Easy Cajun Blackened Fish Recipe (2024)

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An easy homemade Cajun seasoning makes this blackened fish recipe moist and perfectly spiced. Served with a flavorful baked rice pilaf, it’s a simple meal that everyone will love!

Cajun food ranks among my very favorite cuisines, and having once lived just a few hours drive from New Orleans, I’ve eaten my share of it. I’ve also tried to re-create my share of it in my own kitchen.

See this chicken, shrimp, and sausage jambalaya, and these bananas foster crepes for some examples.

Since I’d never made blackened fish at home before, I figured this would be a great time to try it myself. It turned out to be as easy as can be, and the dreaded smoke detector didn’t even go off!

If you’ve never had blackened fish, it’s basically fish that’s been liberally sprinkled with a Cajun spice blend and pan-fried so that the spices get nice and toasted without getting burnt. Even though it looks pretty dark – hence the term “blackened”, there is no burnt taste at all.

I served it with a simple baked rice pilaf this time, but it did not take me long to turn it into blackened fish tacos and sandwiches. Next time, I plan to try it with this brown butter sauce.

Ingredient Notes and Substitutions

Cajun Rice Pilaf

Vegetables

This rice features the “holy trinity” of Cajun cooking, onion, bell pepper, and celery. This is the basis of many Cajun recipes and is a variation on French mirepoix, which uses carrots instead of bell peppers.

While you could use different vegetables, this classic combo adds to the Cajun flavor of this dish.

Rice

I use long grain white rice for this recipe, but jasmine rice or a quick-cooking brown rice can be substituted. Regular brown rice takes too long to cook and would require a different liquid ratio.

Butter

Any oil including olive oil can be substituted for the butter if you are keeping an eye on saturated fats.

Broth

Water can be substituted for the broth, however vegetable or chicken broth add rich flavor to the rice.

Blackened Fish

Spices

A Cajun spice blend is typically made with a combination of paprika, onion powder, thyme, pepper, oregano, cayenne and salt. These spices are all easy to find, and you may already have all of them. Store bought Cajun seasoning, or “blackening” seasoning can be used instead of making your own.

Oil

Use an oil with a high smoke point for blackening. I usually use canola oil, but vegetable, grapeseed, or peanut oil work equally well. Olive oil has a lower smoke point and is not ideal in this case.

What Kind of Fish to Use for Cajun Blackened Fish

I used rockfish for this blackened fish recipe. Rockfish is a mild-flavored, versatile fish that lends itself well to all kinds of cooking methods, like this delicious oven-fried rockfish recipe.

However the blackening technique could absolutely be used with pretty much any fish. Firm, flaky white fish like snapper, walleye, cod, haddock, mahi mahi or halibut work just as well, and I’ve seen recipes that use salmon too.

How to Make Cajun Blackened Fish

Make the rice

Start by preparing the Cajun rice pilaf and putting it in the oven to bake.

1. Preheat the oven to 375F. In a large sauté pan, heat the butter over medium heat until melted. Add onion, red pepper and celery and cook until softened, 4-5 minutes.
2. Add the rice to the skillet and stir to combine, toasting it for about 2 minutes.

3. Stir in the chicken broth and salt and bring to a simmer.
4. Cover the pan with a tight-fitting lid and transfer the pan to the preheated oven. Bake 20-25 minutes until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender.

Make the Cajun Blacked Fish

As per tradition, I used my trusty Lodge cast iron skillet for this recipe. Since the pan needs to get really hot, I think cast iron is essential here.

1. First, mix up a simple Cajun seasoning. Don’t worry, it’s nothing exotic, you most likely have all of these spices already.
2. Then sprinkle the fish on both sides with a liberal amount of seasoning, patting it on so it adheres well.

3. Heat a large pan over high heat, add some canola or vegetable oil and sear the fish about 3 minutes per side until dark but not burnt.

Sound good to you? If you make this recipe, I would be thrilled if you wouldtake a pic and tag me on Instagram @ourhappymess!

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