What you'll need:
White meat fish fillets (trout, drum, grouper, etc)
Milk
Blackening Seasoning (I make my own, but Louisiana's Fish Fry makes a great one. I hate to say this, but Zatarains and Emerald leave something to be desired)
Butter (please do not try to substitute for butter here)
Cast Iron Skillet (nothing else will work, I promise. I've tried.)
Ketchup
Horseradish
Hot sauce
Fresh Lemon
How to do it:
Marinate your fish in milk overnight, or at least for a couple of hours. This isn't required, but it does make it taste delish!
Gas stoves are by far the best for this. You can go electric, but it's definitely harder.
Take your fish out of the milk and set it on a towel to drain off most of the moisture.
Put your cast iron skillet on the stove and turn the fire to high. (Don't be afraid of the appearance of my pan here. this is what a 15 year old iron skillet looks like. This, or crust black. It's a good thing.)Your skillet should be so hot that it smokes without adding anything to the pan.
While the pan is getting hot, coat your fillets in blackening seasoning- and I mean coat. Rub it in and make sure your fish is well covered.
How to do it:
Marinate your fish in milk overnight, or at least for a couple of hours. This isn't required, but it does make it taste delish!
Gas stoves are by far the best for this. You can go electric, but it's definitely harder.
Take your fish out of the milk and set it on a towel to drain off most of the moisture.
Put your cast iron skillet on the stove and turn the fire to high. (Don't be afraid of the appearance of my pan here. this is what a 15 year old iron skillet looks like. This, or crust black. It's a good thing.)Your skillet should be so hot that it smokes without adding anything to the pan.
While the pan is getting hot, coat your fillets in blackening seasoning- and I mean coat. Rub it in and make sure your fish is well covered.
Cut your heat to medium or medium/high and drop in your butter. I used half a stick for three very large fillets. You want your pan to be well coated in butter, and with some sitting on the bottom, but you don't want your fish to be swimming. The idea is that the butter is what lets the spices blacken onto the fish, but the fish doesn't taste buttery at all.
Once the butter is melted swirl your pan a few times to make sure it's coated. Your butter may be browning, and that's fine. Lay your fillets in the pan and cook for 4 minutes, then flip and cook 3 to 4 more.
You will probably think you're burning your house down at this point. That's a good thing.
While your fish is cooking, mix up your cocktail sauce (yes, you can but some but no, it will not be as good). For two people, go with about 1/4 cut ketchup and put in about a third as much horseradish. I like a little more, but that does make it strong. Squeeze in the juice of one lemon and add a dash of hot sauce.
Remove the fish from the pan and serve immediately. I squeeze half a lemon over mine, but you don't have to. I generally serve mine with salad (as you see here) or something with a mild flavor. The flavor of the fish is strong because of the spices, so you won't need a heavy side dish. It goes great with wine or beer, so pair away!
looks delish!!
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