This dish is our take on a classic Cajun dish, Blackened Redfish, made famous by the incomparable chef, Paul Prudhomme. And it features a tasty hard fighting fish I catch in Key West, the Mahi Mahi.
I first met Paul about two years after he opened his legendary restaurant K-Paul’s Louisiana Kitchen, which was an instant sensation. I knew that he had been the chef at Commanders Palace for years and I loved all their dishes. We struck up a conversation and he was both gracious and funny. He had this huge smile and he liked to describe himself as still being a barefoot Cajun boy learning to cook in his mother’s kitchen. He was the youngest of thirteen kids and he told me he was a momma’s boy, and just liked to hang around with her and learn her secrets of Cajun ways. And, in time, he transformed the cooking of Louisiana cuisine.
After that, whenever I was in New Orleans for the Jazz Festival or a writing project, I would make sure to come late for lunch and visit with him. We talked about the Cajun approach to life and food, and I learned a great deal from him, but what I remember the most about Paul is that he loved the fact that he could please so many people with his cooking, both at his restaurant and in his travels around the country. And I am still amazed at his generosity for a fan boy like me who just walked in off the streets one day and sat down next to him. He was the one who taught me what explosive Cajun flavors really taste like. He wasn’t interested in frills, just good cooking. He is simply irreplaceable. Enjoy!
Ingredients…
4 filets of Mahi Mahi, 6 to 8 ounces each, no more than 3/4 inches thick (you can also use red snapper, rock fish, salmon, ling cod, pompano, walleye, catfish, or any large flaked mild fish)
6 ounces unsalted butter, (1 1/2 sticks), melted in a 12 ounce skillet
3 1/2 tablespoons Cajun Seasoning, mixed well and spread out on a plate (recipe below)
Cajun Seasoning for Blackened Fish
1 teaspoon Cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons smoked Spanish sweet paprika
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon black pepper, crushed
1 teaspoon white pepper corns, ground
Cooking…
Melt the butter in the 12 inch non cast iron pan, reserving about 4 teaspoons of butter in a separate ramekin
Dip each filet in the melted butter, on both sides, and then sprinkle the Cajun Seasoning onto each side of the filets.
Heat a 12 inch cast iron pan on high heat until smoking. One by one, drip each filet into the hot pan. Sear each side for 90 seconds to 2 minutes, depending on how charred you like the filets.
When you remove the filets, pour 1 teaspoon of melted butter on each filet. Serve hot!
