Photo: Blackened Catfish Recipe
Ingredients
Compound Butter:
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 tablespoon Creole seasoning
- 1 lemon, zested and juiced
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/8 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- 1 tablespoon chopped chives
Catfish:
- 2 lemons, thinly sliced
- Compound butter
- 4 (8-ounce) fresh skinless, boneless catfish fillets
- 1/4 cup Creole seasoning (recommended: Tony Chachere's)
- Whole chives, for garnishing
Directions
In a bowl, add the butter, Creole spices, lemon zest and juice, salt and pepper and mix to combine. Stir in the chopped chives and set aside. The butter can be made ahead and chilled; bring to room temperature before using.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Preheat a large well-seasoned cast iron skillet or nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Line the bottom of a 9 by 11-inch baking dish with the lemon slices and dollop half of the compound butter evenly over the lemon.
Evenly coat both sides of each fish fillet with 1 tablespoon Creole seasoning. Working in batches if necessary, add the seasoned fillets to the hot skillet, and cook 2 minutes on each side to just toast and brown the seasoning. With a spatula, carefully place the seared fish on top of the buttered lemon slices in the baking dish. Bake until fish easily breaks apart with a fork, 12 to 15 minutes. Immediately top each hot fillet with a spoonful of compound butter; transfer to heated serving plates and garnish with a few whole fresh chives crossed like an x over each fillet.
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By DrenaK
on October 22, 2011
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I was going to say it was too spicy for me but now I see all the comments about it being too salty and wonder if my mouth was confused. I couldn't eat it. First thing I said was way less seasoning next time. My husband said seasoning was okay but way less lemon. Too funny...he's used to spicy and I'm not. I would recommend trying it again but with adjustments as others said. It was my first experience with creole :
By wab226
Alexandria, VA
on August 22, 2011
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My review is based upon my SECOND attempt at this dish. The first time I made it I used Zatarain's Creole Seasoning and the dish was absolutely ruined due to the insanely high salt content of the seasoning. (I am so glad that my friend had to cancel coming by for dinner at the last minute because that would have been embarassing to serve a ruined meal. Next time I got some blackening seasoning (low sodium from my neighborhood Balducci's and the dish was perfect. Also the second time I made it, I did put a little vegetable oil in the skillet to sear the fish; the first time the fish stuck to the skillet. With the correct seasoning and a little oil to keep the fish from sticking, this dish is excellent, especially as it makes it's own lemon-butter sauce during the baking process. This dish is a new standard item in my kitchen!
By bdavis89cdavis
savannah, TN
on August 12, 2011
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The flavor of this dish was delightful but I do agree with other reviews. It was just too salty. And I didn't even add the Kosher Salt after reading other comments. In the future, I will use my own seasoning blend rather than Tony C's. I can't wait to try it again. I thought the lemon "rack" idea was excellent! I didn't agree with some who said the lemon was overpowering. To me it added just the right additional flavor. With a few changes this will def. become a player on my menus for years to come. Thank you Claire!
Read all 29 reviews