Spicy Blackened Fish Fajitas
Spicy Blackened Fish Fajitas – Spice-rubbed fish cooked to perfection, tucked into tortillas with peppers and onions. You’ll love this one!
I’ve got a recipe queue longer than I am tall, but sometimes there are recipes that stop me in my tracks and call to me. I saw this idea for fish fajitas on The Kitchn and could. not. help. myself.
My thoughts? Fish fajitas are totally amazing.
While they’re certainly not traditional fajitas, these blackened fish fajitas were absolutely delicious. We loved them! Michael’s already asked to have them again soon.
They are definitely spicy, but not so much so that they just taste like burning. I cut the recommended amount of cayenne in half in my adaptation, but if you’re serving them to children, or are concerned about the spice yourself, feel free to cut the cayenne pepper in half again.
I think the fresh limes are absolutely essential. Don’t leave them out! The lime juice helps temper the spice and adds a fantastic flavor that really ties things together. (I also think the cilantro is important, but if you can only choose one, go with the lime.)
One other note on the recipe: if you prefer, you can use another white fish. I used tilapia since it was a great price and it worked beautifully. Use whatever you can find for a good price!
CRAVING MORE? I BET YOU’D LOVE…
- The BEST Fish Tacos with Slaw
- My Ultimate Guide to Guacamole
- Our Favorite Fresh Salsa
- Cilantro Lime Shrimp Tacos
- Sizzling Veggie Fajitas

Spicy Blackened Fish Fajitas
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 4-6 1x
Description
Spicy Blackened Fish Fajitas – Spice-rubbed fish cooked to perfection, tucked into tortillas with peppers and onions. The perfect twist to your next taco night!
Ingredients
For Fajitas
- 1 1/2 Tbsp paprika
- 1 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 tsp oregano
- 1 1/2 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 1/2 lbs tilapia, cut into large pieces
- 1 onion, sliced
- 1 green pepper, sliced
- 1 red pepper, sliced
- olive oil
For serving:
- small tortillas
- lime wedges
- cilantro
- grated cheddar or cotija
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine paprika, pepper, salt, oregano, sugar, garlic powder, and cayenne. Place fish in a large bowl, or zip-top bag, and add seasoning mixture. Stir or shake to coat well.
- In a large pan, heat a small drizzle of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and peppers, and cook 5-7 minutes or until crisp-tender. Remove onion and peppers from pan and set aside. Add another drizzle of olive oil and add about 1/3 of the fish. Cook 2-3 minutes per side, remove from pan and repeat with the remaining fish. (Don’t crowd the pan, this will help it to get slightly crispy on the outside and will prevent the fish from steaming).
- To serve, add a few pieces of fish, peppers, and onions to each tortilla. Add a little lime juice and garnish with cilantro and cheese.
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 25
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Tex-Mex
Keywords: fish fajitas, blackened fish, blackened fish fajitas
Spicy Blackened Fish Fajitas
Adapted from The Kitchn
Printable Recipe
These look fantastic!! I can’t wait to try them… and, now I’m hungry again! 🙂
I think we need to add these to next week’s menu…
I get to experience having my own personal chef in my house soon. Believe me, I’m going to enjoy the luxury !
Owh… i love this idea. I’m surely buy some white fish this weekend! 🙂
These look DELICIOUS! Great fajita recipe!
We used smoked paprika, and added some thyme to the seasoning mix. Tasted great!
I am not a huge fan of tilapia because it’s typically farm raised. Do you have any suggestions for a substitute?
Melissa – If you’re unable to find wild caught tilapia, you can use any white fish you like. Snapper, catfish, or hake would work well. Best of luck!
Excellent recipe! Everyone that tried them loved them. I did the recipe exactly as posted. We will be making these again.
★★★★★
Oh, I’m SO glad! I was just craving these!
Seasoning is perfect, good and spicy but not overly so. Works great on the grill using a grill pan and large pieces of fish.
★★★★★
I bet it was AMAZING grilled!!! So glad you enjoyed it!
I used catfish and it was delicious. It was so good I’m sending this recipe to my son.
★★★★★
I’m so glad you loved it! THANK YOU for taking the time to leave a review–I appreciate you!