If you love grilling seafood, then you need to make Grilled Blackened Tilapia. The tilapia fillets are seasoned and then grilled for a delicious meal idea.

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Grilling seafood is a delicious way to enjoy your favorite seafood recipes. Blackened seasoning is perfect on white fish and you can even add it to catfish or red snapper. It is a delicious blend and can easily be made at home.
Try these other Blackened Seasoning Recipes – Blackstone Blackened Shrimp Tacos, Blackened Fish Tacos, Blackstone Blackened Mahi Mahi, and Blackstone Blackened Tilapia.
Table of Contents
What is Blackened Seasoning?
Blackened Seasoning is a simple blend of spices and can easily be mixed together at home. Check our our Homemade Blackened Seasoning to add flavor to your meats.
You can be added to chicken, fish, steak, or shrimp. You can even add it to your fresh vegetables such as zucchini and squash.
Ingredients

Scroll to the bottom for the full recipe and ingredients in the recipe card.
Substitution Ideas
- Blackened Seasoning – We usually use Homemade Blackstone Seasoning blend when making this recipe. But you can use a blend from the store.
- Change Seasoning – Feel free to add more seasoning if you prefer to your tilapia. Add a teaspoon garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, cayenne pepper or add Cajun seasoning. Add in brown sugar for a hint of sweetness or dry thyme.
- Olive Oil – We used vegetable oil to cook the tilapia, but you can use olive oil or melted butter. You can also melt butter in the microwave in a small bowl. Then top the tilapia before adding the seasoning.
- Serving – When serving, I like to top the tilapia with fresh squeeze lemon juice, pico de gallo and cilantro. It makes the perfect low carbohydrates fish so delicious.
How to Make Blackened Tilapia on the Grill
- Step 1 – Add oil to tilapia – Place the tilapia on a plate. Rub 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil onto both sides of the tilapia filets. We like to rinse the tilapia before adding the oil
- Step 2 – Spoon the homemade blackened seasoning over the fish and spread around (both sides). I use about ½ tablespoon per fish. You can adjust the seasoning amount based on your preference. The more you use, the spicier it will be and the less you use, the milder it will be.

- Step 3 – Heat Grill – Preheat a grill over medium high heat (approximately 400 degrees Fahrenheit). Heat a cast iron pan on the grill grates.
- Step 4 – Add Oil to Skillet – Heat the remaining vegetable oil in the cast iron skillet.
- Step 5 – Let Tilapia Cook – Place tilapia on the hot cast iron pan and let it cook for 3 minutes. Time it and don’t move the fish, so it can get that beautiful blackened crust on it.

- Step 6 – Flip and Cook – Flip and cook another 2-3 minutes. Cook until the tilapia has an internal temperature of at least 145 degrees Fahrenheit.

- Step 7 – Serve and Enjoy – Remove to a separate plate and allow it to cool for a few minutes. Serve this fish recipe warm and enjoy!
Recipe Tips
- Cooked Tilapia – You will know that your tilapia is done when the fish flakes with a fork.
- Grilling Tilapia – Grill Tilapia at high temperatures after it is a room temperature. It grills for about 2 minutes per side.

What to Serve with Blackened Tilapia?
When we grill out we like to add easy low carb sides to enjoy with this healthy fish.

Frequently Asked Questions
When we grill tilapia we prefer to place it in foil or in a cast iron skillet. Because tilapia is thin, it is possible that it could fall apart on the grill.
Cooking in the skillet, will still give you that smoky flavor when cooking on the grill.
Refrigerate the leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
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Grilled Blackened Tilapia
Ingredients
- 4 Tilapia Filets
- 2 Tablespoons Blackened Seasoning
- 2 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil
Instructions
- Place the tilapia on a plate. Rub 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil onto both sides of the tilapia filets.
- Spoon the homemade blackened seasoning over the fish and spread around (both sides). I use about ½ tablespoon per fish. You can adjust the seasoning amount based on your preference. The more you use, the spicier it will be and the less you use, the milder it will be.
- Preheat a grill over medium high heat (approximately 400 degrees Fahrenheit). Heat a cast iron pan on the grill.
- Heat the remaining vegetable oil in the cast iron skillet.
- Place tilapia on the hot cast iron pan and let it cook for 3 minutes. Time it and don’t move the fish, so it can get that beautiful blackened crust on it.
- Flip and cook another 2-3 minutes until the tilapia has an internal temperature of at least 145 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Remove to a separate plate and allow it to cool for a few minutes. Serve warm and enjoy!