Mike, Gina & Zoe's Home Cookin' Episode 7: Blackened Tilapia

This post was originally called "Blackened Catfish". We are currently on episode 7. We have thus far had 6 successes and two utter and abject disasters. One had to do with losing pictures and videos due to a technical error. The Blackened Catfish failed because of the use of two store bought spice mixes that threw the salt content completely out of balance. Lesson learned.

My name is Zoe. I'm the resident feline of the Little household.

I am still haunted by the two failures.

“Never confuse a single defeat with a final defeat.” 
― F. Scott Fitzgerald

As a family, we put our collective heads and paws together and went back to the drawing board. 

“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” 
― Winston S. Churchill

This is what we came up with...

INGREDIENTS

3 Fillets of Fish (Catfish, Tilapia)

Paprika

Ancho Chile Powder

Dried Mustard

Cayenne

Dry Oregano

Cumin

Garlic Powder

Onion Powder

Ground Black Pepper

Salt

Eggs 

“Failure is the condiment that gives success its flavor.” 
― Truman Capote

We are going to provide 2 sets of measurements the first will be enough for the meal at hand. The second set will be if you want blackened seasoning left over. The Small One used the leftover blackened seasoning on portobello mushrooms and I'm told it was quite delicious. There are many other possible applications. The Large Hairy One suggested eggs. He always suggests putting everything on eggs.

“It is hard to fail, but it is worse never to have tried to succeed.”
― Theodore Roosevelt

Blackened Seasoning

2/4 Tablespoons Paprika

2/4 Tablespoons Ancho Chile Powder.

1/2 Teaspoons Dried Mustard

1/2 Teaspoons Dried Oregano

2/4 Teaspoons Cumin

1/2 Teaspoons Garlic

1/2 Teaspoons Onion Powder

2/4 Teaspoons Ground Black Pepper

1 Teaspoon Salt

Whisk together.

Run the end of a chopstick under water and dip into the blackened seasoning. Taste. Does it need a bit of something? This is the time to fix it.

“I didn't fail the test, I just found 100 ways to do it wrong.” 
― Benjamin Franklin

Crack 1 egg on a plate and mix with a fork.

“Try again. Fail again. Fail better.” 
― Samuel Beckett

Coat a frying pan with peanut oil and turn the temperature to high.

Dredge your fillets and coat with blackened seasoning.

“It is true that success is the most boring thing, it is tinny and brittle, failure runs deeper. Success is dangerous. I have a very complicated relationship with that word.” 
― Arundhati Roy

Provided your pan is hot enough, your fillets should only need between 1-2 minutes on either side.

“If your failure is not a lesson, it's indeed a failure.” 
― Ogwo David Emenike

Time to plate them up...

You'll want a nice wedge of lemon to add a hint of brightness. Cucumbers will give your mouth a bit of relief from the intensity and heat of the blackened seasoning. A nice starch will round out the dish. We chose mushroom pierogies for their umami flavor.

“Failure seldom stops you. What stops you is the fear of failure.” 
― Jack Lemmon

Enjoy!

D