Blackened fish with lemon butter sauce is a delicious dish with big, bold Cajun flavor. Seasoned with a smoky spice blend and finished with a rich lemon butter sauce, thin white fish fillets are seared until golden and flaky.
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What Is Blackened Fish?
Blackened fish is pan-seared with a Cajun spice blend is finished with a lemon butter sauce. It makes an easy fish dinner that tastes like something you'd find in a Florida Keys restaurant.
Cajun seasoning is a blend of paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, cayenne pepper, oregano, and thyme. It's smoky, a little spicy, and adds bold flavor to fish, shrimp, chicken, and vegetables.
We love blackened swordfish, blackened fish tacos, and Cajun blackened shrimp. You can put blackened seasoning on almost anything including meat, chicken and vegetables. It tastes great!
Fresh Fish Recipe
Today I'm cooking fresh hogfish. Hogfish is native to the warm coastal waters of Florida and is one of the most popular reef fish in the Keys.
It has a mild, sweet flavor and soft, buttery flesh that tastes incredible when cooked fresh. Locals often say it's the best-tasting fish in Florida.
If you don't have wild-caught hogfish, you can use snapper (yellowtail, mangrove, or grey snapper), porgies, flounder, or any other thin white fish fillets.
Defrost your fish in the refrigerator before you begin.
Ingredients
Salt: Go easy on the salt. Blackened seasoning contains salt so you can add more to taste after cooking the fish.
- Thin white fish fillets, deboned and defrosted (hogfish, snapper, sole, haddock, etc.)
- Blackened seasoning (homemade or store-bought)
- Olive oil
- Butter
- Lemon
- Garlic
- Salt and pepper
- Fresh parsley
How To Make Blackened Fish
Cooking times: Thin white fillets will cook in 2-3 minutes per side. Thicker fish fillets, such as mahi mahi or swordfish, may need 4-5 minutes per side to finish cooking through.
- Take the fish out of the fridge and bring it to room temperature for about 15 minutes before cooking.
- Rinse and pat the fish dry with paper towels.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large heavy bottomed skillet over medium-high heat.
- When the oil is hot but not smoking, add the fish (skin side down, if present) and sear for 2-3 minutes per side until golden brown. Transfer to a plate and keep warm.
- Return the skillet to medium heat. Add butter and chopped garlic. Sauté for 30 seconds.
- Stir in lemon juice and a pinch of salt and some freshly ground pepper. Simmer for about a minute, scraping up any browned bits from the pan.
- Spoon the lemon butter sauce over the fish, garnish with parsley, and serve with lemon wedges.
Top Tips For Searing Fish
- Pat the fish dry before cooking to remove moisture.
- Heat the skillet until it's almost smoking before adding oil.
- Place the fish in the pan and don't move it. Let it sear for a few minutes until it naturally releases from the pan.
- Use a cast iron or stainless steel pan for the best browning.
- Let the fish rest for a minute before serving so the juices settle and stay inside.
Storage and Leftovers
Store leftover blackened fish in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Reheat gently in a skillet with a little butter so it doesn't dry out.
You can also repurpose the leftovers-flake the fish and make a quick fish omelet for breakfast. Just whisk a couple of eggs, pour them into a buttered skillet, and fold in the fish with a little cheese or herbs for a morning meal.
What Goes With Blackened Fish?
Here are some great sides that will complement the fish.
More Seafood Recipes To Try
- Blackened Swordfish
- Seared Tripletail with Garlic Butter Sauce
- Stone Crab Claws with Mustard Sauce
- Smoked Fish Dip
- Pan-Fried Yellowtail Snapper
- Pan Seared Snapper Fillets
For all of our delicious fish, shrimp, crab, and lobster recipes, visit Florida Key Seafood recipes.
Takeaway
Blackened fish is a great recipe that's all about bold flavor. The fish is coated with a mix of spices, then seared in a hot pan until it forms a dark, smoky crust.
It's fast to make and gives the fish a deep, rich taste without needing a lot of ingredients.
This recipe works with any thin white fish. Fresh is always best, but you can use what you have on hand. Hogfish, snapper, cod, catfish, redfish, or trout all work beautifully. There are plenty of other mild white fish that cook up just as well.
For a simple, everyday favorite, try my Seared White Fish Recipe made with butter, lemon, and fresh local fish.
This recipe is gluten-free and contains no processed ingredients.
FAQ
Yes. Any firm white fish works well. Snapper, grouper, mahi mahi, cod, or halibut are all great options for blackening. If you're using thicker fish like mahi mahi or swordfish, lower the heat slightly after the initial sear and cook a bit longer-about 4-5 minutes per side. You can also finish it in a 400°F oven for a few minutes until the center turns opaque.
The fish should flake easily with a fork in the thickest part and look opaque all the way through. Overcooking can make it dry, so watch closely near the end.
It's best enjoyed fresh, but you can cook the fish up to a few hours ahead and refrigerate it. Reheat gently in a skillet with a little butter.
Blackened fish has a little kick, but it's not overly spicy. The heat comes from cayenne pepper in the Cajun seasoning. You can easily adjust the spice level by using less cayenne or mixing in a bit of smoked paprika for a milder flavor.
Yes. Just wipe out most of the oil between batches so the seasoning doesn't burn, and double the sauce ingredients to have enough for all the fish.
Cajun dirty rice, roasted potatoes, or a coleslaw pair perfectly. For a lighter option, try steamed asparagus or cauliflower rice with a squeeze of lemon.
Blackened Fish With Lemon Butter Sauce
Ingredients
Blackened Fish
- 2 thin white fish fillets, about 6 ounces each, deboned and defrosted if frozen, (hogfish, snapper, sole, haddock, etc.)
- 1 tablespoon blackened seasoning (recipe below), homemade or store-bought
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
Lemon Butter Sauce
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 lemon
- 1 garlic clove, minced or pressed
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, about half of a lemon
- 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Take the fish out of the fridge and bring it to room temperature for about 15 minutes before cooking.
- Rinse and pat the fish dry with paper towels.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large heavy bottomed skillet over medium-high heat.
- When the oil is hot but not smoking, add the fish (skin side down, if present) and sear for 2-3 minutes per side until golden brown. Transfer to a plate and keep warm.
- Return the skillet to medium heat. Add butter and chopped garlic. Sauté for 30 seconds.
- Stir in lemon juice and a pinch of salt and some freshly ground pepper. Simmer for about a minute, scraping up any browned bits from the pan.
- Spoon the lemon butter sauce over the fish, garnish with parsley, and serve with lemon wedges.
Notes
- 1 tablespoons paprika
- 1 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoons onion powder
- ½ teaspoon thyme
- ½ teaspoon oregano
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper, adjust for more or less heat
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt or 1 teaspoon sea salt
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