Home > Dinner > Blackened Tilapia with a Pineapple Salsa Blackened Tilapia with a Pineapple Salsa July 9, 2019 | 14 Comments SAVE TO RECIPE BOX Jump to Recipe This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy. blPan-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 Blackened Tilapia. While the salsa is pretty much the same, we’re switching up the base and blackening some fish instead of marinating chicken. Ingredients Jalapeño & Red Onion: Adds heat and sharpness to both rice and salsa. Cilantro & Limes: Provides herby freshness and acidity in rice, salsa, and as garnish. Basmati Rice, Black Beans, & Garlic: Forms the base with added heartiness from beans. Olive Oil, Salt, and Pepper: Used for cooking and seasoning all components in this blackened tilapia. Pineapple & Mojo Seasoning: Pineapple brings sweetness to the salsa; mojo seasoning flavors the tilapia. Tilapia: Main protein, seasoned and cooked to be flavorful and flaky. How To Make Blackened Tilapia Season Tilapia: Dry tilapia fillets; season with blackening spices, salt, and pepper. Heat Skillet: Heat a heavy skillet (preferably cast iron) on medium-high with oil or butter until shimmering. Cook Tilapia: Cook fillets for 3-5 minutes each side until blackened and flaky. Serve: Serve hot with optional lemon juice. 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 Italian Salad Cowboy Caviar Elote Roasted Brussel Sprouts Roasted Asparagus FOLLOW ALONG! Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for the latest updates, recipes and content. Blackened Tilapia 5 from 4 votes - Review this recipe Pan seared Blackened Tilapia with delicious and simple pineapple-cilantro salsa. SAVE TO RECIPE BOX Print Recipe Blackened Tilapia 5 from 4 votes - Review this recipe SAVE TO RECIPE BOX Print Recipe Pan seared Blackened Tilapia with delicious and simple pineapple-cilantro salsa. Course Dinner, Main Course Cuisine American Keyword blackened tilapia Prep Time 20 minutes minutes Cook Time 8 minutes minutes Total Time 28 minutes minutes Servings 2 -4 servings Chelsea Lords Calories 925kcal Author Chelsea Lords Ingredients▢ 3 tablespoons finely diced jalapeño pepper separated (~1 large jalapeno)▢ 1 medium red onion, divided dice one half to get 1/2 cup and then thinly slice the other half to get 3/4 cup▢ 1 bunch cilantro separated▢ 3 juicy limes separated▢ 1 cup uncooked basmati rice + water to cook in▢ 2 and 1/2 tablespoons olive oil separated▢ 2 tablespoons finely diced jalapeño pepper▢ 1 teaspoon minced garlic▢ 1 can (15 ounces) black beans drained and rinsed▢ Fine sea salt and freshly cracked pepper▢ 3 cups (~18 ounces) diced pineapple▢ 1 pound (~3 fillets) tilapia▢ Cuban-inspired mojo seasoning (I use Simple Truth Organic)US - Metric USMetric InstructionsPREP: We're going to use a lot of these ingredients for the rice and then again for the salsa! Dice a jalapeño to get 3 tablespoons. Halve a red onion. Cut half of that half into thin strips to get about 3/4 cup. Finely dice the other half to get 1/2 cup. Finely dice cilantro to get 3/4 cup (for salsa; measure 3/4 cup loosely and then finely dice) and 2-3 tablespoons (for rice). Zest and juice limes to get 4 tablespoons juice and 1 teaspoon zest. Cut the remaining lime into wedges to serve alongside plates.BLACK BEAN RICE: In a small pot, cook rice according to package directions. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to a large nonstick pan (the same one you’ll use for the fish later on), and heat to medium-high heat. When oil is shimmering, add 1 tablespoon diced jalapeño and the thinly sliced red onion (3/4 cup). Saute, stirring frequently, until softened. Add garlic and stir for about 30 more seconds. Add in black beans and stir until warmed through,, 2-3 more minutes. Remove from heat and then add black bean mixture to the cooked rice. Add the juice of 1 lime (2 tablespoons lime juice) and 2-3 (or to taste) tablespoons diced cilantro. Season rice 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.PINEAPPLE SALSA: (SEE NOTE 1) Zest and juice 1 lime to get 2 tablespoons juice and 1 teaspoon zest (avoid the white pith). Add to a bowl along with the 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 generous pinch of pepper). Stir until combined and set aside.TILAPIA: Heat 1 and 1/2 tablespoons olive oil in the large NONSTICK pan (the same one used for the beans/jalapeno) over medium-high heat. Pat tilapia dry with a paper towel, season all over with 1-2 teaspoons mojo spice mix (to taste preference, we use about 1 and 1/2 teaspoons), 1 teaspoon salt, and pepper as desired, and then gently rub seasoning on all sides of the fish. When oil is shimmering, add tilapia. Fry (working in batches as needed) until browned on the bottom, 3-5 minutes. Flip and cook until spices are blackened and fish is cooked through (opaque and flakes easily with a fork) about 3-5 more minutes. Remove fish from the heat. Season if needed with additional salt.TO SERVE: 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 (drizzle lime on right before serving) and enjoy! Recipe NotesNote 1: You will likely have more pineapple salsa than needed to top the fish, but we like a lot on top! Or, you can finish off the extra salsa with chips. You can halve the pineapple salsa recipe, but I like it as written, so I don't waste the rest of the veggies. Nutrition FactsCalories: 925kcal | Carbohydrates: 129g | Protein: 55g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 113mg | Sodium: 132mg | Potassium: 1372mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 39g | Vitamin A: 880IU | Vitamin C: 220mg | Calcium: 107mg | Iron: 3mg We do our best to provide accurate nutritional analysis for our recipes. Our nutritional data is calculated using a third-party algorithm and may vary, based on individual cooking styles, measurements, and ingredient sizes. Please use this information for comparison purposes and consult a health professional for nutrition guidance as needed. DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE? I love hearing from you when you've made one of my recipes! Tag me on Instagram at @ChelseasMessyApron or leave me a comment below.
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! Reply
YAYY!! I’m soo happy to hear this! Those additions to the salsa sound amazing! Thanks for the tip! 🙂 Reply
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! Reply
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! 🙂 Reply
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! Reply
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 Reply
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! Reply
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. Reply