Blackened Catfish

Blackened Catfish

  • Prep Time: 15 mins
  • Total Time: 25 mins
  • Servings: 6
  • About This Recipe

    “This recipe came from a New Orleans restaurant. Oh so good and love the spices.”

    Ingredients

  • 2tablespoonspaprika
  • 2 1/2 teaspoonssalt
  • 2teaspoonslemon pepper
  • 1 1/2 teaspoonsgarlic powder
  • 1 1/2 teaspoonsground pepper
  • 1 1/2 teaspoonsdried basil
  • 1teaspoononion powder
  • 1teaspoonthyme
  • 6catfish fillets
  • 1cupunsalted butter, melted
  • Directions

  • Heat a large cast iron skillet (recommended) or heavy aluminum skillet over high heat for 10 minutes.
  • In a small bowl stir together first 8 ingredients.
  • Dip catfish into melted butter and coat both sides of fish with spice mixture, using about 1 T spice mixture for each fillet.
  • Place fish on waxed paper.
  • Place 3 fillets at a time in hot skillet.
  • Drizzle each fillet with 1 T melted butter.
  • Cook over high heat about 2 minutes per side or until fish flakes easily.
  • Serve immediately.
  • Reviews

  • “Ohhh lala! This was very good. I also substituted the lemon pepper with cajun seasoning. Awesome blackened seasonings and there was enough for the 6 fillets I used. Tastes better than any I have had at a restaurant. Filled our house with a wonderful smell that lingered. It is nice to know that we can haveNew Orleans cuisine right here at home. 5 stars all the way, baby.”

  • “Mmmmm!This was quick and easy and very good indeed!I made one change: I took out the lemon pepper and put in one teaspoon of cajun seasoning because I wanted a spicier fish.Really good combination on the spices.I served it with dirty rice and steamed broccoli and cauliflower.I was a little surprised by duonyte’s review because I had a lot of spices left over.I probably could have fixed another 6 filets with the amount that I had.One warning: open some windows because I almost set off our fire alarm with the smoke from blackening.Hee hee.But it sure was worth it!My wife got home as I was cooking and said she could smell the fish from the parking lot.Great recipe!”

  • “I have eaten this dish in restaurants and have always wanted to make this at home.It was the easiest fish recipe I’ve ever prepared.Of course, I’ve always worried about making it at home because I’ve been warned about the indoor smoke.Yes, this dish creates quite a smoke cloud in my home, but it is sooo worth it.Just turn on your range/exhaust fan and enjoy!”

  • “Delicious! My wife is Hungarian, so we had top quality paprika at home. More and more supermarkets are beginning to carry Hungarian paprika, it really is the best. Instead of butter, I used olive oil the third time I made it and the fish seemed to be less greasy. This was so easy to prepare, though I think the fish takes more like 3 minutes per side to cook through. I suggest using a shaker to apply the spices instead of dipping into a dish, that way the blackened coat isn’t too thick. If you like spicy food, you will absolutely love this recipe.”

  • “We have always just eaten fried catfish but I thought I would try it cooked this way for something different. WOW is all I can say. If you like spicy food, this is something you should try. Great spice rub and the fish were delicious. Crisp coating but tender and flaky on the inside. Great recipe. Thanks!!”

  • “We loved this, used all the spice on 2 Big fillets, the 2 weighed over 1 1/4 pounds. I did cut them into for eaiser handling. Didn’t make any changes in the spice rub. DH, said this is the way I want my catfish from now on.”

  • “This was very good. Wolfed down by all. However, I used all the spice rub on three fillets – perhaps mine were very large? In any event, it’s worth making a larger quantity of the spice rub, as it’s the kind that will keep for a long time.”

  • “After reading the reviews on this recipe I thought I would try it on some fresh caught catfish. Please note that this recipe is very very salty, I even did not use all the salt the recipe called for. Very surprised on how others rated this recipe. I would suggest not to add salt as this recipe should be very tasty if you do that.”

  • “This is a great catfish recipe. I caught a 7 lb catfish and the fillets were pretty thick. I removed the dark meat on the skin side, then split the fillets horizontally so they were 3/8 to 1/2 inch thick. I made the spice mix and ran it through my spice/coffee grinder then put the “smooth” spices into an empty spice container/shaker – a perfect way to apply the seasoning. I used a mix of olive oil and butter. On the outside gas grill, I heated a griddle and kept the smoke outdoors. (My wife had complained about my practice run inside with the small cast iron pan. Even the fan couldn’t vent all the smoke.) Today my wife raved about the fish…sans smokey house. Clean-up was a breeze. This will be a go-to preferred over deep-fry.”

  • “We love this recipe. It was fast and easy to make. It does fill your house up with a lot of smoke. I had to open my patio door and kitchen window, but it is worth it. I thought the fish needed to cook more like 4 minutes on each side. It was one of the best meals I have ever made for my family.”

  • “A nice blend of seasonings. Tasty and easy to make. I used Cajun seasoning instead of lemon pepper. Heating a cast iron pan for 10 min. on high seemed a little excessive to me so I just heated on high for a minute then turned it down to medium and fried my fish. No smoke, less splatter and fish was done in about same amount of time.”

  • “This is 5 stars worth of flavor!!We really enjoyed it and will definately be making again.I only gave 4 stars because it isn’t what I think of as blackened.It has no heat.Honestly I don’t know what else I would call it but it’s better than blackened IMHO.Also, we had small filets and 2 min per side wasn’t enough.Thanks Rather for giving us a reason to keep the catfish we catch.No more throw backs.”

  • “I just realized both of the recipes I made for Fathers Day today were yours. LOL. I reduced the salt to 1 1/2 tsp but that was my only change. This fish was excellent! The seasoning had just the right amt of kick. Delicious! My father really loved the meal we had today. Served with your red beans & ham!”

  • “OMG, this was so gooooood, my DH isn’t much of a fish eater but we’ve had this twice in the past week, once with catfish and tonight with swai, both excellent!!! This is going to stay on my top fish recipes, the spices hit it off perfectly!!! %u2764 it!!! Thanks so much for sharing!!!”

  • “this was delicious! i used tilapia this time, but next time i will plan better and pick up catfish. Served with remoulade and coleslaw.”

  • “This recipe nearly killed me.
    followed it to a ‘T’. Huge amounts of smoke filled the house. Thankfully, it was a REALLY windy night, so when the fish was done cooking, I threw open doors and cleared it out.
    But it was ridiculous. Even when I have burned things in the past I have never seen that much smoke.
    In the end, it took about 4 minutes per side. I did 2 minutes per side, then alternated with 30 seconds a side to finish it.
    The fish was actually decent. But not at all worth the smoke I had to inhale.”

  • “I also made it lighter by using butter flavored cooking spray. Also added some cayenne and used regular pepper lemon juice rather than lemon pepper. Very delicious. Thanks! :-)”

  • “My husband had a stroke and is now on a no salt, low fat diet.So deep fried and teriyaki catfish are off the menu now.Decided to try this recipe without the salt.This was so wonderful that we didn’t even miss the salt!So flavorful and moist.I took the suggestion of other reviewers and combined only 1 T. of paprika (omitting the salt, lemon pepper, and thyme) with the rest of the spices.Heat the pan on med. heat while fixing fish.I had catfish nuggets (1 lb.) so I melted only 1/4 c. margarine in a 9 X 9 microwave dish.Placed catfish in a single layer and then turned nuggets over to coat.Sprinkled the seasoning evenly over all and then placed them in the hot pan, seasoned side down, and then seasoned the other side.They only took a few min. to cook and then turn over.I am going to keep the leftover spice mixture on hand for next time.Thanks for a great low sodium dish!”

  • “Delish-here is what I did: add: 1/2 cayenne pepper, subtract lemon pepper, add 1tsp lemon to the finished fishHow I cooked it: pam on the pan, hot skillet, reduced heat, seared one side of the catfish.Flip, sear, 1/4 cup eater, lid on top, steam poach for 1-2 minutes until cooked.Fish was super tender and delicious~ Fabulous-and good spice!”

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