Blacken

To blacken is to dip fish or meat in melted butter, coat it with a mix of paprika, dried herbs and pepper, and cook it in a very hot cast iron pan. The spices and milk solids toast into a dark, almost black crust. The food is not burned. The color comes from the browned spices, and the inside stays moist.

How to do it

1. Use thin, even pieces: fish fillets about 2 cm (¾ inch) thick, chicken breasts pounded flat, or steaks.
2. Mix the rub: paprika, cayenne, black and white pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, dried thyme and oregano, and salt.
3. Open a window and turn on the extractor fan. This makes a lot of smoke. Many cooks do it outdoors on a grill side burner.
4. Heat a dry cast iron pan over high heat for 5 to 10 minutes, until very hot.
5. Dip each piece in melted butter, then press it into the rub on both sides.
6. Lay it in the pan. Cook fish about 2 minutes per side, without moving it, until the crust is dark and the inside is just opaque.

How to tell it is done

The crust is a deep, even brown-black and smells of toasted spice, not acrid smoke. Fish flakes at the thickest part. Chicken reaches 74°C (165°F) inside.

Why it works

The very high heat sears the surface before the inside overcooks. Butter carries the spices and browns with them, so the crust tastes nutty and smoky. Thin pieces finish cooking in the same few minutes the crust takes.

Common mistakes

• Using a nonstick pan. Coatings are not made for this heat. Use cast iron or carbon steel.
• Using thick pieces. The crust burns before the middle cooks.
• Too much fresh garlic or sugar in the rub. Both scorch and turn bitter.
• A pan that is not hot enough. The spices go soggy instead of crisp.
• Butter that burns. Whole butter has a low smoke point; clarified butter holds up better.

Where it comes from

Blackening was made popular in the 1980s by Louisiana Cajun cooking, starting with blackened redfish.