Making blackened fish requires patience and a little practice. You want the outside to sear to a deep, dark char and the inside to be moist and flaky. This can be done only outdoors or in restaurants with commercial hood vents. This recipe serves about four.
Instructions
1. Melt the butter slowly in a small pan over low heat. Melt it completely and the butter will separate. Skim off and discard the foamy white solids that rise to the top, and spoon the clear yellow butterfat in the middle into a small bowl. Discard the milky liquid in the bottom of the pan.
2. Mix all the dry seasoning ingredients together in a small bowl.
3. Trim the fillets so they're 1/2 inch thick and no longer than the skillet.
4. Heat a large cast-iron skillet on an outdoor burner or over an outdoor fire for at least 10 minutes. Leave it over the heat; the skillet cannot be too hot.
5. Brush each fillet generously with some of the clarified butter and season on both sides with the seasoning mix.
6. When the skillet is very, very hot, carefully lay one fillet in the skillet. Be careful, as it's likely to flame up at this point.
7. Spoon a few teaspoons of melted butter over the top of the fish.
8. Cook for about a minute or two, or until the bottom appears charred. Don't let it char too deeply or the fish will taste burned.
9. Flip and cook the other side, again drizzling a little butter over the top.
10. Alternatively, once the "presentation side" has been nicely charred in the skillet, the other side of the fish can be finished on a hot outdoor grill.
11. Repeat with remaining fillets.
Tags: butter over, other side, over heat, small bowl