A cooking technique made famous by New Orleans's chef Paul Prudhomme by which meat or fish is cooked in a cast-iron skillet that's been heated until almost red hot. Prudhomme's original specialty was blackened redfish. The food is customarily rubbed with a Cajun spice mixture before being cooked. The extra hot skillet combined with the seasoning rub gives food an extra crispy crust.
Cajun spice seasoning
There are many Cajun seasoning blends on the market today, all with their own distinct characteristics. Most are boldly flavored and sassy and representative of Cajun cooking. In general, a Cajun seasoning blend mix includes garlic, onion, chilies, black pepper, mustard and celery. However, you can count on the fact that each Cajun seasoning blend on the market will be a little different from another. I am including a spice mixture in my recipe. You can multiply this recipe and keep in a tightly sealed jar and have it ready for future dishes.
BLACKENED ESCOLAR WITH BALSAMIC RASBERRY SAUCE
2 tablespoons Paprika
2 teaspoons Cayenne pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons White pepper, ground
1 tablespoon salt
2 teaspoons Onion powder
2 teaspoons Garlic powder
2 teaspoons Thyme, dried
2 teaspoons Oregano, dried
4 (6 ounce) fillets ESCOLAR
1 1/2 cups melted butter
Preparation
In a bowl, mix together paprika, cayenne pepper, white pepper, black pepper, salt, onion powder, garlic powder, thyme, and oregano. This is your Cajun spice mix.
Heat a large cast iron skillet over high heat for 10 minutes, or until extremely hot. Dip fish into melted butter, and sprinkle each fillet generously with the seasoning mixture. Place the fish fillets in the hot skillet. Pour 1 tablespoon of butter over each fillet. Cook until the coating on the underside of the fillet turns black, 3 to 5 minutes. Turn the fish over. Pour another tablespoon of butter over the fish, and cook for 2 min. or until fish flakes easily with a fork.
BALSAMIC-RASBERRY SAUCE
Ingredients
1 CUP RASBERRY PUREE, SEEDLESS
2 TBLS BASALMIC VINEGAR
2 TBLS HONEY
1/2 tsp GRANULATED GARLIC
Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and simmer for approximately 15 minutes over medium heat, add slurry ( 1 T. cornstarch mixed with 2 T. water) and stir until thickened slightly. Serve over the blackened
escolar.
