BLACKENED FISH FILLETS
If you don't have a commercial hood vent over your stove, this dish will set off every smoke alarm in your neighborhood! It's better to cook it outdoors on a gas grill or a butane burner. Or you can use a charcoal grill, but you'll need to make the coals hotter by giving them extra air. (A
normal charcoal fire doesn't get hot enough to blacken the fish properly.)
1-1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, melted
6 (1/2- to 3/4-inch thick) redfish or other firm-fleshed fish fillets* (8 to 10 ounces each), at room temperature
3 tablespoons Chef Paul Prudhomme's Blackened Redfish Magic
*Redfish and pompano are ideal for this method of cooking. If tilefish is used, you may have to split the fillets in half horizontally to have the proper thickness. If you can't get any of these fish, red snapper, wall-eyed pike or sac-a-lait fillets or salmon or tuna steaks can be
substituted. In any case, the fillets or steaks must not be more than 3/4-inch thick.
Heat a cast-iron skillet as hot as possible on your kitchen stove, at least 10 minutes. When the coals are glowing, use very thick pot holders to carefully transfer the hot skillet to the grill.
Meanwhile, pour 2 tablespoons melted butter in each of 6 small ramekins; set aside and keep warm. Reserve remaining butter. Heat 6 serving plates in 250 degrees oven.
Dip each filet in the reserved melted butter so that both sides are well coated; then sprinkle the Blackened Redfish Magic generously and evenly on both sides of the filets. Place 1 or 2 filets in the dry, hot skillet and cook uncovered over high heat until the underside becomes deep-brown,
almost black (but not burned), about 2 minutes (the time may vary according to the filet's thickness and the heat of the skillet). Turn the fish over and pour 1 teaspoon butter on top of each. Cook until fish is done, about 2 minutes more. Repeat with remaining filets. Serve immediately with a
ramekin of butter on each plate.
When cooking more that one batch of fish, the skillet should be thoroughly wiped out in between batches to remove all burned particles and butter - - or these will produce a burned taste.
Copyright 1998 by Paul Prudhomme
