Blackening (cooking)

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Blackened fish (right) The Food at Davids Kitchen 090.jpg
Blackened fish (right)

Blackening is a cooking technique used in the preparation of fish and other foods. Often associated with Cajun cuisine, this technique was invented and popularized by chef Paul Prudhomme. [1] The food is dipped in melted butter and then sprinkled with a mixture of herbs and spices, usually some combination of thyme, oregano, chili pepper, peppercorns, salt, garlic powder, and onion powder. [2] It is then cooked in a very hot cast-iron skillet. [2] [3] The characteristic brown-black color of the crust results from a combination of browned milk solids from the butter and charred spices. [4]

While the original recipe calls for redfish (Red drum), [3] the same method of preparation can be applied to other types of fish as well as proteins such as steak, chicken cutlets, or tofu.

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References

  1. Herbst, S.T.; Herbst, R. (2007). The Food Lover's Companion (Fourth ed.). Barron's Educational Series.
  2. 1 2 O'Neill, Molly. "Paul Prudhomme's Blackened Redfish". The New York Times: Cooking. The New York Times Company. Retrieved 6 September 2018.
  3. 1 2 "blackened". Food Encyclopedia. Television Food Network, G.P. Archived from the original on 18 August 2016. Retrieved 26 Oct 2011.
  4. "Restodontê | Descubra receitas a partir de seus ingredientes". Restodontê (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved 17 March 2018.