One of our favorite meals is a quick and easy fish dish; it’s a favorite of my husband and I, and our son loves it too, so we try to serve a healthy fish dish at least once weekly. This blackened catfish is an easy, quick and healthy dish that doesn’t require any prepping ahead of time, and you can swap out catfish for salmon, or any other preferred fish instead. Our son happens to love catfish, salmon, tuna and most white fishes, so we tend to make this with whichever fish is on sale when we’re at the store.
I’ve suggested you can top the fish with a sweet corn salsa, and another option is a fresh mango or similarly sweet salsa. The ingredients aren’t as important as the balance of salty fish with sweet topping, so go for the ones that suit your taste buds the best. Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 2 Wild Caught Catfish Filets (with skin)
- 2-3 TBSP Coconut Oil
- Cajun-style Seasoning OR
- 1 Tbsp Paprika
- 1 Tbsp Cayenne Pepper
- 1 Tbsp Thyme
- 1 Tbsp Oregano
- 1 Tbsp Sea Salt
- 1 Tbsp Black Pepper
- Fresh Asparagus
- Olive or Coconut Oil for drizzling on Asparagus
- Salt & Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Wash asparagus and remove stems.
- Line a pan with aluminum foil and layer asparagus on top, in one layer.
- Drizzle with coconut or olive oil and generously sprinkle S&P.
- You can also squeeze fresh lemon or lime on top of the asparagus if desired.
- Place in oven on 300 degrees for 10 minutes.
- In the meantime, mix all spices together and spread out on a plate.
- Rub the flesh side of the catfish with a little olive oil and press the catfish (flesh side down) onto the spices.
- Heat 2-3 Tbsp of Coconut oil in a pan over medium heat.
- Once it is hot (or smoking), turn off the burner.
- Place the catfish flesh side down in the pan, on one layer, so they both have contact with the pan. Turn the heat back on medium and cook for 2 minutes.
- After 2 minutes, turn the heat down to medium-low and flip catfish over.
- The spiced, flesh side should be crispy.
- Cook at medium-low for another 3-5 minutes (skin should be crispy at this point).
- Remove asparagus from oven and cut spears in half.
- Serve immediately.
- Optional: sweet corn salsa - if desired you can top fish with a sweet corn salsa made of fresh corn and some cilantro.
I would love to get our son to eat more fish! Does your son think the blackened seasons are too spicy? I was trying to think of a version that he would like so we don’t try fish thats too spicy and he thinks all fish would be spicy. He’s 5 so it’s always a challenge! Any ideas on a less spicy version?
Thank you!
Joe
Hi Joe,
That’s definitely a good question 🙂 Our son has a high tolerance for spicy foods since my husband (who does most of the cooking around here) tends to use jalapeños in everything 🙂 So he’s been exposed to food with heat since he was 2, but for those who are used to more mild foods, the blackened seasoning can sometimes be a bit too much. If you want to be sure he will enjoy his dish, I would stick with some basic s&p, and maybe a hint of garlic, and squeeze some fresh lemon or lime over it. That should do the trick. Good luck!
Jen
I love the idea of drizzling coconut oil on the asparagus and fish! I’ll bet that gives a nice tropical flavor that would go well with a mango salsa on top. I’ve just recently started cooking with coconut oil and love it!
Hi Cindy,
Coconut Oil has so many wonderful benefits for us; I use it whenever possible, and often sneak it into juices, smoothies and use it anytime I’m cooking with high heat. I happen to love Tropical Traditions’ Coconut Oil in case you’re looking for a good place to buy reasonably priced coconut oil. Thanks for the comment!
Jen