The picture sold me on this recipe first and I’m always on the lookout for fish recipe ideas. We recently got back from a three day vacation at Disney World, and while we were there we went to the Rain Forest Cafe. I tried their blackened tilapia with mango salsa and it was pretty tasty. I don’t normally order my fish “blackened” – it just doesn’t sound all that appealing to me ( “black” sounds like “burnt” to me ). So, on the shopping list was blackening seasoning and tilapia – thankfully the tilapia is on sale this week at Publix, but the blackening seasoning was not. I read the ingredients list and the first listed spice was salt….no thanks. I have salt at home, and I also have all the ingredients necessary to make my own salt-free blend! It pays to have a well stocked spice and dried herb cabinet. Bread making comes in handy too and for this meal I’ll make these pitas instead of spending almost four dollars for “fresh” pitas.

Verdict: These were so good – and the fish was cooked perfectly. The spicy tartar sauce was a great compliment to these, but next time I may add a little more cayenne pepper to the blackening seasoning. Overall we were all happy to eat this up, and it will definitely go into the rotation! Thanks for reading, enjoy!

Blackened Seasoning Mix – adapted from Allrecipes.com

• 1 1/2 tablespoons paprika (*I used half smoked paprika, half sweet)
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 1 tablespoon ground dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano

Blackened Fish Flatbread – adapted from Honest Cooking

For the Fish:

• 1 lb tilapia
• Blackening Seasoning of Choice
• Kosher salt to taste
• 1 TBS Butter
• 1 TBS Canola Oil

For the Simple Spicy Tartar Sauce:

• 1/3 cup Tartar Sauce
• 2-3 tsp of Lemon Juice
• Blackening Seasoning to taste

Other:

• Pita bread, store-bought or these
• Chopped Lettuce
• Lemon wedges
• Sliced tomato