Easy Blackened Redfish

A blackened redfish fillet on a plate with a bowl of cheese grits.

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This Easy Blackened Redfish gets its deeply flavorful crust from a simple homemade blackening seasoning and a screaming-hot cast-iron skillet. It's ready in about 10 minutes, making it perfect for a busy weeknight but special enough for company.

Prep Time5

Cook Time5

Total Time10

Course: Dinner, Main Course

Cuisine: American, Southern

Servings: servings

Calories: 258kcal

Author: Sharon Rigsby

Equipment

well-seasoned cast iron skillet

Ingredients

12 ounces skinless redfish fillets, about ¼-⅓ inches thick
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
1 lemon
Blackening seasoning
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
½ teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon dried thyme
½ teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon brown sugar
2 teaspoons kosher salt

Instructions

Combine all blackening seasoning ingredients in a small bowl and mix well
Pat the fillets dry with a paper towel. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter and use a pastry brush to coat both sides of the fillets.
Top each fillet with about a tablespoon of the seasonings and pat it in with your fingers. Turn the fillet over and repeat.
Add three tablespoons of butter to a well-seasoned cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Let the butter melt, and the skillet heat up until the butter starts smoking (between 325-350°F)
Add the fillets (don’t crowd them). Let the fillets cook undisturbed for 3 minutes. Use a fish turner to carefully turn the fillets, then cook for another 2-4 minutes, depending on fillet thickness, or until the flesh turns opaque and flakes easily when pierced with a fork. If you use a meat thermometer, it should read 145°F when inserted in the thickest part.
Serve immediately and top each fillet with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice.

Notes

The redfish I tested this recipe with was from my son-in-law Adam, who caught them fishing from his kayak in the harbor behind our beach house and graciously shared them with us. How great is that?
Fresh-off-the-hook Gulf fish is hard to beat, but redfish isn't commercially harvested the way grouper and snapper are, so depending on where you live, you may only be able to find it frozen. If that's you, thaw the fillets completely in the refrigerator, then pat them extra dry before adding the butter and seasoning because excess moisture is the enemy of a good crust.
Fair warning: this recipe does produce smoke! If you are like me and don't have a great exhaust range hood, open a window, or your smoke alarm will start singing. I've also cooked this in my cast iron skillet on the grill outside — it's a little trickier to regulate the temperature, but you skip the smoke issue entirely.
If you are cooking two fillets, you will have leftover blackening seasonings, and it should be enough to coat two more fillets.
I tested this recipe with fillets that were ¼-inch thick, maybe just a smidge more. If yours are thicker, say, closer to ½ inch, like the ones in my Blackened Grouper recipe, they'll need a little longer in the skillet, and if they aren't up to 145°F, finish them in a 400°F oven to make sure they cook all the way through without scorching that beautiful crust. Either way, don't leave them on the stovetop longer than 7 minutes total.
If you have blackening seasoning stuck to the bottom of your cast iron skillet, add about a half-inch of water and a few drops of dishwashing detergent, then put it on the stove over medium heat. Let the water come to a boil and boil for 3-4 minutes, then let it cool; any stuck particles will wash right off.

Nutrition