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David,
Here's some blackened fish recipe's I have on file:


This recipe was featured on
"You're the Chef" episode #107.
Buy this episode from WVIA.Recipe inspired by Chef Paul Prudhomme’s Louisiana Kitchen Cookbook.

Louisiana Blackened
Yield: two portions

Ingredients:
1 1/2 lb. fresh white fish (sole, flounder, haddock or cod), butterflied into thinner fillets
1/2 c. melted butter
2 Tbsp. paprika
1 Tbsp. salt
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp. ground white pepper
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
1/2 tsp. thyme leaves, dried
1/2 tsp. oregano leaves, dried

Procedure:
Brush the fish with the melted butter until it is coated on both sides.

Combine all the dry ingredients until they are uniformly mixed.

Heat a large frying pan, sauté pan or cast iron skillet until it is extremely hot, almost smoking.

Coat the fish with the spice mix on both sides. Lay the fish into the frying pan. It will smoke and sizzle, and may even flame up. That is OK; the flame will not spread from the pan. Allow the fish to cook over the high heat for about 1 minute. Turn over and allow to cook on the other side for the same amount of time. The fish will be charred and crisp on the outside and moist and fully cooked on the inside if it is not more than 1/2-inch thick.

If you are concerned that the fish may still be raw inside, finish cooking it in a 450°F oven.

The same seasoning and process may be used with beef steaks, pork chops or tenderloin, and chicken breast. Just finish the meat to the doneness you like in a hot oven.
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Will Welch's Blackening

4 catfish fillets
olive oil
1/3 lb cheap fatty bacon
2 t each of:
garlic powder
thyme
white pepper
black pepper
cayenne pepper
lemon pepper
cumin or chili powder
rosemary (crush in hand before adding)
fennel seed (crush with back of spoon)
1 t allspice
1 t oregano
1/2 t salt

First off, you should cook this in a well-ventilated kitchen.
Fry the bacon, then feed it to the dogs and hang onto the grease.
Keep it just this side of smoking. Combine all dry ingredients, rub fillets with olive oil then coat liberally with spices. Drop in hot grease and cook until a you can easily put a fork through them (nothing more evil than overcooked catfish).
Serve with lemon butter, below:

1/4 c melted butter,
1 T lemon juice,
1/2 t tobasco
sliced green onions

(note: This is a very robust recipe. I have varied proportions by as much as 100%, and left out ingredients entirely, with varying, interesting, but never disastrous effect.)
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Cajun Spice

Ingredients:
1 T Cayenne
3 T Thyme
1 T Oregano leaves
2 T Paprika
1 T Black Pepper
5 T Basil Leaves
1 T Garlic Powder
1 T Salt

Mix this all together - you will get about 3/4 C of spice mix. This was plenty for 3 lbs of fish. I was told that the same seasoning works well
with boneless chicken breasts.
The fillets were about 1 inch thick - don't go thicker than
this, as these seemed to barely get done in the middle.

Heat a cast iron skillet over a high heat until it is VERY hot. Combine
the dry spices together in a bowl. Press the seasoning mixture over both
sides of the fish. Use as much as you can get to stick. Sprinkle 1t salt
in the hot skillet, then put the fillets in. Cook the fish until the
underside begins to char or blacken, then turn and cook the other side.
This will cook quickly and creates a lot of smoke.

This is a fairly extreme recipe. My wife thought I was crazy, and that the fish would be ruined. You are actually burning the outside of the fish! Even so, it turned out great. The meat was firm, and with just enough spice heat to get the mouth tingling.

Two of the recipes I got call for using lemon butter to fry the fish.

Dip the fillets in the butter before coating with the spice mix, and put a bit of butter in the pan too. I chose to not use the butter, as it would probably cause even more smoke than the above method. I will try using butter on the last fillets next time, just to see if it works.
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I'd like to mention that this recipe is not for the faint at heart, especially when cooking the fillets. A fairly hot pan is required and the fumes from the cooking spices can burn your eyes and make you cough; it's also a good way to test your smoke alarm. So if you are still interested, here goes.

Pepper Blackened
It's important that only dried herbs are used in this recipe and that the fillets be about 1/2 inch thick.

Ingredients:
3 pound fish steaks or
fillets, cut 1/2 inch
thick and chilled
butter
1 T paprika
2 t cayenne pepper
1 t black pepper
1 t white pepper
2 t dried thyme
2 t dried oregano
2 t dried basil
1 t garlic powder
1/2 t salt
lemon wedges for
garnish

Keep the fish well chilled. Melt some butter and put in a shallow dish. Mix the herbs and spices together and sprinkle on a separate plate. Dip the fish in the melted butter and then roll the buttered fish in the herb mixture. Make sure the fish is well coated with herb mixture. Refrigerate for 15 minutes. ( Note: I have tried this recipe without dipping the fish in melted butter and without refrigerating and it has worked fine. Although I used a small bit of sesame oil in the pan to cook the fish. I also add extra black pepper and cayenne pepper to the herb mixture for a zing, about half again as much as is called for. ) Heat skillet to hot. This is a good time to use a cast iron skillet. Place fish in skillet and cook 2 minutes per side or as long as it takes. It's always better to under cook fish than it is to over cook. After all the fish is cooked, add butter to cooled skillet and serve as a sauce. This is a killer way to serve fish!
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Low Carb Blackened
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon paprika
2 teaspoons dry mustard
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon white pepper
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
6 (4 ounce) fillets trout
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted

1 In a small bowl, mix together paprika, dry mustard, cayenne pepper, cumin, black pepper, white pepper, thyme and salt; set aside. Heat a heavy cast iron pan on high heat until extremely hot, about 10 minutes.
2 Pour 3/4 cup melted butter into a shallow dish. Dip each fillet into butter, turning once to coat both sides. Sprinkle both sides of fillets with spice mixture, and gently pat mixture onto fish.
3 Place fillets into hot pan without crowding. Carefully pour about 1 teaspoon melted butter over each fillet. Cook until fish has a charred appearance, about 2 minutes. Turn fillets, spoon 1 teaspoon melted butter over each, and cook until charred. Repeat with remaining fish.

Makes 6 servings

Nutrition Info
Servings Per Recipe: 6
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 420
Total Fat: 35.3g
Cholesterol: 150mg
Sodium: 428mg
Total Carbohydrates: 1.8g
Dietary Fiber: 0.7g
Protein: 24.3g