Texas blackened catfish tacos with jalapeño-lime crema

Name: Texas blackened catfish tacos with jalapeño-lime crema
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 8 min
Yield: 4 (two tacos each)
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1½ lb catfish fillets; 1½ tbsp olive oil; 8 warm corn or flour tortillas; 2 cups shredded red cabbage; Diced avocado and crumbled cotija cheese, to taste; 1½ tsp chili powder; 1 tsp ground cumin; 1 tsp smoked paprika; 1 tsp kosher salt; ½ tsp garlic powder; ¼ tsp cayenne; ½ cup Mexican crema or sour cream; ½ jalapeño, seeded and finely minced; 2 tbsp chopped cilantro; Zest and juice of 1 lime; A pinch of salt

Catfish holds together well in a taco. A chili, cumin and paprika rub gives it a charred edge, and the fillets flake into big pieces you can pile onto warm tortillas.

The jalapeño-lime crema is the cool counterpoint, and red cabbage, avocado and cotija add crunch and salt.

About 25 min. Serves 4 (two tacos each).

Ingredients

1½ lb catfish fillets
1½ tbsp olive oil
8 warm corn or flour tortillas
2 cups shredded red cabbage
Diced avocado and crumbled cotija cheese, to taste

Tex-Mex rub

1½ tsp chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp kosher salt
½ tsp garlic powder
¼ tsp cayenne

Jalapeño-lime crema

½ cup Mexican crema or sour cream
½ jalapeño, seeded and finely minced
2 tbsp chopped cilantro
Zest and juice of 1 lime
A pinch of salt

Method

Stir the crema, jalapeño, cilantro, lime zest, lime juice and salt together in a small bowl. Refrigerate until you serve.
Mix the rub spices and season both sides of the fillets evenly.
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Sear the catfish 3½ to 4 minutes a side, until well browned and flaky.
Move the fish to a cutting board and break it into large, bite-sized chunks with a fork.
Fill warm tortillas with cabbage, catfish, avocado and cotija, and finish with a generous drizzle of the crema.

Notes

Cook fish to 145°F in the thickest part, which is the FDA’s temperature for fish. Check with a thermometer.
Warm the tortillas in a dry pan or wrapped in foil in the oven so they bend without cracking.
Any catfish fillet works, channel or blue. Fillets of very different thickness cook at different speeds, so check the thickest one.
TPWD lists consumption advisories for some Texas waters. If you caught the fish, check the advisories for that water before you cook it.

Sources: FDA: Selecting and Serving Fresh and Frozen Seafood Safely (content current as of Mar. 5, 2024), TPWD: Fish Consumption Bans and Advisories.

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