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Louisiana · Red Snapper

New Orleans Blackened Red Snapper

Blackened Snapper

Chef Paul Prudhomme made blackening famous in New Orleans: fillets dipped in butter, coated in a smoky Cajun spice mix and seared in a white-hot cast-iron skillet. Gulf red snapper takes it like it was born for it.

  • Prep 15 min
  • Cook 10 min
  • Serves 4
  • Level Medium
Photo: Roken Manases · Pexels
Served with: Louisiana Dirty Rice ↓En Español

Ingredients

Tap each item as you gather it.

For the spice mix

For the fish

Method

Step by step, start to finish.

  1. Mix the spices. Stir all the spice-mix ingredients together in a shallow plate.
  2. Open a window. Blackening makes a lot of smoke. Turn on the fan, open a window or cook outside on a grill burner.
  3. Heat the skillet. Heat a dry cast-iron skillet over high heat for 8–10 minutes, until it is white-hot.
  4. Coat the fish. Pat the fillets dry. Dip each one in melted butter, then press both sides into the spice mix.
  5. Blacken. Lay the fillets in the skillet and spoon 1 tsp of butter over each. Cook 2 minutes, flip, add a little more butter and cook 2 more minutes, until the crust is dark and the fish flakes.
  6. Serve. Serve right away with lemon wedges, the rest of the warm butter and dirty rice.

On the side

The side dish that belongs with it, full recipe included.

Louisiana

Louisiana Dirty Rice

Dirty Rice

Rice cooked with browned meat, the Cajun trinity and spices until it turns a rich brown, which is where the name comes from. In Cajun kitchens it is on the table next to every fish.

  • Prep 10 min
  • Cook 30 min
  • Serves 6
  • Level Easy

You need

  • 1½ cups long-grain white rice
  • 8 oz (225 g) ground pork or sausage
  • 1 onion, finely chopped
  • 1 celery rib, finely chopped
  • ½ green bell pepper, finely chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 tsp Cajun seasoning
  • 3 cups chicken stock
  • 2 green onions, sliced

How to make it

  1. Brown the meat. Cook the pork in a heavy pot over medium-high heat, breaking it up, until well browned.
  2. Add the trinity. Add the onion, celery, bell pepper and garlic. Cook 5 minutes until soft.
  3. Toast the rice. Stir in the rice and Cajun seasoning and cook 2 minutes.
  4. Simmer. Pour in the stock, bring to a boil, cover and cook on low 18–20 minutes.
  5. Finish. Rest 5 minutes covered, fluff with a fork and stir in the green onions.

Photo: Josh Eleazar · Pexels

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