Blackened Rockfish with Key Lime-Garlic Butter

This is the stuff that dreams are made of. Well. if you dream of fragrant pan-fried fish fillets with a dollop of mouthwatering flavored butter melting on top of its flakey blackened crust. Rockfish is a wonderful Snapper-like fish that has the decency to be available in most fish shops even when Snapper is not. This dish serves 4. 

Ingredients:

1 large rockfish – 4 fillets

Key Lime Garlic Butter:
2 Tbs Nellie and Joe’s Key Lime Juice
2 Tbs butter at room temperature
2 Tbs chopped fresh cilantro
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbs canola oil

Blackening seasoning:
1 Tbs paprika
2.5 tbs salt
1 Tbs garlic powder
1 Tbs onion powder
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp Louisiana Blackening Seasoning

Directions:

  1. In a medium bowl combine Key Lime juice, butter, cilantro and garlic cloves. Set aside.
  2. Combine paprika, onion salt, 1 garlic powder, onion powder, thyme, cayenne pepper and black pepper. Set aside.
  3. Heat oil in a large cast iron skillet.
  4. Rub the blackening seasoning all over the rockfish fillets. Add the fish to the hot oil and cook until the spice rub becomes dark and crusty then turn the over to cook the other side.  Cook until fillets flake with gentle pressure – about another 2 minutes.
  5. Transfer the fish to a plate and immediately top each fillet with a bit of flavored butter.
  6. Serve with Lemon wedges and some nice Chenin Blanc