Blackened salmon
A dark, spicy Cajun crust on juicy salmon, with a cool avocado salsa to balance the heat.
- 25 min total
- 20 min hands-on
- Follow-a-recipe easy
- Serves 2
- About $5.73 a serving
- 610 calories
- Gluten-free
Dolly says: Read the steps once before you start. Everything goes smoother after that.
Ingredients
For 2 servings.
- 2 salmon fillets, about 6 oz each, skinless
- 1 tbsp butter, melted
- 1 avocado, diced
- 1 tomato, diced
- ¼ red onion, finely chopped
- 1 lime, juiced
- 2 tbsp cilantro, chopped (optional)
From your pantry
- 2 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp dried thyme
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
- ¾ tsp salt, divided
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp olive oil
Each serving has about 610 calories, 38 g protein, 17 g carbs and 45 g fat, and costs about $5.73 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No butter? Ghee works.
- No avocados? Guacamole works.
- No tomatoes? Roma tomatoes work.
- No red onions? White onions or yellow onions work.
- No limes? Lemons work.
- No cilantro? Fresh parsley works.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
the avocado, tomato, red onion, lime juice, cilantro and of the salt together in a bowl. Set the salsa aside.
Toss. Tossing means gently lifting and turning food so everything gets coated, like pasta in sauce or vegetables in oil. It coats every piece evenly without mashing anything.
How you’ll know: Every piece looks glossy or evenly coated, with no dry spots hiding underneath.
Pinch. A pinch is what you can hold between your thumb and two fingers, less than an eighth of a teaspoon. It’s a small, forgiving amount, so there’s no need to measure.
How you’ll know: It’s a light sprinkle you can barely see on the food, not a little pile.
the paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, thyme, cayenne, pepper and the rest of the salt together on a plate.
Stir. Stirring means moving food around with a spoon or spatula so it cooks evenly and doesn’t stick. Unless the recipe says constantly, every so often is plenty, and it gives food time to brown.
How you’ll know: When you drag the spoon across the bottom, nothing is sticking or scorching.
the salmon dry, brush both sides with the butter and press each side into the spice mix.
Pat dry. Patting dry means pressing paper towels onto food to soak up the moisture on its surface. Wet food steams instead of browning, so this is how you get a good sear and crisp skin.
How you’ll know: The surface feels tacky, not wet, and the last paper towel comes away barely damp.
Melt. Melting means gently heating something solid, like butter or cheese, until it turns liquid. Low or medium heat keeps it from browning or burning.
How you’ll know: It’s smooth and liquid, and butter may foam a little but hasn’t turned brown.
Dolly’s tip: The butter is the glue, and it helps the spices toast into that dark crust.Heat the oil in a large heavy over medium-high heat until it , and turn on the kitchen fan.
Skillet. A skillet is a frying pan: wide and flat with low, sloped sides. The shape lets steam escape, so food browns instead of stewing.
How you’ll know: It’s the pan you’d fry an egg in, and a 10 or 12 inch one handles most recipes.
Shimmering oil. Oil shimmers when it’s hot enough to cook: its surface looks rippled and wavy, like heat over a road. That’s your cue to add the food, just before the oil would start to smoke.
How you’ll know: The oil looks wavy and runs thin like water when you tilt the pan, with no smoke yet.
Medium-high heat
Lay in the salmon and cook without moving it for 3 to 4 minutes, until a very dark crust forms.
Medium-high heatTimer: 3 min 30 sec
Dolly’s tip: Dark brown to nearly black is right here. That’s the spices toasting, not the fish burning.Flip, turn the heat to medium and cook 2 to 4 minutes more, until the thickest part flakes easily with a fork.
Medium heatTimer: 3 min
Food safety: Fish is done at 145°F, when the middle looks opaque and flakes apart easily with a fork.
Serve the salmon with the avocado salsa spooned over the top.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
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