Tender blackened tilapia filets are served over crisp + crunchy garlic slaw and wrapped in a warm tortilla. The contrast between tender and mildly spicy tilapia with cool and fresh slaw is simply amazing. You’ll be reaching for the next taco before you know it!

Blackened fish tacos sit on parchment paper atop a wood board. There are limes wedges to the side. More slaw, tortillas, avocado, cilantro, and limes sit in the background.

These blackened fish tacos with garlic slaw were inspired by my all time favorite taco. When Andy and I lived in Hawaii we’d get the best fish tacos from a little place that served a special deal for taco tuesday. I get MAJOR cravings for these tacos, so I figured it was time to make my own version 🙂

Healthy fish tacos made with blackened tilapia and a garlic slaw sit on a lined plate. There are lime wedges sitting beside the tacos and more slaw off to the side.

For another tilapia recipe be sure to check out my Lemon Pepper Tilapia. Tender tilapia filets served with a flavorful lemon pepper blend and garlic butter sauce. The rich lemon butter garlic sauce balances with the pucker of lemon pepper seasoning to compliment the subtleness of tilapia. Fresh and easy!

Ingredients For Blackened Tilapia

Tilapia Filets – I prefer fresh tilapia raised with sustainable practices, but feel free to use whatever budget and availability allows.

Seasoning – For flavorful and mildly spicy blackened tilapia I used a blend of onion powder, smoked paprika, garlic powder, cayenne, salt, and pepper. Most of my spices are from either Simply Organics or Watkins 1868.

Garlic Cilantro Slaw Recipe

Green Cabbage – I prefer green cabbage for my slaws as the texture is mild and it has such crisp texture.

Full Fat Greek Yogurt – My go-to brand for greek yogurt is Fage. It has the best texture and flavor! You can sub for a vegan alternative if needed, it might make the slaw a bit less thick and creamy but that’s it.

Mayo – Once again, use vegan if needed. For regular or vegan mayo I go for Primal Kitchen.

Red Wine Vinegar – The tang of vinegar helps cut through the cool fats of mayo and yogurt for the slaw. It essentially helps to balance out the flavors.

Cilantro – I know not everyone is a fan of cilantro but I haven’t tested this recipe with anything else. I’d guess that you could sub it for parsley and the flavor would still be delicious!

Garlic Cloves – Fresh minced garlic is a must for this recipe! It adds the perfect bite to the fresh slaw.

Honey – The bit of sweetness adds contrast to the strong acidity of the vinegar and the tang of the greek yogurt.

How to Make Blackened Tilapia Tacos

Start by preparing your slaw – in a large mixing bowl, add the greek yogurt, mayo, red wine vinegar, chopped cilantro, minced garlic, honey, salt, and pepper. Whisk together until combined. Add your finely sliced green cabbage and stir until evenly coated with dressing. Add additional salt + pepper to taste. Set aside.
Make your fish seasoning – add onion powder, smoked paprika, garlic powder, cayenne, salt, and black pepper to a small bowl and whisk until evenly combined.
Prepare your fish – preheat a large skillet to medium and add 2 tbsp olive oil. Pat tilapia filets dry on both sides with a paper towel. Sprinkle seasoning on both sides of tilapia and rub into filets with your fingers.
To the skillet, add your tilapia filets and cook undisturbed for 3-4 minutes per side, or until opaque and cooked through (internal temperature of 145F). Depending on the size of your skillet, you will likely need to do this in 2 batches to ensure the filets are not overcrowded in the pan.
Assemble your tacos – fill each tortilla with the slaw and break apart tilapia filets with a fork into desired size pieces. Top with chopped fresh cilantro. Optional: serve with favorite hot sauce, avocado slices, and lime wedges. Enjoy!

Warm tortillas are filled with crisp garlic slaw and tender blackened tilapia filets. There are lime wedges to the side. In the background there are more tortillas, cabbage slaw mix, chopped cilantro, and avocado.

What Does Tilapia Taste Like

If you’ve never tried tilapia … take this as your sign to try it! I love tilapia because it’s mild tasting and not crazy expensive. It’s versatile in cooking because you can season and cook it to match the flavor profile of the overall dish. An easy pescatarian option!

For this blackened tilapia recipe in particular, I went with a slightly spicy seasoning blend to pair with the crisp slaw. But if spice isn’t for you, simply cut down on the amount of cayenne. No matter what spices you use, ensure you use enough and a good variety of them to really pack the flavor in the tilapia!

Healthy fish tacos with blackened tilapia, crisp cabbage slaw, and lime wedges sit on a wood board. There's more slaw, tortillas, cilantro. and lime to the side.

How to Cut Cabbage for Slaw

The key to a great slaw starts with the cabbage.

To start, I like to remove the outer layers that can be a little rough. I’ll then quarter the cabbage and slice off the tough root/core of it. At this point you’ll want a sharp knife so you can thinly slice it in short shreds.

The thin, short cuts will keep the cabbage crisp versus soggy. If you’re cutting large pieces, it holds then releases more water … resulting in a soggy slaw. Nobody wants soggy slaw.

Blackened tilapia tacos sit on a parchment lined plate with limes to garnish. The tilapia is blackened and crisp.

Storing Leftover Healthy Fish Tacos

While these blackened tilapia tacos are absolutely delicious, you may have leftovers if you’re only serving for two. Andy and I always end up with extra of the tilapia and slaw mix so we enjoy it later in the week for a quick meal!

I suggest storing the blackened tilapia in a separate container from the slaw. This keeps everything fresh as the slaw will release extra liquid as it sits.

To heat everything up I suggest giving the tilapia a quick saute and then I actually prefer the slaw chilled.

And if you try this recipe, please let me know by leaving a comment and rating in the boxes below! I always love to hear from you and it helps other people find this recipe when they search online for the BEST Blackened Fish Tacos 🙂