I had the opportunity to visit New Orleans for the first time about a month ago, and one of the best parts of the whole trip was the AMAZING food. First of all, I had no idea that New Orleans would have so many gluten free options. Almost every restaurant we went to had a separate gluten free menu, or let us talk to the chef about what sort of accommodations they could make for me. That’s always such a huge relief while traveling!

Out of all the delicious dishes I tried over the 3 days that I was in the city, my absolute favorite was at an adorable little restaurant in Jackson Square called Muriel’s. They had a separate gluten free menu with several options, and everything looked so good. I ended up trying the Blackened Mississippi Catfish with Crystal Hot Sauce Butter. It was the greatest thing I’ve ever tasted!

As soon as I got back home after the trip, I tried to recreate that exact dish. I failed miserably at the hot sauce butter – it tasted terrible and looked nothing like the original. Unfortunately I can’t seem to figure out what the ingredients of the sauce were, but the blackened seasoning was much easier to copy. I’ve been adding it to everything now, it’s so good! When I made this recipe, I had cod in my freezer instead of catfish, but I think any fish would be amazing with this seasoning.

While cauliflower rice is not the same as a delicious buttery sauce, it is more filling and an easy way to trick yourself into eating your vegetables. Plus, I had enough left over after this to add it to taco salad the next day for lunch, and use it as another side dish for the next night’s dinner of butter chicken. It’s definitely a good meal-prep-able side to have on hand throughout the week. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

Ingredients for the blackened cod

• 2 cod fillets
• 2 tablespoons of avocado oil
• 2 tablespoons of paprika
• 1 tablespoon of salt
• 1/2 tablespoon of dried oregano
• 1/2 tablespoon of garlic powder
• 1/2 tablespoon of onion powder
• 1/2 tablespoon of cayenne
• 1 teaspoon of ground marjoram
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme

Ingredients for the cauliflower rice

• 1 head of cauliflower, florets only (you can toss the stem)
• 1/2 of a large yellow onion, chopped
• 2 tablespoons of minced garlic
• Juice of 1 lime
• 1 bunch of fresh cilantro (most stores sell it in bunches)
• 2 teaspoons of cumin
• 3 tablespoons of avocado oil
• 1/2 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar
• Salt to taste

Instructions

1. Mix all the seasonings for the cod together. This recipe will make much more than you need for 2 servings, so I recommend saving the rest in a small jar to use next time.
2. Coat both sides of each cod fillet with the blackened seasoning (I used about 1 teaspoon per side, but the amount needed depends on the size of the fillets).
3. In a large frying pan, heat the avocado oil over medium-high heat and fry the cod fillets for about 5 minutes per side, or until cooked through.
4. While the cod is frying, make the cauliflower rice.
5. Place the cauliflower florets, onion, and 1 tablespoon of the minced garlic in a food processor and pulse it until the cauliflower is a rice consistency.
6. In a large pan, drizzle some avocado oil to prevent sticking and saute the rice over medium heat.
7. Back in the food processor, add the cilantro, lime juice, the other tablespoon of minced garlic, cumin, avocado oil, apple cider vinegar, and salt. Blend until it’s a sauce consistency.
8. Pour the sauce over the cauliflower rice and stir well so it’s evenly distributed throughout.
9. Once the cod fillets and cauliflower rice are all done, serve it up with an extra squeeze of lime juice and some fresh chopped cilantro.
10. Optional extra step: I love the blackened seasoning, so I like to mix an extra tablespoon of it or so into the cauliflower rice when I make this meal. It’s not actually part of the recipe, just an easy way to add a different flavor. So yummy!