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This delicious Blackened Salmon features cajun seasonings, crispy skin, and juicy, tender salmon with a kick of spice. Topped with lemon, it’s an amazing and easy dinner!
The BEST Blackened Salmon Recipe
Looking for something slightly fancy, yet very easy to make for dinner tonight? Look no further that this easy blackened salmon recipe that yields tender salmon with crispy, perfectly seasoned skin. Bonus? This recipe for blackened salmon takes just minutes to prep and 10 minutes to cook.
But wait, is blackened salmon spicy? A bit, yes! The blackened salmon seasoning we’ll be mixing up today uses a fair number of spicy ingredients including very spicy cayenne, mildly spicy paprika, and black pepper.
What is Blackened Salmon?
Blackened salmon is a way of cooking salmon that includes generously coating salmon fillets in cajun seasoning, then pan-searing that coating while cooking the salmon until it blackens.
Blackened Salmon Seasoning
The best part of this recipe? The spicy, boldly-flavored blackened salmon seasoning. We’re going to be making our own mixture of spices to create cajun seasoning flavor. You can also substitute all of these ingredients with this homemade Cajun seasoning recipe or a store-bought Cajun seasoning.
Tools You Need
How to Make Blackened Salmon
We’re learning how to make blackened Cajun salmon with just a few easy steps that start with simply laying salmon fillets on a large, clean work surface and patting dry.
Next, whisk together all the spices or use homemade Cajun seasoning.
Use a basting brush to brush butter all over every side of the salmon. Generously sprinkle seasoning over the salmon, creating a thick layer.
Bring a large skillet to high heat, then cook the salmon skin side down until blackened. Reduce the heat, flip the fillets, and cook on the opposite side until the internal temp reaches 145°F.
Serve with a lemon wedge, chopped parsley, and see my other suggestions below. That’s truly it to making Cajun blackened salmon!
Blackened Salmon Sides
- Vegetables: air fryer Brussels sprouts, blistered green beans, steamed broccoli
- Sauces: honey mustard dressing, onion ring sauce, or garlic butter sauce
- Potatoes: baked potatoes, seasoned roasted potatoes or brown sugared hasselback sweet potatoes
- Pasta: garlic butter pasta, Italian pasta salad, pesto pasta, or manicotti
- Salad/salsa: refreshing Asian Salad, delicious black bean and corn salsa, tart ‘n sweet Christmas Salad
For more delicious recipe ideas, follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest. If you’ve tried this recipe, take a pic and tag us on Instagram using #beamingbaker. We can’t wait to see it!
Sending you all my love and maybe even a dove, xo Demeter ❤️
Easy Dinner Recipes & More
Blackened Salmon Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
Blackened Salmon
- 4 (4-5 oz) fillets skin-on salmon
- 1 ½ tablespoons paprika*
- 1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper*
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder*
- ½ teaspoon black pepper*
- ½ teaspoon onion powder*
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano*
- ½ to 1 teaspoon salt to taste*
- 3 tablespoons melted unsalted butter, divided
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
Garnish
- Lemon wedges
- Fresh parsley, chopped (about 1 tablespoon)
Instructions
- Set salmon fillets, skin-side down, on a large work surface like a baking sheet and pat dry. Allow fillets to de-chill a bit so the melted butter doesn’t harden in a later step.
- In a small bowl, whisk together spices: paprika, cayenne, garlic, pepper, onion, oregano, and salt. Or use 1 batch homemade Cajun seasoning.
- Using a basting brush, brush the tops of the salmon fillets (non-skin side) with half of the melted butter, then flip over, coating the other sides.
- Sprinkle a generous amount of seasoning over the butter-coated fillets, creating a thick layer.
- Heat a large skillet to high heat, coating in olive oil and remaining butter. Once hot, add salmon (skin-side down) and cook 2 to 4 minutes, until blackened on the bottom.
- Reduce heat to medium. Gently flip the fillets, cooking the remaining side until it’s also blackened, about 5 more minutes. Fish is done once it reaches an internal temperature of 145°F.
- Serve with a squeeze of a lemon wedge and a sprinkle of fresh chopped parsley. Great with tartar sauce or chipotle aioli and crispy Brussels sprouts. Also try my air fryer salmon bites (super easy!).
- ★ Last Step: If you made this recipe, leave a comment and review. It truly helps our small business keep running and it helps readers like you!
Made this for my husband and me last night and he couldn’t stop talking about how good it was! Paired with a simple salad and some rice, now it’s going into the weekly rotation. Thank you!
That’s amazing, Rene! 🙂 I’m so glad you enjoyed it. Wahoo for joining the weekly rotation!
Easy and just spicy enough for us! And now I’ve got leftovers for tomorrow 🙂
Woohoo! Glad it was a hit for you, Janet!