Pan-seared Blackened Tilapia with delicious and simple pineapple salsa.
The Best Blackened Tilapia
Because we can’t get enough of this pineapple chicken, we’re revisiting the components from that meal with tilapia. While the salsa is pretty much the same, we’re switching up the base and blackening some fish instead of marinating chicken.
Time-Saving Tips
- Pre-Cut Pineapple: Buy pre-cored and skinned pineapple for convenience. It’s often ripe and not much pricier when in season. Alternatively, use a pineapple corer/slicer to save time, especially if you frequently eat pineapple.
- Pre-Cook Rice: Cook a large batch of rice at the start of the week. Use it in various recipes like chicken stir fry, coconut curry chicken, or mango chicken.
- Use a Juicer: Since this blackened tilapia recipe requires a good amount of lime juice, a simple and affordable juicer or citrus reamer can save time and effort, particularly if you often use citrus juice.
Serve Blackened Tilapia With
Blackened Tilapia
This pan seared Blackened Tilapia pairs perfectly with a simple pineapple-cilantro salsa to create an unforgettable flavor combo.
Equipment
- Large pan non-stick
Ingredients
- 5 tablespoons finely diced jalapeño divided
- 1 medium red onion diced and sliced
- 1 bunch cilantro divided
- 3 limes divided
- 1 cup uncooked basmati rice
- 2-1/2 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 (15-ounce) can black beans drained and rinsed
- Salt and pepper
- 3 cups diced pineapple
- 1 pound tilapia 3 fillets
- 2 teaspoons mojo rub
Instructions
- Dice a jalapeño and measure 5 tablespoons. Halve a red onion and cut one half into thin strips to get about 3/4 cup, then finely dice the other half to measure 1/2 cup. Finely chop cilantro to obtain 3/4 cup for the salsa and 3 tablespoons for the rice. Zest and juice the limes to get 4 tablespoons of juice and 1 teaspoon of zest. Cut the remaining lime into wedges for serving alongside the plates. Cook rice according to package directions.
- Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to a large non-stick pan, and heat to medium-high heat. When oil is shimmering, add diced jalapeño and thinly sliced red onion. Sauté, stirring frequently, until softened. Add garlic and stir for 30 seconds. Add in black beans and stir until warmed through, 2–3 minutes. Remove from heat and then add black bean mixture to the cooked rice. Add 2 tablespoons lime juice and 3 tablespoons diced cilantro. Season rice and beans mixture to taste with salt and pepper, I use about 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Toss and taste for seasoning; adjust according to personal preference. Cover to keep warm and set aside.
- Add the remaining 2 tablespoons lime juice and 1 teaspoon zest to a bowl along with 3/4 cup diced cilantro, remaining 2 tablespoons diced jalapeño, remaining 1/2 cup diced red onion, and diced pineapple. Add salt and pepper to taste, I add about 1/4 teaspoon salt and a 1/16 teaspoon pepper. Stir until combined and set aside (see note 1).
- Heat 1-1/2 tablespoons olive oil in the large non-stick pan you used for the beans over medium-high heat. Pat tilapia dry with a paper towel, season all over with mojo rub, 1 teaspoon salt, and pepper as desired. Gently rub seasoning on all sides of the fish. When oil is shimmering, add tilapia. Fry until browned on the bottom, about 3–5 minutes. Flip and cook until spices are blackened and fish is opaque and flakes easily with a fork, about 3–5 more minutes. Remove fish from the heat. Season with additional salt if needed.
- Divide the rice evenly between plates and add tilapia right on top. Generously spoon pineapple salsa on top of everything. Serve with fresh lime wedges and enjoy!
Recipe Notes
Note 1: You’ll probably have more pineapple salsa than needed for the fish, but I love a generous topping! Alternatively, you can enjoy the extra salsa with chips. While you can halve the recipe, I prefer it as written to avoid wasting any veggies.
Storage: Store Blackened Tilapia in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 days or freeze for up to 2 months.
Keep Pineapple Salsa in a separate container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 586kcal | Carbohydrates: 70.8g | Protein: 34.3g | Fat: 22.8g | Cholesterol: 53.3mg | Sodium: 1185.5mg | Fiber: 15.2g | Sugar: 12.2g | Vitamin A: 880IU | Vitamin C: 220mg | Calcium: 107mg | Iron: 3mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Is the nutritional content pre serving or all together for 2-4 servings?
per serving!
Probably the most confusing recipe I’ve ever read. The way it’s written makes it seem much more confusing than it is. Haven’t even finished making dinner yet because it’s taking me so long to read and reread.
Sorry Dave!
This was good! My husband has done keto for the last 6 months, but hit a plateau so I’m migrating him to an endomorph friendly diet to include a few “good” carbs. I substituted riced cauliflower for the rice and used chicken (because I didn’t have tilapia on-hand). It turned out very well! Definitely keeping this recipe!
I am so happy to hear this! Thanks Leigh! 🙂
Hey Chelsea,
I’ve discovered Tilapia and we love it, only the frozen Parmesan crusted we’ve been buying has so much salt!
Your recipe is even higher in salt. How can I reduce the salt in this? Would I just add 1 tsp. of mojo and add no other salt?
Thanks!
Hey Catherine! Yes, feel free to reduce the salt in this to personal preference. If you’re concerned from the nutrition label, I do think the sodium amount in the nutrition facts are off a bit; the calorie counter I use counts black beans before being rinsed off which drastically increases sodium count. If you rinse the black beans, you’ll reduce the sodium by a lot
I’d give 6 stars if i could. This was wonderful! We licked the platter clean! This will
be my go-to tilapia recipe from here on. Thanks for such a fresh and easy recipe that uses staple ingredients! And no grilling! 🙂
Oh yay! So thrilled to hear this was a hit 🙂 Thanks so much for the comment Becky! 🙂
I don’t like fish but decided I’d try a fis recipe once a week to try new food. I LOVED this! I’ll definitely be making it again!
Oh yay! So happy to hear you enjoyed this Ann! 🙂
OMG!! I made this for dinner. It was amazing!!! I added corn to the beans and red bell pepper to the pineapple salsa, it was beautiful and delicious! ???? oh and supper quick!
YAYY!! I’m soo happy to hear this! Those additions to the salsa sound amazing! Thanks for the tip! 🙂
How delicious!! Ahh I absolutely love tilapia, and especially with a nice fruity salsa. YUM!
Ahh you’ll love this! Thanks for your comment! 🙂