackened catfish and made delicious fish tacos with a chipotle rainbow slaw and the boys devoured it in nano seconds. It's all about disguising the fish!
Cajun Blackened cod is a quick meal for any busy weeknight as from start to finish it is less than 15 minutes and I even made a salad with a Lemon White Balsamic Vinaigrette . Even if your fish are still frozen when you come home from work, you can get them unfrozen by running cold water over it and within 15 minutes they are unfrozen and you are in business.
Whether you eat the blackened Cajun cod with just a drizzle of lemon with a healthy veggies on the side or wrapped up as fish tacos, I am sure this will be a big hit with even your picky fish eaters.
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Cajun Blackened Cod
Ingredients
- 2 pounds cod fillets 4 with bones removed (or any white fish you like such as tilapia, mahi maui, catfish etc)
- 2 teaspoon chili powder
- 2 teaspoon cumin powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 2 teaspoon taco seasoning ( or your own homemade version with chili powder, paprika, onion powder, sea salt, garlic powder, cumin, oregano, black pepper, cayenne pepper, and red pepper flakes)
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
( or other light flavored high heat tolerance oils as desired- do not use olive oil) - 2 tablespoon lemon juice drizzle of lemon juice - optional
Instructions
- Wash and dry your fish well with paper towels.
- Coat front and back of fish with chili powder, cumin powder, garlic powder, pepper, taco seasoning.
- Place canola oil in iron skillet and heat to high medium heat.
- Sauté fish for 2-3 minutes on each size, depending on the size of your fish or until flakes easily with your fork.
- Drizzle a little lemon juice on top and serve with a delightful veggie medley or inside your favourite fish tacos.
Notes
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon onion powder
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper (if desired)
bentodays says
This looks great, the fish looks so moist inside!
Norma Chang says
Oh yes, nothing like a well seasoned iron skillet for good searing. Glad you found a way to get your kids to love fish.
GourmetGetaways (@GourmetGetaway) says
I can't imagine anyone trying to dodge this delicious meal!! It looks so tasty!! ...and lol at the FYI fish fingers aren't a fish serve. I tell my kids that all the time 😉
bitsandbreadcrumbs says
Your fish makes a beautiful and enticing dish, BAM. I love fish...but didn't when I was a kid. I would have loved it this way for sure. 🙂
Dawn says
Fish is not my friend...with my allergy, but my girls will eat it when we are out! Would be a great recipe for chicken though!
Coffee and Crumpets says
Gorgeous and juicy looking fish! Fortunately, my children and husband love fish and so I have no problem. The problem is me, I am not a huge seafood fan. I do like cod so this would be perfect. I love the colour on the fish!
Rufus' Food and Spirits Guide says
What a perfect looking piece of fish!
Maureen | Orgasmic Chef says
Who could resist a plate of food that looks that good? Nobody!
Karen says
Having lived in Florida for many years and Texas before that I can testify to how good blackened fish is…it is a very popular way of preparing fish. I can understand it being a big hit at your dinner table. 🙂
KickassCha says
I already love fish...but looks delicious to me anyway! It makes me think of the way they make fish in Florida, I went on holidays in the Keys 2 years ago, and I spent the whole 10 days eating fish of any sort "blackened".
bakeaffairs says
That looks very tasty and I will definitely try it out. Thank you for sharing and have a cheerful Sunday, Bridget
kitchenriffs says
Gosh, what a nice sear you have on that fish! Looks lovely, and with that spicy crust I'll bet it tastes wonderful. I like fish, but with a dish that looks like that, any meat eater would be salivating. Really good stuff - thanks.
Eha says
What a fun first post for the year, Bobbi!! Now I live on my own and I adore all kinds of fish, so there really is no problem, but since I say 'yes' the moment someone says 'spicy' this will be my next fish recipe!! Looks lovely ~ in our neck of the woods have not seen anything called 'atco seasoning' but am certain Mr Google will help with what usually goes into that 🙂 ! Be well, be happy!!!!
Healthy World Cuisine says
Happy 2014 Eha! I love fish too so I am so glad that I found a recipe that even teenagers enjoy. Thanks for the heads up on the Taco Seasoning. Taco seasoning is a pre-made blend of the following spices..give or take a few...chili powder, paprika, onion powder, sea salt, garlic powder, cumin, oregano, black pepper, cayenne pepper, and red pepper flakes..so you can make your own homemade taco spice mix to taste. Take Care, BAM
nancyc says
That looks so juicy–I'm sure I would love it since I love Blackened Chicken and Tuna!
Jo (http://blog-diggidy.com) says
I don't think I've ever had catfish. I have had lots of white fish. Cod, halibut, perch, walleye. All good. This fish looks yummy! 🙂 xo