Blackened seasoning, and "blackening" as a cooking technique became famous sometime around the early to mid-1970s when a Louisiana chef named Paul Prudhomme popularized a dish he called "blackened redfish." Basically, fillets of "redfish" (or similar fish such as red snapper) were coated with a dry rub containing mixed Cajun herbs and spices and then seared in a red-hot cast-iron pan until a blackened crust formed on the outside of the fillets.
Today, various brands of seasoning are sold in grocery stores, but it isn't difficult to prepare your own personal blend at home. Blackened seasoning, whether purchased or homemade, can be used on meat as well as on fish - for example, it makes an excellent seasoning rub for pork or beef ribs, or even for steaks cooked on the grill.
As previously mentioned, Blackened seasoning can be prepared by you at home or purchased from stores. In some regions it is difficult to find this herb and spice mix in grocery markets; therefore, people prefer to make their own blend at home. In addition, if you prepare your own seasoning, you can adjust the spiciness of the blend to suit your personal taste. Blackened seasoning got its name because the main ingredient is paprika or cayenne pepper, and the extra hot skillet combined with the seasoning rub gives food a dark, extra crispy, almost black crust.
If the seasoning has been kept for a very long time and perhaps not stored properly (in a cool, dry place away from sunlight), the color of the seasoning may have turned grayish. Blackened seasoning is not actually black in color, like black pepper for instance. The color of fresh Blackened seasoning is more of a dusty red. As with any herbs, spices or seasonings, if kept too long or improperly stored, both the color and the flavor will fade and the seasoning should be replaced.
People who have tried Blackened seasoning have stated that it is a wonderful way of making your food more palatable (and spicy) regardless of whether you are on a diet or not. People who are limiting their salt intake find that substituting spices or other pungent flavors such as lemon helps compensate for the lack of salt, making the food taste less bland and therefore better. Furthermore, Blackened seasoning is considered to be a healthy combination of spices and herbs, and restaurants all over the United States have started using it to prepare meat, poultry and fish in order to please customers by meeting the current trend that includes tasty, crusty, spicy dishes.
If you are interested in preparing your own Blackened seasoning, try this simple basic recipe. Combine two tablespoons of paprika, four teaspoons of thyme, two teaspoons each of onion powder and garlic powder, one tablespoon of sugar, two teaspoons each of black pepper and salt (salt is optional, particularly if you are trying to limit your salt intake), and one teaspoon of cayenne pepper or more to taste, depending how spicy you want it.
If you prefer hotter, spicier foods, adjust the seasoning mix by adding more cayenne pepper. The primary reason that many people enjoy food prepared with Blackened seasoning is that it produces a dark, crisp, spicy crust of spices on the outside of the food, while the inside retains a juicy, milder contrast. The amount of spicy heat produced by the seasoning rub is, of course, a matter of individual taste.
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