Blackened Salmon

Ingredientai

3 tablespoons chili powder

2 teaspoons ground coriander

2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon ground fennel

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 1½-pound salmon fillet, skin removed, cut into four 6-inch strips

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Nurodymai

In a medium bowl, mix the chili powder, coriander, pepper, fennel, thyme, and salt. Toss the salmon pieces in the spices to coat them thoroughly on all sides, shaking off any excess.

In a large skillet set over medium-high heat, heat the oil until it’s just smoking, about 3 minutes. Place the salmon in the skillet and cook until it is browned on the bottom and cooked halfway through (it should no longer be translucent on the bottom half), about 2 minutes. Turn the salmon over and cook until it is firm and no longer translucent at all, about 2 minutes more.

Serve the cooked salmon in any of our fish taco preparations or in a bowl.

Pastabos

We call this “blackened salmon” because it’s an homage to the old Cajun preparation in which a piece of fish is coated in so many spices, and so much pepper, that it looks black after a quick sear in a hot pan. The Cajuns used butter, which would char and burn a little. We like to do things a little healthier than that, so we skip the butter and push the chili powder. And while we do cook it over high heat, it doesn’t get very black—just seared in spots.