Name: Cajun Blackened Cod
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 15 min
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; 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)

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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

Crab Stuffed Whitefish

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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Close up shot of flaky cajun cod with a wedge of lemon.

Cajun Blackened Cod

Delightful spices on the Blackened Cajun Cod 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. Great all on its own or in fish tacos.

5 from 15 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Cook Time: 15

Total Time: 15

Servings: servings

Calories: 260kcal

Author: HWC Magazine

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

US Customary - Metric

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

We like to make our own taco seasoning mix with chili powder, paprika, onion powder, sea salt, garlic powder, cumin, oregano, black pepper, cayenne pepper, and red pepper flakes. This way we can avoid the extra added sugar and keep the carbs down to 1.4 grams per serving. If you use pre-made taco seasoning in the packages, it contains sugar and increases the carbs to 10.7 grams per serving.

Homemade Taco Seasoning Mix - Makes 3 Tablespoons (you only need 2 teaspoons for Cajun Blackened Cod Recipe) so you will have a little extra leftover for another recipe.

1 tablespoon chili powder
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)