Cajun Blackened Salmon
32 min · 32 min active · makes ~150 g · Medium · American
Cajun Blackened Salmon
Two skin-on salmon fillets coated in a smoky, heat-forward spice rub of paprika, cayenne, garlic, onion, oregano, and thyme, then seared hard in a hot pan until the crust is genuinely blackened and fragrant. The result is deeply savoury with a charred exterior that gives way to tender, fatty fish within. Served with lemon wedges and fresh parsley, it suits a quick weeknight dinner or a confident starter.
TOTAL TIME
32 min
ACTIVE TIME
32 min
QUANTITY
~150 g
DIFFICULTY
Medium
CUISINE
American
Who’s eating
A
Ingredients0/12
Tools0/5
Ingredients0/12 gathered · 2 servings
1tbsp
1tsp
1tsp
0.5tsp
0.5tsp
0.25tsp
0.5tsp
0.75tsp
2piece
1tbsp
1tbsp
1piece
| # | Product | Quantity | Notes | State | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1tbsp | — | — | ||
| 2 | 1tsp | — | — | ||
| 3 | 1tsp | — | — | ||
| 4 | 0.5tsp | — | — | ||
| 5 | 0.5tsp | — | — | ||
| 6 | 0.25tsp | — | — | ||
| 7 | 0.5tsp | — | — | ||
| 8 | 0.75tsp | — | — | ||
| 9 | 2piece | — | — | ||
| 10 | 1tbsp | — | — | ||
| 11 | 1tbsp | — | — | ||
| 12 | 1piece | — | — |
Tools5 items
Serveware1 item
Hygiene
Wash your hands after the raw skin-on salmon fillets and salmon.
Procedure25 steps
1 of 25
Add the smoked paprika to the bowl
Smoked paprika · 1 tbsp
⏱ 20s
ResultSmoked paprikaused in step 94 of 25
Add the dried oregano to the bowl
Dried oregano · 0.5 tsp
⏱ 15s
ResultDried oreganoused in step 96 of 25
Add the cayenne pepper to the bowl
Cayenne pepper · 0.25 tsp
⏱ 15s
ResultCayenne pepperused in step 97 of 25
Add the ground black pepper to the bowl
Ground black pepper · 0.5 tsp
⏱ 15s
ResultGround black pepperused in step 98 of 25
Add salt
Salt · 0.75 tsp
⏱ 15s
ResultSalt9 of 25
Mix the cajun spice mix
Look for
until evenly combined
Smoked paprika · step 1Garlic powder · step 2Onion powder · step 3Dried oregano · step 4Dried thyme · step 5Cayenne pepper · step 6Ground black pepper · step 7Salt · step 8
⏱ 1 min
ResultCajun spice mix10 of 25
Pat-dry the 2 skin-on salmon fillets
Skin-on salmon fillets · 2 piece
⏱ 1 min
ResultPatted-dry salmon filletsused in step 1311 of 25
Wash your hands with soap — you've been handling raw skin-on salmon fillets
⏱ 30s
13 of 25
Rub the patted-dry salmon fillets
press the spice rub firmly over the flesh side and skin side of each fillet, coating evenly
⏱ 1 min
ResultSpice-rubbed salmon filletsused in step 1614 of 25
Wash your hands with soap — you've been handling raw salmon
⏱ 30s
15 of 25
Heat olive oil
Look for
until shimmering
Olive oil · 1 tbsp
medium-high heat
⏱ 2 min
ResultHot oil16 of 25
Add the spice-rubbed salmon fillets from the small bowl to the frying pan
skin-side down
⏱ 15s
ResultSkin-on salmon fillet mixture17 of 25
Sear the skin-on salmon fillet mixture
Look for
until the skin is crisp and the spices are deeply charred at the edges — without moving
medium-high heat
⏱ 3 min
ResultSeared skin-on salmon fillets18 of 25
Flip the seared skin-on salmon fillets
flesh-side down
⏱ 15s
ResultFlipped skin-on salmon fillets19 of 25
Sear the flipped skin-on salmon fillets
Look for
until the flesh is opaque through to the centre and the spice crust is blackened
medium-high heat
⏱ 3 min
ResultBlackened salmon20 of 25
Transfer the blackened salmon from the frying pan onto the serving plate
skin-side up
⏱ 20s
ResultBlackened salmon21 of 25
Scatter the chopped parsley over the blackened salmon
over each fillet
⏱ 15s
ResultSalmon with parsley garnish22 of 25
Wash your hands with soap — you've been handling raw salmon
⏱ 30s
23 of 25
Rinse the lemon
under cold running water
Lemon · 1 piece
⏱ 30s
ResultRinsed lemon25 of 25
Serve the lemon wedges
lemon wedges alongside
⏱ 15s
ResultCajun Blackened SalmonTotal Time32 min
| # | Product | Tool | Action |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 tbsp | Add the smoked paprika to the bowl⏱ 20sResultSmoked paprikaused in step 9 | |
| 2 | 1 tsp | Add the garlic powder to the bowl⏱ 15sResultGarlic powderused in step 9 | |
| 3 | 1 tsp | Add the onion powder to the bowl⏱ 15sResultOnion powderused in step 9 | |
| 4 | 0.5 tsp | Add the dried oregano to the bowl⏱ 15sResultDried oreganoused in step 9 | |
| 5 | 0.5 tsp | Add the dried thyme to the bowl⏱ 15sResultDried thymeused in step 9 | |
| 6 | 0.25 tsp | Add the cayenne pepper to the bowl⏱ 15sResultCayenne pepperused in step 9 | |
| 7 | 0.5 tsp | Add the ground black pepper to the bowl⏱ 15sResultGround black pepperused in step 9 | |
| 8 | 0.75 tsp | Add salt⏱ 15sResultSalt | |
| 9 | Smoked paprikastep 1 | Mix the cajun spice mixLook foruntil evenly combined⏱ 1 minResultCajun spice mix | |
| Garlic powderstep 2 | |||
| Onion powderstep 3 | |||
| Dried oreganostep 4 | |||
| Dried thymestep 5 | |||
| Cayenne pepperstep 6 | |||
| Ground black pepperstep 7 | |||
| Saltstep 8 | |||
| 10 | 2 piece | Pat-dry the 2 skin-on salmon fillets⏱ 1 minResultPatted-dry salmon filletsused in step 13 | |
| 11 | — | — | Wash your hands with soap — you've been handling raw skin-on salmon fillets⏱ 30s |
| 12 | 1 tbsp | Chop flat-leaf parsley⏱ 1 minResultChopped parsleyused in step 21 | |
| 13 | Patted-dry salmon filletsstep 10 | Rub the patted-dry salmon fillets → press the spice rub firmly over the flesh side and skin side of each fillet, coating evenly⏱ 1 minResultSpice-rubbed salmon filletsused in step 16 | |
| 14 | — | — | Wash your hands with soap — you've been handling raw salmon⏱ 30s |
| 15 | 1 tbsp | medium-high heat | Heat olive oilLook foruntil shimmering⏱ 2 minResultHot oil |
| 16 | Spice-rubbed salmon filletsstep 13 | Add the spice-rubbed salmon fillets from the small bowl to the frying pan → skin-side down⏱ 15sResultSkin-on salmon fillet mixture | |
| 17 | — | medium-high heat | Sear the skin-on salmon fillet mixtureLook foruntil the skin is crisp and the spices are deeply charred at the edges — without moving⏱ 3 minResultSeared skin-on salmon fillets |
| 18 | — | Flip the seared skin-on salmon fillets → flesh-side down⏱ 15sResultFlipped skin-on salmon fillets | |
| 19 | — | medium-high heat | Sear the flipped skin-on salmon filletsLook foruntil the flesh is opaque through to the centre and the spice crust is blackened⏱ 3 minResultBlackened salmon |
| 20 | Blackened salmonstep 19 | Transfer the blackened salmon from the frying pan onto the serving plate → skin-side up⏱ 20sResultBlackened salmon | |
| 21 | Chopped parsleystep 12 | Scatter the chopped parsley over the blackened salmon → over each fillet⏱ 15sResultSalmon with parsley garnish | |
| 22 | — | — | Wash your hands with soap — you've been handling raw salmon⏱ 30s |
| 23 | 1 piece | — | Rinse the lemon → under cold running water⏱ 30sResultRinsed lemon |
| 24 | Rinsed lemonstep 23 | Cut the rinsed lemon⏱ 1 minResultLemon wedges | |
| 25 | Lemon wedgesstep 24 | Serve the lemon wedges → lemon wedges alongside⏱ 15sResultCajun Blackened Salmon | |
| Total Time | 32 min | ||
Nutritionper serving
Estimated · pre-cooking · 92% ingredients covered
| Nutrient | Per serving |
|---|---|
| 97kcal | |
| 2g | |
| 8g | |
| 1g | |
| 9g | |
| 2g | |
| 4g | |
| 967mg |
Ingredients0/12
Tools0/5
american · Recipe
Cajun Blackened Salmon
Two skin-on salmon fillets coated in a smoky, heat-forward spice rub of paprika, cayenne, garlic, onion, oregano, and thyme, then seared hard in a hot pan until the crust is genuinely blackened and fragrant. The result is deeply savoury with a charred exterior that gives way to tender, fatty fish within. Served with lemon wedges and fresh parsley, it suits a quick weeknight dinner or a confident starter.
HygieneWash your hands after the raw skin-on salmon fillets and salmon.
Serves2
Total32 min
LevelMedium
Ingredients
- Smoked paprika1 tbsp
- Garlic powder1 tsp
- Onion powder1 tsp
- Dried oregano0.5 tsp
- Dried thyme0.5 tsp
- Cayenne pepper0.25 tsp
- Ground black pepper0.5 tsp
- Salt0.75 tsp
- Skin-on salmon fillets2 piece
- Flat-leaf parsley1 tbsp
- Olive oil1 tbsp
- Lemon1 piece
Tools
Frying panSmall bowlChef's knifeSpatulaKitchen paper
Method
1
Add the smoked paprika to the bowl
Result · Smoked paprika · used in step 9
20sSmall bowlSmoked paprika · 1 tbsp
2
Add the garlic powder to the bowl
Result · Garlic powder · used in step 9
15sSmall bowlGarlic powder · 1 tsp
3
Add the onion powder to the bowl
Result · Onion powder · used in step 9
15sSmall bowlOnion powder · 1 tsp
4
Add the dried oregano to the bowl
Result · Dried oregano · used in step 9
15sSmall bowlDried oregano · 0.5 tsp
5
Add the dried thyme to the bowl
Result · Dried thyme · used in step 9
15sSmall bowlDried thyme · 0.5 tsp
6
Add the cayenne pepper to the bowl
Result · Cayenne pepper · used in step 9
15sSmall bowlCayenne pepper · 0.25 tsp
7
Add the ground black pepper to the bowl
Result · Ground black pepper · used in step 9
15sSmall bowlGround black pepper · 0.5 tsp
8
Add salt
15sSmall bowlSalt · 0.75 tsp
9
Mix the cajun spice mixLook foruntil evenly combined
1 minSmall bowlSmoked paprika · step 1Garlic powder · step 2Onion powder · step 3Dried oregano · step 4Dried thyme · step 5Cayenne pepper · step 6Ground black pepper · step 7Salt · step 8
10
Pat-dry the 2 skin-on salmon fillets
Result · Patted-dry salmon fillets · used in step 13
1 minKitchen paperSkin-on salmon fillets · 2 piece
11
Chop flat-leaf parsley
Result · Chopped parsley · used in step 21
1 minChefs knifeFlat-leaf parsley · 1 tbsp
12
Rub the patted-dry salmon fillets → press the spice rub firmly over the flesh side and skin side of each fillet, coating evenly
Result · Spice-rubbed salmon fillets · used in step 16
1 minSmall bowlPatted-dry salmon fillets · step 10
13
Heat olive oilLook foruntil shimmering
medium-high heat2 minFrying panOlive oil · 1 tbsp
14
Add the spice-rubbed salmon fillets from the small bowl to the frying pan → skin-side down
15sFrying panSpice-rubbed salmon fillets · step 13
15
Sear the skin-on salmon fillet mixtureLook foruntil the skin is crisp and the spices are deeply charred at the edges — without moving
medium-high heat3 minFrying pan
16
Flip the seared skin-on salmon fillets → flesh-side down
15sSpatula
17
Sear the flipped skin-on salmon filletsLook foruntil the flesh is opaque through to the centre and the spice crust is blackened
medium-high heat3 minFrying pan
18
Transfer the blackened salmon from the frying pan onto the serving plate → skin-side up
20sSpatulaBlackened salmon · step 19
19
Scatter the chopped parsley over the blackened salmon → over each fillet
15sServing plateChopped parsley · step 12
20
Rinse the lemon → under cold running water
30sLemon · 1 piece
21
Cut the rinsed lemon
1 minChefs knifeRinsed lemon · step 23
22
Serve the lemon wedges → lemon wedges alongside
Result · Cajun Blackened Salmon
15sServing plateLemon wedges · step 24
Printed 3 September 2026