We know with Lent that a lot of people are searching for more fish and seafood recipes. This blackened trout is one of our favorite weeknight meals. We keep it in the rotation regularly. We love trout because it’s easy to find, inexpensive, mild in flavor, and lower in mercury/contaminant content due to being lake fish. It’s also high in omega 3s and a great source of lean protein. Because of its mild flavor, it lends itself well to many different spice profiles, but blackened is probably our favorite preparation.

Blackening Seasoning 

You can use any store bought blackening seasoning, but we are spice hoarders! We have so many spices and love cooking with them. We have an entire drawer dedicated to spices and frequently create our own blends, so we decided to put together a recipe on how we make our blackening blend. Blackening is a Cajun style of cooking that involves searing meat or fish over high heat in a skillet, usually with spicy seasoning. We particularly enjoy fish and shrimp cooked this way, but it’s also a great way to cook other meats as well.

Our seasoning is a blend of paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, thyme, cayenne, oregano, salt and pepper. The recipe makes about 1/4 cup, so you can have some leftover for other recipes! It would be great to try out on our crispy salmon recipe, just add the seasoning before searing.

Serving Ideas

Pair your blackened trout with your favorite veggies. Highly recommend our okra recipe if you want to keep things in the Cajun family, but even simple roasted vegetables or grains like brown rice or quinoa pair perfectly. Tonight we opted for a Mediterranean quinoa pilaf with cherry tomatoes and roasted peppers. You can find a similar recipe in our stuffed zucchini and squash recipe!

Easy Blackened Trout

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Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Total Time 15 minutes mins

Servings: 2 people

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Cajun

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• 2 Trout Filets About 1 lb
• 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 1 Tbsp Kosher Salt
• 1 Tbsp Paprika
• 1 Tbsp Smoked Paprika
• 1 Tsp Garlic Powder
• 1 Tsp Onion Powder
• 1/2 Teaspoon Black Pepper
• 1/2 Teaspoon Oregano
• 1/2 Teaspoon Thyme
• 1/4 Teaspoon Cayenne Can add more if you prefer it extra spicy

Method

 

1. Combine all of the spices to create the blackening seasoning and set aside in a resealable jar. 
2. Pat dry your trout filets and season them generously with about 1/2 teaspoon of seasoning each, or more depending on the size of your filets. 
3. Heat up a large skillet over high heat with the olive oil.
4. Once the pan is hot, add the trout flesh side down and sear for about 5-6 minutes. 
5. Flip the fish and cook on the skin side for another 3-4 minutes. 
6. Serve with your favorite side dish. Reserve remainder of blackening seasoning for future recipes. 

Notes

Makes about 1/4 cup blackening seasoning