Blackened Catfish Tacos
Gulf-style blackening spice, a fast cabbage slaw, and a lime crema that cuts straight through the heat.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 10 min
- Total
- 30 min
- Makes
- 4 servings, 8 tacos
What you need
- 1.5 lb catfish fillets, cut into strips
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp cayenne, or less to taste
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
- 3 cups shredded green cabbage
- 1/2 red onion, sliced paper thin
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1 lime, zested and juiced
- 8 corn tortillas
- Cilantro and pickled jalapenos, to serve
Method
-
Mix the blackening spice
Stir the paprika, garlic powder, oregano, cayenne, salt and pepper together in a shallow dish. Make a double batch and keep the rest in a jar; it is good on chicken thighs and roasted cauliflower too.
-
Make the crema and slaw
Whisk the sour cream with the lime zest, lime juice and a pinch of salt. Toss the cabbage and red onion with half of it, and hold the rest back for drizzling.
-
Coat the fish
Brush the catfish strips with melted butter, then press them into the spice mix so every side is covered. The butter is what lets the spices toast rather than scorch.
-
Blacken
Get a cast-iron skillet ripping hot over high heat and open a window. Cook the fish in a single layer for 2 to 3 minutes a side, until the crust is dark and the fish flakes.
-
Warm the tortillas
Char the tortillas directly over a gas flame or in the dry skillet for 20 seconds a side, then stack them in a clean towel to steam soft.
-
Build
Slaw first, then fish, then the reserved crema, cilantro and pickled jalapenos. Two tacos per person, plus one for the cook standing at the stove.
Blackened is not burned
The dark color comes from butter and spices toasting, not from the fish scorching. If your kitchen fills with acrid smoke rather than a nutty smell, pull the heat down a notch.