blackening (cooking)

{{short description|Method to form a crust of herbs and spices}}

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Blackening is a cooking technique used in the preparation of fish and other foods. Often associated with Cajun cuisine, this technique was invented and popularized by chef Paul Prudhomme.{{cite book | last1 = Herbst | first1 = S.T. | last2 = Herbst | first2 = R. | title = The Food Lover's Companion | edition = Fourth | publisher = Barron's Educational Series | year = 2007}} The food is dipped in melted butter and then sprinkled with a mixture of herbs and spices, usually some combination of thyme, oregano, chili pepper, peppercorns, salt, garlic powder, and onion powder.{{cite web | url = https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/11612-paul-prudhommes-blackened-redfish | title = Paul Prudhomme's Blackened Redfish | first = Molly | last = O'Neill | work = The New York Times: Cooking | publisher = The New York Times Company | access-date = 6 September 2018}} It is then cooked in a very hot cast-iron skillet.{{cite encyclopedia |url=http://www.foodterms.com/encyclopedia/blackened/index.html |title=blackened |encyclopedia=Food Encyclopedia |publisher=Television Food Network, G.P. |access-date=26 Oct 2011 |archive-date=18 August 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160818130148/http://www.foodterms.com/encyclopedia/blackened/index.html |url-status=dead }} The characteristic brown-black color of the crust results from a combination of browned milk solids from the butter and charred spices.{{Cite web|url=http://www.restodonte.com.br|title=Restodontê {{!}} Descubra receitas a partir de seus ingredientes|website=Restodontê|language=pt-BR|access-date=17 March 2018}}

While the original recipe calls for redfish (Red drum), the same method of preparation can be applied to other types of fish as well as proteins such as steak, chicken cutlets, or tofu.