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Perfectly flaky blackened salmon is an easy and delicious way to spice up a fish dinner. A blend of savory spices coat tender salmon fillets as they’re pan-seared in butter to develop a beautiful crust. This dish is a great source of filling protein, healthy fats, and incredible flavors.

What Makes This Recipe So Good

The combination of butter and incredible spices form the most beautiful, crisp, delicious crust on the salmon fillets.
It’s a super quick and easy recipe! Salmon doesn’t need much cooking at all, so you’ll have an amazing dinner on the table in no time at all. Easy enough for after-work dinners, tasty enough for guests.
The blend of spices used on this blackened salmon are bold but perfect. That being said, you can absolutely adjust them to your perfect ratios and blends!

Chef’s Tips

To get a really good crust on your blackened salmon, the butter and skillet need to be hot. Don’t put the salmon in the skillet too early! You’ll also want to pat the salmon fillets dry before seasoning them. If they’re very wet, they won’t crisp up.
If you like a little heat-meets-sweet action, add some brown sugar to your spice mixture. We love, love, love salmon with a brown sugar crust.
The easiest way to check whether your blackened salmon is ready to eat is to use an internal meat thermometer. For medium-rare salmon, you’ll want it to be about 120-125° Fahrenheit at its thickest point. Well-done salmon should be 145° Fahrenheit internally. If you don’t have an internal thermometer, you can eyeball it! Well-done salmon will be pink and completely opaque, but rare salmon is translucent and more of a bright red. Images like these give an idea of what each temperature looks like. In addition to coloring, check the texture! Fully cooked salmon will flake easily when you dig into it with a fork.

3 blackened salmon filets on a white plate with a lemon wedge

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Jasmine Comer

Jasmine Comer is a food photographer and recipe developer from North Carolina. She grew up in the kitchen watching her mom cook all types of delicious meals. In 2016 she established Lively Meals, a food blog where she creates healthy recipes. This led to creating recipes for other blogs as well. In her free time she enjoys exploring new places and spending time in nature. Ultimately she’s grateful to be doing work she loves—cooking good food and sharing it with people.