Blackened Salmon

Thursday, November 5, 2009

My fabulous sister-in-law was getting her fabulous 4 month pregnant self a massage today in Memphis and offered to pick up some Salmon....duh, of course I said yes. And here is how it goes, yesterday I was in my orthopedic surgeon's office waiting for hours, yes, hours for a recheck xray and brought Fresh, my favorite cookbook in all the land, even better than my Southern Living, and saw this recipe.


In the Fresh Cookbook, here's the chef's take on this recipe, "Paul Prudhomme, who hails from Louisiana, is a good a regional American chef as this country has ever produced.  His work has been influential in a number of ways, but the dish for which he will always be remember is blackened redfish.  Paul discovered that you could take a redfish fillet, coat it with some fairly common spices, toss it into a super hot skillet with some clarified butter, burn the heck out of the whole thing, and it would come out tasting great!"
The timing was perfect as was this recipe:

1/4 C. paprika
2 t. onion powder
2 t. garlic powder
1/2 t. cayenne, I used 1 t.
1 t. white pepper, I was out of this one
1 t. black pepper
1 t. dried thyme leaves
1 t. dried oregano
2 t. salt, I didn't but would've had some
4-4oz. salmon fillets, skin removed, I used one large and it's a must to remove the skin using your sharpest knife.

Combine the spices in a small bowl. Pat the fish dry with paper towels then dredge in seasonings, coating each piece thoroughly. The recipe says spray each sides of the fillet with non stick cooking spray. Grill over hot coals, turning occasionally, until blackened and cooked through, approximately 10 minutes per inch of thickness. Serve with a lemon wedge or brush with melted butter if desired. Here's how I did it: After getting the fish ready (you can use really any fish), melt 2 T. butter in an oven safe skillet and add fish. Blacken a good 3 minutes per side over med high heat then go to a 350 degree oven for 8 minutes. This was really an unbelievable, delicious dinner and low fat. Serve with a potato in the microwave and spinach salad featuring goat cheese, olives and balsamic vinaigrette. Wow!