Blackened Salmon
Pan-seared salmon with a bold Cajun spice crust and a bright lemon butter sauce. Ready in under 20 minutes for an impressive weeknight dinner.
- Total time
- 15 min
- Servings
- 2
- Calories
- 320
- Protein
- 36g
Ingredients
- 2 fillets (6 oz each) salmon fillets, skin-on
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 whole lemon
- 2 tablespoons butter
Instructions
- 1
Pat the salmon dry with a clean paper towel, pressing gently on both sides until no moisture beads appear. Dry salmon will develop a better crust when seared.
- 2
Pour 1 tablespoon paprika, 0.5 teaspoon garlic powder, and 0.25 teaspoon cayenne into a small bowl and mix with a fork until evenly combined.
- 3
Cut the lemon in half lengthwise from stem to tip, then cut each half into two wedges so you have four pieces total.
- 4
Place a 10-inch cast iron skillet or nonstick pan over medium-high heat and let it warm for 90 seconds until a drop of water sizzles and evaporates immediately.
- 5
Sprinkle the spice mixture evenly over the flesh side of each salmon fillet, pressing gently with your fingers so it adheres to the surface.
- 6
Pour 1 tablespoon of olive oil into the hot pan; when it shimmers and slides quickly across the surface, place each salmon fillet flesh-side down in the pan.
- 7
Sear without moving for 4 minutes until the surface looks dark reddish-brown with a slight black char at the edges, and the fillet slides freely when you nudge it with a spatula.
- 8
Flip each fillet using a wide spatula and cook skin-side down for 3 minutes until the skin is crispy and the flesh flakes easily when pressed with your finger.
- 9
Slide the salmon onto a serving plate, leaving the pan on the heat.
- 10
Add 2 tablespoons of butter to the warm pan, swirling as it melts, then squeeze both lemon wedges into the pan and stir once.
- 11
Drizzle the warm lemon butter over each salmon fillet and place the two remaining lemon wedges on the plate next to the fish.
Tools you’ll need
- 10-inch cast iron skillet or nonstick pan
- paper towels
- small bowl
- fork
- cutting board
- chef's knife
- wide spatula
- serving plate
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