If you are a seafood fan like me, then you most likely love a great salmon. It can be prepared in a variety of ways, but one of my favorites is a blackened salmon. Regardless of the preparation, salmon is packed with nutrition. It is a great source of protein, healthy fats, and various vitamins and minerals. Salmon is a great dish to include in your rotation of meals.
What is blackened preparation
When food is blackened, it is coated in a special spice blend and cooked in a skillet, oven or grill. This results in a deep brown to almost black crust that is slightly crispy and very flavorful. Usually you will cook the food in some type of fat. For my blackened salmon, I prefer to use a mixture of oil and butter. This always yeilds the perfect blackened outer layer for the salmon.
You can also blacken almost any type of meat. This would include any type of fish, chicken, shrimp just to name a few.
Tips for the best blackened salmon
- Keep your food cool. The butter and oil will stick to the meat better when the meat is cool.
- Use a Hot cast iron skillet. A cast iron skillet will yeild the best results. It can withstand cooking at high temperatures and you want your pan to be HOT when cooking blackened salmon. If you do not have a cast iron skillet, use a heavy-bottomed pan that can withstand high temperatures. You do not want to use a non-stick pan.
- Do not move the salmon while it’s cooking. When you first add the salmon to the pan, do not move it so that it can form a nice outer crust.
- Ventilate while cooking. When cooking at high temperatures, it can create a lot of smoke, you will want to make sure your kitchen fan or windows are open while cooking.
- Cooking times can slightly vary. Due to the differences in ovens, cooking times can vary. Also, the thickness of the salmon will also make cooking times vary. You will want to ideally have your salmon about 1/2″ thick. If thinner or thicker, adjust cooking times accordingly. Just be sure to check the internal temperature of your salmon. It should be 145 degrees F when it’s finished.
What to serve with Blackened Salmon
This can be served with many things. I like to eat my blackened salmon with a side of mashed potatoes and a vegetable. Try these easy creamy mashed potato and oven roasted broccoli recipes! However, this will be great over top of a salad or with a salad on the side. Try this super easy simple arugula salad.
Blackened Salmon
Ingredients
- 6 6oz salmon fillets
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2 tbsp oil
- 2 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp italian seasoning
- 2 tbsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees farenheit
- In a small bowl, combine the kosher salt, pepper, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper and italian seasoning.
- Season the salmon fillets with the seasoning mixture. I used salmon fillets with the skin on them. If you want to use skinless salmon that is fine also.
- Heat butter and oil in cast iron skillet (or skillet that can be transferred to oven) over medium to high heat. Place salmon in the skillet, skinless side down first. This way when you turn the salmon and place in the oven, the top of the salmon will brown rather than the skin. Cook salmon on each side for 2 minutes each and then transfer the entire skillet to the oven.
- Cook salmon in the oven for 6 minutes, or until internal temperature reaches 145 degrees F.
- Remove salmon from oven, let it rest for 2 minutes and serve.