The Defined Dish: Blackened Red Snapper

My favorite grocery store is having a Texas-themed shopping week, and as part of that effort, they've sourced some fresh red snapper from the Gulf of Mexico.  I was, of course, all in on this situation, but once you have a delicious piece of fish, you have to actually DO something with it.  I decided that if I was going to eat some gulf seafood, I needed to do something gulf-y to it, which immediately means doing some good ol' Cajun blackening.  This recipe turns out a pretty fantastic rub, and it's really not that hard to get the blackened crust, but maybe unplug your smoke detector before you try it.  Talking from experience.

Blackened Red Snapper

Adapted from The Defined Dish blog

For the seasoning mixture:
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon dried thyme
½ teaspoon dried oregano
¼ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon onion powder

For the fish:
1 pound red snapper filets
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 lemon, cut into wedges (for serving)
fresh parsley (optional for garnish)

In a small bowl, combine all of the seasoning mixture ingredients and stir until well combined.

Generously coat the flesh side with the seasoning mixture.

Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. When oil is shimmering swirl the pan so that the oil evenly coats the bottom of the skillet. When very hot, place fish filets flesh side down, cook, without touching, until a dark brown (or blackened) crust has formed and the fish is almost cooked through, about 6 minutes.

Flip the fish onto the skin side press down with the back of a spatula to flatten the filet and the skin is flush with the skillet (it tries to curl). Continue to cook until the fish is cooked through, or completely opaque and flakes easily, about 3 more minutes. Carefully, using a sturdy spatula, transfer the cooked fish to plates and serve with a wedge of lemon and garnish with fresh parsley (if desired).

Makes 2 servings