Blackened Grouper from Destin, Florida – Get The Recipe!

I’ve been learning to cook for 18 years. Ever since I gave my husband, new boyfriend at the time, the years-frozen shrimp appetizer. After he bit into it, the look on his face was frozen. I had some learning to do. Fast forward 18 years. I am still learning to cook, but sometimes my dishes come out good.

We love fish. Living in Destin, Florida aka, “The World’s Luckiest Fishing Village”, we have lots of delicious local seafood options that are brought in from the fishing fleet at Destin Harbor, the largest commercial fishing fleet in the nation. One of my favorite catches is grouper. We hadn’t had it in quite a while, and my husband was hinting that it would be a good treat. We weren’t going out. I was going to make it.

Grouper is not cheap. At $32.99 a pound, I almost had them put it back, but I bought 1.5 pounds and prayed that I wouldn’t mess up the dish. I went home and found a recipe for blackened grouper online and pulled out our well-used cast iron skillet.

How did it come out? Just WOW!!

Here’s the recipe:

BLACKENED GROUPER

1.5 pounds grouper fillets 6 ounces each, skinless
5 tablespoons unsalted butter divided
1 lemon

Blackening Seasoning

2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (***I used less cayenne, because my husband doesn’t like spicy)
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
½ teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon dried thyme
½ teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon brown sugar
2 teaspoons kosher salt

Instructions

Combine all spices above in small bowl and mix well.
Pat the fillets dry with paper towel.
Melt two tablespoons of butter and brush on both sides of fillets.
Rub seasoning mix on both sides of fillets.
Add three tablespoons of butter to cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat.
When the butter has melted, and the skillet is hot, add the fish and cook undisturbed for three minutes. Turn the fish over and cook for another three to four minutes or until the fish is done. ***Watch your timing and use your intuition, as you may need to cook it less or more depending on thickness of fillet.
Serve it up with lemon slices.

Mamma mia!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It was a little spicy, even though I toned down the cayenne. I squeezed on some lemon juice. Just wow!

Mouth-popping, buttery, sweet, tender, succulent, grouper!! For the accompaniment, I roasted green beans and cherry tomatoes with a good drizzle of olive oil, salt and pepper for about 15 minutes. The tomatoes blistered nicely.

Give the blackened grouper recipe a try and let me know how it comes out!

It’s Wendy… It’s Sold!

Wendy Rulnick, Broker, Rulnick Realty, Inc.
Call 850-259-0422
Email Wendy: [email protected]

Wendy Rulnick, Broker, lists and sells real estate in Destin, Santa Rosa Beach, 30A, Miramar Beach, Crestview, Sandestin, Seaside, Rosemary Beach, Okaloosa Island, Fort Walton Beach, Niceville, Freeport, Bluewater Bay, Navarre, Florida.