This recipe is thanks to my husband. A few years back he surprised me with some beautiful fillets of red snapper for dinner. Neither of us had ever had the fish before and we were very excited to try something new. After some internet research on the best ways to cook the fish we finally settled on blackening it and I am so glad we did! It came out amazing, and quickly became one of our favorite types of fish. Now we jump at the chance to have it whenever there is a good sale. Well, the fish market in our town, Big Catch Seafood (https://www.bigcatchinc.com/), had a great special on Red Snapper so it was what was for dinner.
Blackening is a great way to cook any fish that can stand up to the high heat. Salmon, Trout, Mahi and Catfish do well with this kind of cooking. Basically you’re looking for a fish with a firm skin that won’t fall apart in your pan. You also need a good blackening seasoning which will flavor your fish and help to give that blackened crust that is the signature of this style. You can probably stroll down the spice aisle of your grocery store and find plenty of pre-mixed blackening seasonings or you can just open up your own spice cabinet and mix up your own. Here is my basic recipe for blackening seasoning, feel free to play with it to match your tastes because lord knows I do!
Blackening Seasoning
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp Paprika
- 1/2 Tbsp Onion powder
- 1/2 Tbsp Garlic powder
- 1/2 Tbsp Black pepper
- 1 tsp Chili powder
- 1/2 tsp Salt
Instructions
- In a small bowl combine all of your spices so that they are mixed evenly.
- Sprinkle liberally on any fish or meat before cooking.
Notes
Once you have your blackening seasoning all ready, it’s time to prepare and cook your fish. It is really important that you really dry your fillets well. Any added moisture will keep the fish from blackening well and will make it mushy. It is also essential to have a well seasoned cast iron skillet for this. Cast iron is able to get extremely hot and heats up evenly so that one side isn’t hotter than the other. Teflon pans just don’t get as hot as we need to really blacken the fish properly. Also it you might want to consider removing your smoke detectors in the kitchen and possibly opening a window. This is going to put off some smoke, but that’s okay its all just part of this cooking style.
The cooking times I have listed in the recipe below will vary slightly depending on the size and thickness of your fillets. I put the typical times for a standard fillet, but you may need to adjust. Basically you are looking for a firm texture and fish that is white all the way through. I hope you all enjoy this fish as much as my husband and I do!
Blackened Red Snapper
Equipment
- cast iron or steel skillet
- Fish spatula or tongs
Ingredients
- 2 Fillets Red Snapper
- Blackening seasoning (See recipe above for how to make your own)
- 1/2 Tbsp vegetable oil
Instructions
- 10 minutes before getting ready to cook, take the fish out of the refrigerator to allow it to start to come to room temperature.
- Pat both sides of the fillet with paper towels to make sure that they are good and dry and sprinkle liberally with blackening seasoning.
- Place the oil in your skillet (it should be just enough to create a thin film over the bottom of the pan) and turn it on high heat. Give it a minute or two to completely heat up.
- Once the skillet has gotten piping hot place your fillets in, skin side up. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes and flip so that the skin side is down. Cook for another 3 to 4 minutes or until the fish becomes firm and is white all the way through.
- Serve right away with lemon wedges on the side.
Sounds easy and quick !