Blackening (cooking)

Blackening is a cooking technique used in the preparation of fish and other foods. Often associated with Cajun cuisine, this technique was invented and popularized by chef Paul Prudhomme.^[1] The food is dipped in melted butter and then sprinkled with a mixture of herbs and spices, usually some combination of thyme, oregano, chili pepper, peppercorns, salt, garlic powder, and onion powder.^[2] It is then cooked in a very hot cast-iron skillet.^[2][3] The characteristic brown-black color of the crust results from a combination of browned milk solids from the butter and charred spices.^[4]

Blackened fish (right)

While the original recipe calls for redfish (Red drum),^[3] the same method of preparation can be applied to other types of fish as well as proteins such as steak, chicken cutlets, or tofu.

References

1. Herbst, S.T.; Herbst, R. (2007). The Food Lover's Companion (Fourth ed.). Barron's Educational Series.
2. O'Neill, Molly. "Paul Prudhomme's Blackened Redfish". The New York Times: Cooking. The New York Times Company. Retrieved 6 September 2018.
3. "blackened". Food Encyclopedia. Television Food Network, G.P. Archived from the original on 18 August 2016. Retrieved 26 Oct 2011.
4. "Restodontê | Descubra receitas a partir de seus ingredientes". Restodontê (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 17 March 2018.