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Last Updated on July 8, 2026 by Themigonikitchen
Best Tips for Cooking Blackened Trout
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This blackened trout is one of our favorite healthy and quick 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. The mild flavor also means our kids are more likely to eat it! 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.
Key Tip: Make sure to pat the trout dry before seasoning and cooking. It helps create a better sear!
Best Tools for Making Perfect Fish At Home:
A lot of our friends and family mention that they don’t like cooking fish at home, because they always feel like fish is tricky to cook. The key to making great fish at home is having the right tools. Here are our must-haves for perfect fish every time:
- A large cast iron skillet: This provides the perfect sear without causing the dreaded sticking! And they are a steal in terms of price compared to stainless steel options.
- A fish spatula: This is vital to being able to flip your fish without tearing it apart
- A sharp utility knife: Fish is delicate and you need a sharp and precise knife when cutting filets or slicing your fish to avoid shredding it by accident
How to Make Homemade Cajun 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. We have tons of these small spice jars to help store our spices for easy use.
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. If you don’t have the time to make your own blend, here are a few of our favorite pre-mixed Blackened Seasonings:
- Frontier Co-Op Organic Blackened Seafood Seasoning
- HEB Texas Original Blackened Seasoning
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.
What to Serve with Blackened Trout
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!
Or keep it simple with roasted potatoes or a green salad.
FAQ
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Can I use rainbow trout or steelhead trout?
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Absolutely! Both are great options and the taste is similar. Salmon is another great option for this recipe too.
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How do I know when the trout is fully cooked?
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When it flakes easily with a fork or an internal temp of 145°F
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How do I keep the fish from sticking to the pan?
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Ensure the pan and oil are smoking hot before adding the fish
- Pat the fish very well to make sure it’s dry before adding your seasonings and placing into the hot pan
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Ingredients
Method
- Combine all of the spices to create the blackening seasoning and set aside in a resealable jar.
- 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.
- Heat up a large skillet over high heat with the olive oil.
- Once the pan is hot, add the trout flesh side down and sear for about 5-6 minutes.
- Flip the fish and cook on the skin side for another 3-4 minutes.
- Serve with your favorite side dish. Reserve remainder of blackening seasoning for future recipes.