Blackened Cajun Catfish

January 10th, 2006 by sallad

Thomas in the kitchenThomas, the Sweedish Chef, made a resolution to expand his cooking repertoire this year. Last night, he took the first step and made an absolutely delicious dinner - Blackened Cajun Catfish. It was spicey!
I was banned from helping with the fish - I just made the rice and okra. He mixed the seasoning and cooked the fish by himself. This is the recipe he used - I highly recommend it.

Blackened Cajun Catfish
4 servings - 35 minutes

1 lb catfish fillets
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon white pepper
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons thyme
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon oregano

Catfish Closeup

    1. Place the fish fillets in a large bowl and drizzle olive oil over them, let stand for 30 minutes.
    2. Combine spices in a 9-inch pie plate.
    3. Heat a cast iron skillet upside down over high heat for 5 to 10 minutes or until very hot.
    4. Turn on vent fan during cooking to eliminate smoke.
    5. Using a hot pad, turn pan right side up.
    6. Remove fish fillets from oil and drain.
    7. Dip each fillet into seasonings and coat each side evenly.
    8. Put fillets in hot skillet and cook 2 to 3 minutes per side, turning only once.

    Posted in Recipes

    8 Comments

    1. Comment by Di — January 11, 2006 @ 2:05 pm

      Mmmm! And I was just looking for new recipes online. I’ve never had catfish, is it very fishy tasting?

      It took me a minute to realize those spice bottles were not stuck to your wall and are fridge magnets. :)

    2. Comment by sallad — January 11, 2006 @ 2:33 pm

      I wouldn’t say it’s fishy, but I guess that’s all relative.

      The spice bottles are actually spice bottles with magnets attached to them. That way, the ones we use most often are within easy reach but not cluttering up the counter.

    3. Comment by Di — January 11, 2006 @ 2:37 pm

      Well, to me salmon is fishy.

      Oh, how clever! Maybe we should do that.

    4. Comment by sallad — January 11, 2006 @ 2:41 pm

      Okay, you’ve got a point there - Salmon is fishy. Catfish is not fishy.

    5. Comment by Lynn — January 11, 2006 @ 6:59 pm

      Most catfish is farm-raised, and therefore very clean. It’s one of the mildest fish, very moist, and there’s never enough! The recipe looks terrific. I’ll try it this weekend.

    6. Comment by Lynn — January 11, 2006 @ 7:00 pm

      It might be a good idea to print a recipe so that the computer doesn’t collect all the grease spatters and crumbs.

    7. Comment by Chase — January 16, 2006 @ 9:42 pm

      I’m not sure it’s necessary to turn the skillet over when heating it. Cast Iron is so effective for blackening because of its excellent thermal conductivity. I think that the only thing turning it over would do is burn off the seasoning (aka burnt on grease) of the pan. One thing I learned from watching food tv is to always turn the heat up a little higher than what the recipe calls for when cooking cold meat, then turn it down after 15-30 seconds. That way, your skillet won’t lose the heat necessary to blacken the spices on the meat.

    8. Comment by sallad — January 16, 2006 @ 9:52 pm

      Actually, Thomas told me that I copied the wrong recipe…right spices, but wrong steps. He didn’t do the flip thing.

      The real recipe is here: http://www.recipezaar.com/36389

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