Blackening Spice Blend- The big and bold flavors of this spicy seasoning blend just explode on the palate! It will add a deliciously piquant touch to fish, chicken, pork, steak, or even veggies!

an image of the ingredients for blackening spice blend on a plate, with a bowl of blackening spice blend, and a set of measuring spoons

This spice blend is very precious to me, sentimental really. When I landed my first cooking job in a real, from scratch kitchen, this was the first recipe I ever made myself and wrote down. I've always felt quite a bit of pride that it's been with me for 30 years, and I have never needed to change it at all.

This spicy all purpose spice blend is so versatile, I think that you'll find that it can go into almost anything savory. It has a reputation as being a super spicy blend that is only for Cajun and creole cuisine, but that's not true. You'll see it used all over the place in the recipes on this site. You can use a store bought alternative, but making it yourself is better for freshness, affordability, and customization also.

Jump to:

History of Blackening
How to Blacken
Helpful Hint
Easy Strawberry & Cream Mug Cake Recipe
Ingredients
Variations On Blackening Spice Blend
Recipe

History of Blackening

Let me tell you a little story about a chef legend named Paul Prudhomme. I will try to be brief, but keep in mind, this was a man that inspired myself and thousands of chefs like me to don the coat and wield the knife. When chef Paul opened his restaurant K-Pauls in the French quarter in New Orleans, he had been making custom spice blends for years, and created this one specifically for seasoning and subsequently hard searing redfish. Redfish at the time was not considered to be particularly popular, and therefore relatively inexpensive. He put the "blackened" redfish on the menu, and within a few years, the fish became so popular as to push the species almost to extinction. To this day, redfish cannot be bought as a wild product, only farmed, and the regulations concerning game fishing for red drum, (the actual name), are extremely specific and heavily enforced. Prudhomme had not only created a legend out of a "trash fish", but also birthed a whole new cooking technique. Meeting him when I was a young aspiring chef is one of my most treasured memories.

An image of blackened chicken breast on a plate ,one piece is sliced

How to Blacken

Blackening is a very simple and straightforward process.

Coat the item to be blackened in a generous amount of the spice blend first. Many would have you believe that this has to be done with a layer of clarified butter, but I've found that this step is unnecessary, and even can bring about bad results. The blackening seasoning needs to adhere to the protein, and putting a layer of fat in-between often means that the seasonings float into the pan and away from the intended item.

Get a heavy skillet very hot. Add oil to the pan and allow that to heat also. Once the oil is also very hot, proceed to sear the food being blackened on both sides. The resulting dark color is where the seasoning and process get their name from.

It's really that easy! For more information on blackening, check out our recipe for blackened chicken breast.

Helpful Hint

When blending hot chili powders together, you need to be careful. Make sure that you are in a well ventilated area. Don't dump the ingredients into a bowl or mix them too aggressively, so as not to create a cloud that could get into your eyes or nostrils.

Strawberry and cream mug cake in a mug with a spoon.

Newest Recipe!

Easy Strawberry & Cream Mug Cake Recipe

Fresh strawberries and homemade whipped cream combine to make this easy strawberry mug cake recipe the perfect little treat for anytime of the year. However, spring is strawberry season, when strawberries are perfectly ripe, sweet, and delicious!

Get the recipe →Strawberry & Cream Mug Cake

Ingredients

Cayenne pepper - this spice is central to creole and Cajun cuisine, hot and bold in flavor.
White pepper - the hottest and most bitter of the pepper family, a little goes a long way.
Black pepper - a complex and full flavored spice, very under rated.
Thyme - dried and whole, so that it doesn't burn too quickly.
Oregano - sweet and astringent.
Salt - the most powerful flavor enhancer there is.
Onion powder - a backbone of aromatic flavor.
Granulated garlic - everyone loves garlic.
Paprika - the darkening of this powder is what really makes it blackened.
Basil - just a little touch to add a tiny anise note.

Variations On Blackening Spice Blend

You can make a number of different variations of this blend:

you can choose to omit the salt, and add it to individual recipes "to taste"
removing the basil and thyme, but adding cumin and chili powder in their place will make this a more southwestern version
you may see some iterations of this blend with sugar in it. unless you literally want a burnt flavor in your finished food, don't do this. BLACKENED DOES NOT MEAN BURNT!

Recipe