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Blackened Catfish with Cajun Lemon Butter

Name: Blackened Catfish with Cajun Lemon Butter
Prep time: 14 min
Total time: 14 min
Cuisine: Southern
Ingredients: catfish fillets — 680 g; paprika — 30 g; garlic — 15 g; onion powder — 15 g; thyme — 3 g; dried leaf oregano — 3 g; cayenne pepper — 5 g; freshly ground black pepper — 5 g; salt — 15 g; unsalted butter — 82 g; vegetable oil — 27 g; garlic — 6 g; lemon — 65 g; parsley — 7 g

Blackened Catfish with Cajun Lemon Butter reads citrus 6.0, sourness 5.4 and fruity 4.8 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a Southern main, about 14 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.

The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10

Umami & Savory — 5.2 / 10
Sweet & Fruity — 5.1 / 10
Sour & Bright — 7.6 / 10
Bitter & Earthy — 1.5 / 10
Rich & Fat — 4.8 / 10
Aromatic & Spice — 5.5 / 10

The measured notes (of 18)

Citrus 6.0 · Sourness 5.4 · Fruity 4.8 · Richness 4.7 · Allium 4.7 · Umami 4.6 · Salinity 3.8 · Heat 3.5 · Warm Spice 3.0 · Herbaceous 2.9 · Marine & Briny 2.8 · Floral 1.4 · Bitterness 1.3 · Sweetness 1.1 · Earthy 0.9 · Smoke 0.8

What's in it (14)

catfish fillets — 680 g
paprika — 30 g
garlic — 15 g
onion powder — 15 g
thyme — 3 g
dried leaf oregano — 3 g
cayenne pepper — 5 g
freshly ground black pepper — 5 g
salt — 15 g
unsalted butter — 82 g
vegetable oil — 27 g
garlic — 6 g
lemon — 65 g
parsley — 7 g

Time & effort: about 14 min · effort: involved

Dietary: Contains meat · Contains seafood — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.

How it's cooked (8 steps)

Pat the catfish fillets dry, then in a small bowl combine the paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, thyme, oregano, cayenne, black pepper, and salt. Sprinkle the spice blend evenly on both sides of the fillets, pressing gently so it adheres.
Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter and brush both sides of the seasoned fillets with it — this helps the crust set and keeps the spices from scorching.
Heat the vegetable oil in a heavy or cast-iron skillet over high heat until it's just smoking, 3-4 minutes.
Lay the fillets in the hot skillet and cook without moving until a deeply blackened crust forms on the first side, 3-4 minutes.
Flip carefully and cook until the fish flakes easily and reaches 145 F at the thickest point, 3-4 minutes more; transfer to a plate.
Wipe the skillet clean, reduce the heat to medium, and melt the remaining 4 tablespoons butter. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, 30-45 seconds.
Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the lemon zest and juice to finish the cajun butter.
Spoon the warm cajun butter over the blackened catfish, scatter with parsley, and serve right away.

Dishes with a similar flavor shape

Blackened Catfish with Lemon Butter — Cajun/Creole · Cajun
Cajun Blackened Catfish — Southern
Blackened Salmon with Cajun Spice — Cajun/Creole · Cajun
Blackened Redfish (Catfish or Snapper) — Cajun/Creole · Cajun
Carne de Porco à Alentejana — Portuguese

Keep reading: what citrus, sourness, fruity mean in the flavor lexicon · the world's cuisines, by flavor.

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Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.