Seasoned with smokey paprika and three kinds of dried peppers, this Spicy Pan-fried Blackened Rockfish has just the right amount of kick!
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This savory Blackened Rockfish with Kale Caesar Salad from Skillet was my favorite bite at the 2015 IFBC Culinary Expo. The spicy dry rub, seasoned with paprika and three kinds of dried peppers, has just the kind of kick Mr. B and I love. In fact, I loved it so much that I contacted the nice folks at Skillet Street Food asked for permission to share their Dry Rub recipe here, which they very kindly granted.
A fresh Caesar salad on the side (traditional or kale) makes the perfect companion dish, quelling the dry rub’s heat without putting out the fire.
Once you mix up the dry rub, pan-frying the rockfish is a snap! You can literally have this made and on the table in 20 minutes; less if you have the dry rub already mixed up.
Pan-fried Blackened Rockfish
Ingredients
- 1 lb. fresh rockfish fillets or Pacific cod, red snapper or striped bass 1/2'-3/4" thick
- 1/2 batch Rockfish Dry Rub Mix
- 2-4 tablespoons vegetable oil
Instructions
- Heat cast iron or heavy skillet over medium heat until a water droplet sizzles on the surface, then add enough vegetable oil to lightly cover bottom of skillet.
- Coat both sides of each fish fillet with the dry rub mix and place into the heated skillet.
- Fry on first side for about 3 minutes, or until the bottom of the fish is nicely browned.
- Turn over with tongs and brown the other side for 2 to 3 minutes more, until the flesh is firm and opaque.
- Remove the fillets from the skillet with tongs and drain on paper towels.
Notes
Since first making this dry rub, I’ve tried the Spicy Skillet Dry Rub on Pacific Cod, red snapper and striped bass; as well as everything from everything from roasted vegetables to barbecued steak, and have never been disappointed.
Some of the ingredients for the dry rub were initially a little hard to locate, but once I figured out where to find them, it was a piece of cake.
Let me save you some time: you will find the ground pasilla pepper and ground New Mexico chili pepper in the Mexican/Hispanic foods aisle of most grocery stores (in my area, Winco, Freddy’s, and Safeway all stock them) or in your local Hispanic Mercado (i.e., Su Casa Imports, El Mercado, etc). I found the ground chipotle pepper in the bulk section at Winco. All of the dried ground peppers are very inexpensive and the recipe makes a lot of dry rub, so it will go a long way.
Spicy Skillet Dry Rub
Ingredients
- 5 tablespoons smoked paprika
- 1 tablespoons garlic salt
- 2 1/4 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 tablespoons ground pasilla pepper
- 2 teaspoons ground chipotle pepper
- 1 tablespoons ground New Mexico chili pepper
- 1/2 tablespoon ground mustard powder
- 5 teaspoons white granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons kosher salt
Instructions
- Mix all ingredients. Store in an air-tight container.
Notes
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Create/Enjoy says
January 6 atThat sounds delicious, and so easy!! I love that spice mix, wouldn’t have thought to add mustard. Yum yum! I would use butter instead of a processed oil, would add some flavor too!
Renée ♥ says
January 6 atI usually use coconut oil for fish.
Renée ♥ says
January 6 atI love the combination of dried ground peppers that go into the rub. It’s such a great balance of smoky, sweet and spicy.
Melinda says
January 6 atI’ve convinced myself that I can’t cook fish–I’ll order it in restaurants and my husband will sometimes make it, but I never do. However, this looks tasty enough that I might try it (or get my husband to try it)
Renée ♥ says
January 6 atThis preparation is so simple, Melinda. You can definitely make it!
Marlynn [UrbanBlissLife] says
January 6 atI need to try this! It looks and sounds so delicious. I love cooking with fish and can’t wait to try that spice rub. The pan looks like a good one, too!
Renée ♥ says
January 6 atIf I had my way, we would eat fish five nights a week (and veggie the other two).
Ali says
January 6 atOh yum, this looks great. We have a freezer full of Salmon, so I’ll probably try the rub out on that first.
Renée ♥ says
January 6 atI haven’t tried this rub on salmon yet. Please let me know how it turns out!
Catherine says
January 6 atMy goodness this looks to die for! I want to make it this weekend!!! We are actually in the market for new skillets so I will look into this one. Thanks for the rec and the recipe!
Renée ♥ says
January 6 atIt is so good, Catherine – you will love it. Good luck in your skillet shopping, too!
Dawne says
January 6 atI don’t know why but cooking fish always scares me the rub you used sounds delicious so im gonna try it with chicken.
http://Www.dawnehanks.com.com
Renée ♥ says
January 6 atDawne, I just cannot emphasize how easy this fish is to cook. Just rub it and throw it into a hot pan with a little cooking oil. Wait, flip, and then wait a little more. That is absolutely all there is to it. It’s delicious.
Susan | LunaCafe says
January 6 atLooks simply amazing! I can practically taste it from here. 🙂
Isabel says
January 11 atThe spice mix sounds SO GOOD! Can’t wait to try this rub.
Rachel says
January 24 atThis looks so delicious! I’m pinning this recipe for next time I buy fish! I’ll have to plan a fish dinner for next week! Thanks for sharing!
Renée ♥ says
January 24 atThanks, Rachel – I hope you love it as much as we do!
Brandi says
January 24 atThis looks like a recipe my family will love, thank you!
Renée ♥ says
January 24 atThank you for stopping by, Brandi!
Nicole Hunt (Rose) says
March 28 atHow funny! I was just looking for a recipe on pinterest and happened upon your website! How funny to come across someone i know via pinterest, especially from the hillsboro area 🙂
laura@motherwouldknow says
July 11 atWhat a fabulous dinner! It’s quick enough for weeknights but elegant enough for weekends. Rockfish is native to the mid-Atlantic, so this recipe is tailor made for me. Can’t wait to try it – with the colorful looking rub.
Renée ♥ says
July 11 atThanks, Laura! Since first mixing up this rub, I’ve used it on a wide variety of seafood and never been disappointed. We particularly love it on prawns!
John says
October 26 atGreat recipe. Thanks for sharing! We tried it on rockfish, but prawns, eh? Sounds interesting!
Chuck J says
December 4 atMy goodness this was delicious!! I only had cayenne and chili powder so I used that. Thanks for the recipe!
Renée ♥ says
December 4 atSo glad it worked for you! Thanks so much for the feedback.