This blackened salmon has a smoky, spicy crust coating moist and tender salmon. It cooks quickly in a cast iron skillet and pairs perfectly with cool, creamy sides like my homemade coleslaw and lemon dill sauce.
Restaurant Quality Blackened Salmon, At Home
Skip the restaurant, today we’re making perfectly spiced, restaurant-worthy blackened salmon, at home! Rooted in the bold flavors of Cajun and Creole cuisine, this technique was made famous by New Orleans chef Paul Prudhomme in the 1980s. I just love the savory, slightly fiery crust it creates coating the flaky, juicy salmon.
The secret to making restaurant-quality blackened salmon at home is to use the right spice blend. My homemade Blackened Seasoning hits all the right notes: it’s smoky, spicy and comes together with pantry ingredients in just 5 minutes. You’ll also want to use a cast iron skillet to cook the salmon. It holds heat evenly and gets hot enough to create that dark, slightly charred crust that we’re going for!
Ingredient Notes
- Salmon: My top choices for this recipe are king, sockeye or coho salmon. Wild-caught is best, and both fresh or frozen salmon will work; just be sure to fully thaw frozen fish in a dish of cold water before cooking. You want the skin on since it helps hold the fish together.
- Blackened Seasoning: For the seasoning you’ll need paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper, dried oregano, dried thyme, salt and pepper. I like to use smoked paprika for smoky flavor. You can adjust the amount of cayenne to make it more or less spicy.
- Butter: We brush the salmon with melted butter before adding the spices for a few reasons. One, it helps the spices to stick to the fish. Two, the combination of the butter and spices against the hot cast iron pan is what creates the flavorful crust. Finally, butter adds flavor!
- Avocado Oil: For cooking in the skillet. You need to use an oil with a high smoke point and avocado oil is my top choice. You could also use refined coconut oil or ghee.
- Lemon: A squeeze of lemon at the end brightens up the rich flavors.
How to Make Blackened Salmon
Let the salmon come to room temperature for 20 minutes. This helps it to cook evenly.
Season salmon. Pat the salmon dry, then mix together the spices for the blackened seasoning. Brush the salmon with melted butter and sprinkle on the seasoning, patting it onto the fish.
Cook salmon. Heat the oil in a cast iron pan over medium-high heat. Once the pan is very hot, turn the heat down to medium and add the salmon fillets, skin side up, and cook for 2-3 minutes. The salmon is ready to flip when it has a nice golden brown crust and releases easily from the pan. Use a thin spatula to flip the fillets over so that they are skin side down. Cook on the second side for 3-5 minutes, until the salmon reaches your desired doneness.
Tips for Perfect Blackened Salmon
- Cook in a cast iron skillet and preheat the pan for 2-3 minutes, until it’s nice and hot.
- Start the salmon skin side up to blacken the flesh side, then flip it to skin side down to finish cooking.
- Don’t overcook the salmon. You want the inside to be moist and tender. An instant read thermometer makes it easy to test for doneness: 130-135°F in the center for medium, 145°F for fully cooked.
- If your salmon fillets are very thick, you can finish them in a 400°F oven.
- Turn on the stove hood fan and open a window for ventilation. This dish will smell fishy as it’s cooking, especially once you flip it to skin side down, and blackened seasoning tends to smoke.
What to Serve with Blackened Salmon
I like to pair this blackened salmon with cool, creamy sides to balance out the bold, spicy flavors.
- As pictured here, enjoy it with Coleslaw and lemon dill sauce (I’ve included the recipe in the notes below). You can even use the lemon dill sauce as the coleslaw dressing – I do this in my Salmon Tacos recipe!
- I love to serve this with Cilantro Lime Rice and mango salsa. Such a delicious combination!
- My Corn Salad is the perfect summery side.
- If you’re looking for a simple vegetable side dish, I recommend Sautéed Spinach, Roasted Asparagus, or Grilled Zucchini.
Made this recipe? I’d truly appreciate if you leave a comment and star rating below! Your review will help others who want to try this recipe. Thank you! 💛
Blackened Salmon
Ingredients
- 4 salmon fillets, 4-6 ounces each, skin on
- 1 tablespoon sweet or smoked paprika, or a combination of the two
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ¾ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 1 ½ tablespoons avocado oil, or another high heat cooking oil
- 1 lemon, cut into wedges
Instructions
- Let the salmon come to room temperature for 20 minutes. If your salmon fillets are on the thicker side and/or you like your salmon more well done, preheat oven to 400°F.4 salmon fillets
- Combine paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne pepper, dried oregano, dried thyme, salt and black pepper in a small bowl. Whisk to mix.1 tablespoon sweet or smoked paprika, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, ¾ teaspoon onion powder, ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper, ½ teaspoon dried oregano, ½ teaspoon dried thyme, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- Pat the salmon fillets dry with paper towels. Brush with melted butter and sprinkle generously with the seasonings, rubbing the seasonings onto the fish to help them stick.2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- (Ventilation is important, since blackened seasoning tends to smoke and this dish will smell fishy as it cooks. Turn on the stove hood fan and open a window.) Heat the oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Once the pan is very hot, turn the heat down to medium and add the salmon fillets, skin side up, to the pan. Cook on the first side for 2-3 minutes. The salmon is ready to flip when it has a nice golden brown crust and releases easily from the pan. Use a thin spatula to flip the fillets over so that they are skin side down.1 ½ tablespoons avocado oil
- Cook on the second side for 3-5 minutes, until the salmon reaches your desired doneness, 130-135°F in the center for medium, 145°F in the center is fully cooked. If it's not cooked to your liking after 5 minutes on the second side, finish cooking it in the oven until it reaches your desired doneness. Serve with lemon wedges.1 lemon
Notes
- Spice Level: You can adjust the amount of cayenne pepper to make it more or less spicy. As it is, it has a good kick but is not overpowering.
- This salmon is delicious served with Lemon Dill Sauce! Here’s how to make it: Whisk together 1 cup plain Greek yogurt, the zest of 1 medium lemon, 4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, 1 clove minced garlic, 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt and some freshly ground black pepper.
