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    Home » Seafood

    Spicy Pan-fried Blackened Rockfish

    January 6, 2016 • Updated: January 25, 2022 • by Renée • This post may contain affiliate links.

    Jump to Recipe   Print Recipe
    Spicy Pan-fried Blackened Rockfish recipe

    Easy, fast, flexible, versatile, and delicious. What more could you ask? The star of this pan-fried fish recipe is the spicy dry rub: once you mix the spices up, pan-frying the fish is a snap! Ready to serve in just 20 minutes!

    Spicy Pan-fried Blackened Rockfish, plated with a green salad and a grilled lemon.
    Jump to:
    • Why You Will Love this Recipe
    • What Goes into this Recipe
    • How to Make Spicy Pan-fried Fish
    • FAQs & Expert Tips
    • Related Recipes
    • Pan-fried Blackened Rockfish

    Why You Will Love this Recipe

    This is one of the all-round best fish recipes you’re ever going to find! Even if you’ve never made fish before, this is a winner.

    EASY. This recipe is super easy to put together, especially if you already have the spices mixed up.

    FAST. Even if you must mix the spices together first, it still only takes about 20 minutes, start to finish.

    FLEXIBLE. For the purposes of writing the recipe succinctly, we’ve highlighted rockfish as the primary protein; however, you can make this pan-fried fish with any firm, mild, white-fleshed fish.

    VERSATILE. It works as well for a fancy dinner presentation as it does for a quick weeknight meal. It also makes fabulous fish tacos!

    TASTY. No matter how fast, easy, or otherwise a recipe is, if it isn't good, it isn't worth it. So let me tell you right now, this pan-fried fish is delicious. I mean, really, really tasty. The dry rub highlights the fish's natural fresh flavor without overwhelming it.

    What Goes into this Recipe

    ★ Fish: Rockfish works great for this recipe, but you can use any other mild, firm white-fleshed fish, including red snapper, true cod, halibut, sea bass, striped bass, and perch.

    Sugar: We use white sugar for the dry rub, but I imagine that brown sugar would work in a pinch.

    ★ Dried ground chiles: All of the dried ground chiles are inexpensive, and the recipe makes a lot of spice mix, so it will go a long way.

    You will find the ground pasilla pepper and ground New Mexico chili pepper in the Mexican/Hispanic foods aisle of most grocery stores, or in your local Hispanic Mercado.

    We currently buy most of our spices online through various spice shops. (These are all from Savory Spice Shop.) We find they are much fresher than those found on grocery store shelves, and we know exactly what we are getting.

    Three packets of dried ground chiles, put two spice jars on wooden counter.

    If you don't have the specific ground Mexican chiles on hand (i.e., New Mexico, pasilla, chipotle), you can substitute equal parts regular chili powder for whatever you're missing.

    The flavor of the dry rub may be slightly less complex, but delicious just the same.

    ★ Ground ginger: Make sure to use freshly ground ginger for the best result. Ginger has a shelf life of 3-4 years.

    ★ Ground mustard: Same as the ginger.

    How to Make Spicy Pan-fried Fish

    In a small bowl, mix together all the Dry Rub ingredients.

    Spicy dry rub ingredients unmixed on torn parchment square.

    Pat the fish fillets down with paper towels, and then press both sides of each fish fillet into the spice mix.

    The fillets should not be wet when they are put into the dry rub; it will adhere just fine on its own.

    Remove fillets from dry rub and set aside.

    Dry rub in wide soup bowl, with one fish fillet laying horizontally on top of the dry rub and other fillets laying at the base of the bowl.

    Heat cast iron or heavy skillet over medium-high heat until a water droplet sizzles on the surface.

    Add enough vegetable oil to lightly cover bottom of skillet.

    Place prepared fish fillets into the heated skillet. Fry on first side for about 3 minutes, or until the bottom of the fish is nicely browned.

    Five dry-rubbed fillets cooking in a large enamel-lined cast iron skillet.

    Turn the fillets over with tongs and brown the other side of the fillets 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.

    Five dry-rubbed fillets cooling on a square of parchment paper.

    FAQs & Expert Tips

    What type of fish is Rockfish?


    Also known as rock cod or Pacific snapper, rockfish is a bass-like fish that is found in abundance near the shores of North America's West Coast. There are over 70 different varieties of rockfish, and can usually be found in grocery stores year round.

    Moderately firm, lean, and mildly flavored, rockfish is easy to prepare and perfect for pan-frying.

    What other kinds of fish can I use for this recipe?

    Other fishes that can be used for this recipe include Atlantic red snapper, true cod, halibut, sea bass, striped bass, and perch.

    Where can I find the ground chili peppers for this recipe?


    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). We 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.

    What are good sides to serve with pan-fried fish?

    A fresh Caesar salad on the side (traditional or kale) makes the perfect companion dish, effectively quelling the dry rub's heat without putting out the fire.

    Spicy pan-fried fish also goes well with couscous, pilaf, or even Mexican street corn!

    Fork cutting a bite of a plated piece of blackened rockfish.

    Our Spicy Dry Rub recipe was adapted from a recipe generously shared with us by Skillet Street Food.

    Related Recipes

    • Pan-Seared Sturgeon with Chanterelles & Baby Yukons
    • Honey Ginger Glazed Salmon
    • Grilled Halibut over Greens
    • Korean-style Pan Fried Fish (Saeng Sun Jun)

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    Spicy Pan-fried Blackened Rockfish

    Pan-fried Blackened Rockfish

    Seasoned with smokey paprika and three kinds of dried peppers, this Spicy Pan-fried Blackened Rockfish has just the right amount of kick!
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Course: Main Dish
    Cuisine: American
    Diet: Gluten Free, Low Lactose
    Prep Time:15 minutes
    Total Time:15 minutes
    Servings: 4
    Calories: 163kcal
    Author: Renee

    Equipment

    • 1 Enameled Cast Iron Skillet or heavy skillet

    Ingredients

    US Customary - Metric
    • 1 pound rockfish fillets or Pacific cod, red snapper or striped bass ½'-¾" thick
    • 2-4 tablespoons vegetable oil
    Spicy Dry Rub
    • 2 ½ tablespoons smoked paprika
    • 1 tablespoon kosher salt
    • ½ tablespoon garlic salt
    • 1 ½ teaspoons brown sugar
    • 1 ½ teaspoons white sugar
    • 1 ½ teaspoons ground pasilla pepper
    • 1 ½ teaspoons ground New Mexico chili pepper
    • 1 teaspoon ground chipotle pepper
    • 1 teaspoons ground ginger
    • ½ tablespoon ground mustard powder

    Instructions

    • In a small bowl, mix together all the Dry Rub ingredients.
    • Pat the rockfish fillets down with paper towels, and then press both sides of each fish fillet into the dry rub mix.
      The fillets should not be wet when they are put into the dry rub; it will adhere just fine on its own.
      Remove fillets from dry rub and set aside.
    • Heat cast iron or heavy skillet over medium-high heat until a water droplet sizzles on the surface.
      Add enough vegetable oil to lightly cover bottom of skillet.
    • Place prepared fish fillets into the heated skillet.
      Fry on first side for about 3 minutes, or until the bottom of the fish is nicely browned.
    • Using tongs, turn the fish over and brown the other side for 2 to 3 minutes more; until the flesh is firm and opaque.
    • Remove the fillets from the skillet and drain on paper towels.

    Notes

    Substitution for chiles: If you don't have the specific ground Mexican chiles (i.e., New Mexico, pasilla, chipotle) on hand, you can substitute equal parts regular chili powder for whatever you're missing. The flavor of the dry rub may be slightly less complex, but delicious just the same.
    Spicy Pan-fried Rockfish pairs well with a Caesar Salad.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1serving | Calories: 163kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 57mg | Sodium: 84mg | Potassium: 438mg | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 17IU | Calcium: 16mg | Iron: 1mg
    This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. You are solely responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information provided is accurate, complete, and useful.
    Have you tried this recipe?Mention @TheGoodHeartedWoman or tag #thegoodheartedwoman!

    Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links, including Amazon affiliate links, which means we may receive a commission if you click a link and purchase something that we have recommended. Please check out our disclosure policy for more details.

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    About Renée

    Renée is writer, music maker, artist, and storyteller. In her spare time, you can find her writing love songs about cowboys, exploring the moss-covered nooks and crannies of the Pacific Northwest, and making music with her talented singer-husband.

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    Comments

    1. Renée says

      June 15, 2021 at 10:05 am

      This dry rub will work for any white, lean, firm white fish, including; pollock, catfish, grouper, haddock, cod, halibut, and rockfish. I've also used it on chicken and pork with great results.

      Reply
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