Easy, fast, flexible, versatile, and delicious. What more could you ask? The star of this Pan-fried Rockfish 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!
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Why You Will Love this Fish Recipe
This is one of the all-round best fish recipes you’re ever going to find! Even if you’ve never cooked fish before, this is a winner.
★ It's easy: This recipe is super easy to put together, especially if you already have the spices mixed up.
★ It's fast: Even if you must mix the spices together first, it still only takes about 20 minutes, start to finish.
★ It's 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.
★ It's versatile: It works as well for a fancy dinner presentation as it does for a quick weeknight meal.
★ It's tasty: No matter how fast, easy a recipe is, if it isn't good, it isn't worth it. So let me tell you right now, this blackened rockfish is delicious. I mean, really, really tasty. The dry rub highlights the fish's natural fresh flavor without overwhelming it.
BONUS: It makes excellent fish tacos!
Blackened Rockfish Ingredients
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.
Spice Mix
- Smoked paprika
- Kosher salt
- Garlic salt
- Brown sugar: Use light brown sugar.
- White sugar: Use regular granulated sugar.
- Ground pasilla pepper
- Ground New Mexico chili pepper
- Ground chipotle pepper
- 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.
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.
How to Make Spicy Pan-fried Rockfish
Dry Rub
In a small bowl, mix together all the Dry Rub ingredients.
Fish Fry
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.
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.
Skillet Temperature
If you are using an electric skillet, set the temperature for 375°F (190°C). Maintain a temperature of 375-350°F (176-190°C) the entire time you fry the fish.
If you don't have an electric skillet, you can test the skillet temp by adding a droplet of water to the skillet. If it sizzles, the skillet is hot enough. Do not let it get too hot!
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.
Our Spicy Dry Rub recipe was adapted from a recipe generously shared with us by Skillet Street Food.
Substitutions
- Rockfish: Other fishes that can be used for this recipe include Atlantic red snapper, true cod, halibut, sea bass, striped bass, and perch.
- Ground peppers: 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.
Equipment
This fish recipe can be made in a heavy cast-iron skillet on the stovetop, but for best results, an electric skillet makes the job much easier.
Whether it's fried chicken, fish, or fritters, when it comes to pan-frying, an electric skillet can make all the difference between a crispy, golden crust and a soggy, overcooked one. A skillet heated on a traditional stovetop will inevitably have hot spots: an electric skillet will consistently keep the temperature you set.
Storage
According to the USDA, leftover fried fish should be safe to eat for a maximum of 3 days after it has been cooked. Store fish in an air-tight container in the refrigerator.
Top Tip
Best Temperature for Frying Fish
It's important to maintain the correct temperature when frying fish: between 350°F and 375°F (176-190°C).
- If the temperature of oil in the pan drops down below 350°F (176°C), the fish will begin to absorb the cooking oil, resulting in greasy, soggy fish.
- If the temperature rises above 375°F (190°C), the fish will cook too quickly on the outside, and not get done in the middle.
When fried at the correct temperature, the fish will come out golden brown, having absorbed very little oil.
FAQ
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.
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 inexpensive and the recipe makes a lot of dry rub, so it will go a long way.
More Fresh Fish Recipes
What to Serve with Pan-fried Rockfish
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. It makes an excellent pairing with couscous, pilaf, and Mexican street corn!
Taco Tuesday: Blackened rockfish makes amazing fish tacos! Load it into corn tortillas, and top with shaved cabbage, crumbled cotija, and Creamy Cilantro Lime Dressing for a quick, easy, delicious meal! Serve with Mango Avocado Salad for a full meal deal.
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Pan-fried Blackened Rockfish
Equipment
- 1 Enameled Cast Iron Skillet or heavy skillet
Ingredients
- 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
Nutrition
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.
Food Safety
- Never leave seafood or other perishable food out of the refrigerator for more than 2 hours or for more than 1 hour when temperatures are above 90°F. Bacteria that can cause illness grow quickly at warm temperatures (between 40°F and 140°F).
- Most seafood should be cooked to an internal temperature of 145°F. (Shrimp: 120°F)
- Thaw frozen seafood gradually by placing it in the refrigerator overnight. If you have to thaw seafood quickly, either seal it in a plastic bag and immerse it in cold water, or — if the food will be cooked immediately thereafter — microwave it on the “defrost” setting and stop the defrost cycle while the fish is still icy but pliable.
- Keep hot seafood heated until time to serve or divide the seafood into smaller containers and keep them in a refrigerator until time to reheat and serve.
- Serve hot seafood under a heat source (e.g., hot lamp, crock pot, hot plate, etc.) if it is going to stay out longer than 2 hours or discard the seafood after 2 hours.
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food that previously touched raw meat or fish..
- Always wash hands after touching raw meat or fish.
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods.
- Never leave cooking food unattended.
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds.
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove.
- Store food in suitable, covered containers.
See more guidelines at USDA.gov.
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Renée says
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.
AKReid says
If you haven't tried your blackened rock fish by seasoning the hot oil try that instead of the fish. Get the pan smoking hot, add your normal amount of oil and quickly add the seasoning to the oil across the whole pan. Let it smoke 5-10 seconds. It fries the seasoning all around and then it'll stick to your fish but will offer a better, more robust flavor you can't get by seasoning the fish directly. You won't regret it.
Renée says
Interesting! No, I've never tried making it that way, but I'll for sure give it a try the next time we make rockfish, and check back in here with my results. Thanks for the tip!
Chuck J says
My goodness this was delicious!! I only had cayenne and chili powder so I used that. Thanks for the recipe!
Renée ♥ says
So glad it worked for you! Thanks so much for the feedback.
John says
Great recipe. Thanks for sharing! We tried it on rockfish, but prawns, eh? Sounds interesting!
laura@motherwouldknow says
What 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
Thanks, 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!
Nicole Hunt (Rose) says
How 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 🙂
Brandi says
This looks like a recipe my family will love, thank you!
Renée ♥ says
Thank you for stopping by, Brandi!
Rachel says
This 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
Thanks, Rachel - I hope you love it as much as we do!
Isabel says
The spice mix sounds SO GOOD! Can't wait to try this rub.
Susan | LunaCafe says
Looks simply amazing! I can practically taste it from here. 🙂
Dawne says
I 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
Dawne, 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.
Catherine says
My 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
It is so good, Catherine - you will love it. Good luck in your skillet shopping, too!
Ali says
Oh yum, this looks great. We have a freezer full of Salmon, so I'll probably try the rub out on that first.
Renée ♥ says
I haven't tried this rub on salmon yet. Please let me know how it turns out!
Marlynn [UrbanBlissLife] says
I 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
If I had my way, we would eat fish five nights a week (and veggie the other two).
Melinda says
I'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
This preparation is so simple, Melinda. You can definitely make it!
Create/Enjoy says
That 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
I usually use coconut oil for fish.
Renée ♥ says
I love the combination of dried ground peppers that go into the rub. It's such a great balance of smoky, sweet and spicy.