Blackened Salmon

So last night I made blackened salmon for the first time. Mark and I have decided that we need to eat more seafood, simply because that's what The Experts say we should all be doing. We love salmon croquettes. I always use salmon from a can, and I mix it with bread crumbs, egg, parsley and onion. And then I fry them in oil, kind of like hushpuppies, and serve them with cheese grits. I don't think that is the healthy seafood meal The Experts have in mind.

The other night Mark and I were watching TV (probably the Winter Olympics, but that's a whole other blog) and I asked Mark what he wanted for dinner this week. And for whatever reason, though I'm sure it was a subliminal message we saw on TV -- a Red Lobster commercial, or maybe some message from The Experts about how seafood is so good for you -- Mark said, "Fish!" So there you are -- blackened salmon, here we come.

Like I said, I have only used salmon from a can, or sometimes from one of those vaccum-sealed pouches. I never really liked salmon beyond those sources. Even in a restaurant, the featured salmon dish just never appeals to me. So purchasing fresh or previously-frozen-and-magically-turned-to-fresh salmon and preparing it myself made me a little nervous. But I learned some things last night, making blackened salmon for Mark, Nicholas and myself:

I learned that putting Nicholas in charge of seasoning the salmon makes for a very salty dish, but not to the point of it being too salty. Whenever Nicholas shows interest in what I cook, I always allow him to help. It gives him ownership of what goes on his dinner plate, and he's more likely to eat something that he prepared. [It doesn't hurt that Mark and I brag and brag and brag about what a good job he did.]

I also learned that to blacken something means to cook the you-know-what out of it. I figured this out while cooking the last three of nine fillets! Paprika helps -- a lot.

I learned that the three of us LOVE blackened salmon! I can't tell you how happy this revelation was. Whenever I find a meal that all three of us (soon to be all four, as Parker is eating more and more table food these days) enjoy, it never leaves my repertoire.

Blackened salmon will grace our table again, maybe next time with some sort of lemony sauce. I'm also looking forward to having it grilled (ahem, Mark!) and baked and seared -- it's all good. The Experts would be so proud.