Crispy Cast Iron Blackened Salmon (15 Minute Recipe!)

By: Stephanie

9 Comments

Posted: 04/02/24 Updated: 04/02/24

Spicy-sweet blackened salmon cooks flawlessly in a cast iron pan! Season wild salmon fillets with a homemade blackened spice blend, sear on the stovetop, baste the fish in butter and finish in the oven as needed. An easy, feel-good dinner!

Some people love plain and simple salmon, but I am not one of them. 😋 Growing up, my parents often cooked very bland salmon dinners (sorry Mom and Dad!) and it made me think that I hated the fish entirely. 

Once I got older, I realized how many fun salmon flavors and techniques are out there! Blackened salmon is about as opposite of plain salmon as it gets. 

To make it, you’ll season the salmon fillets with a boldly flavored blackened spice blend made with dried herbs, chile peppers, and a touch of brown sugar. As the fish sears in a hot skillet, basted in plenty of butter, it develops a beautifully crusty, black sear.

Using a cast iron skillet makes it easy to get that perfectly crispy salmon skin as the fish sears on the stovetop. You can also then easily transfer the pan to the oven, where it gently cooks the salmon until tender and juicy on the inside. 

Today, blackened salmon is one of my favorite weeknight dinners – it’s flavorful, fast, and always tender. The perfect grown-up salmon.

Why This Blackened Salmon Recipe Works

You’re going to love this dish because it is…

• Super flavorful. Blackened salmon gets its flavor from a punchy, aromatic seasoning and plenty of butter. The flavor of the spices comes alive as they toast, basting in milk solids to promote a rich, golden-brown sear.
• Irresistibly crispy. A hot cast iron pan makes it easy to get that crave-able, crispy salmon skin. I also like to sear the flesh of the salmon for extra flavor and texture.
• Ready in no time. Cooking cast iron blackened salmon can take as little as 10 minutes, depending on your preferred doneness! It’s a weeknight-friendly recipe where you can let the hot pan and oven do all the work.

What Does “Blackening” Mean? 

Blackening is a Cajun-Creole cooking technique used with lots of meats, from firm-fleshed fish like salmon to chicken and steak. To blacken meat, season it with a blend of spices and herbs and then cook it over high heat with melted butter. This toasts the spices for extra rich flavor and also forms a deeply blackened crust from the cooked milk solids. 

It may look as if it’s burnt, but it’s not! The dark color of blackened salmon is actually a crust of charred spices and butter that equals BIG flavor.

Key Ingredients 

I love how a tender, firm-bodied fish like salmon pairs with bold blackened seasoning. For best results, I always opt for wild salmon – especially when cooking in a hot pan like cast iron. 

Wild vs. farmed salmon → Wild salmon is stronger and more muscular than farmed salmon because the fish has traveled greater distances. This also gives wild salmon a deeper, reddish-orange hue. Farmed salmon is more pink and can often be much fattier because the fish lives its life in a smaller, contained environment. In my experience, leaner, wild-caught salmon cooks much faster than farmed salmon, and there are added health benefits to wild salmon vs. farm raised. Wild salmon may be more expensive, but it is worth it from a quality stand point.

Salmon shopping tips! → Visit your local seafood counter to find skin-on salmon fillets. Skin is important here – it’s like a barrier in the hot pan, which keeps the fish tender as it cooks. When shopping, ask your  butcher to cut the salmon into 6-ounce portions  and remove any pin bones. Then you won’t have any fish prep to do once you get home!

Once you have your salmon, you’ll season it with a few basics like: 

• Blackened spice rub: While you can buy a pre-made blackened spice for convenience (Chef Paul’s Red Fish Magic is my favorite!), but making your own is quite simple. It’s made with spices I always have in my pantry – smoked paprika, garlic powder, cayenne, onion powder, dried oregano, dried thyme, salt and pepper. I also add some brown sugar to help promote that crispy caramelization as the blackened salmon sears.
• Butter. You’ll use melted butter to baste the fish, which helps form that signature blackened crust made from charred spices and cooked mild solids. 
• Finishing touches: I like to finish the cast iron blackened salmon with some lemon juice and zest and a sprinkling of fresh herbs like parsley or oregano.

How to Make Cast Iron Blackened Salmon

Before you get started, be sure to preheat your oven and cast iron skillet so everything is hot and ready to go. From there, this blackened salmon recipe cooks very quickly. Having all your ingredients prepped and ready makes it easy to jump right into it! 

Step 1: Season the salmon

Pat the salmon fillets dry and season all over with the homemade blackened spice rub. Drizzle with a little olive oil and rub to coat the fish.

Step 2: Cook the salmon flesh side down

Add a tablespoon of olive oil to the hot cast iron skillet, then place the blackened salmon flesh side down first. Press down for a few seconds until every piece comes in contact with the hot pan. Typically you always sear the fish skin side first. I find that this method prevents the salmon from curling at the edges (which results in an uneven cook!). 

Step 3: Flip the salmon 

After about 3 minutes, use a fish spatula to flip the salmon over to the skin side. If your fish is sticking, turn the heat down – your cast iron pan is likely too hot! Now the skin can start to get crispy too.

Step 4: Baste the blackened salmon in butter

Add a few tablespoons of butter to the skillet, let it melt, and then use a spoon to baste the salmon with the melted butter. The easiest way to do this is to gently tilt your cast iron pan so you can grab big spoonfuls of the buttery liquid.

Step 4: Transfer to the oven

The blackened salmon should look crispy and charred on the outside but it may still need to keep cooking on the inside (especially if your fillets are thick!). Temp the fish to check, then move the skillet to the oven if it’s not yet at your desired doneness. (See the Recipe Notes, below, for full details on fish cooking temperatures.)

Step 5: Finish with lemon and herbs

Once out of the oven, finish the cast iron blackened salmon with lemon zest, freshly chopped herbs, and a squeeze of lemon juice.

Serving Suggestions

Blackened salmon is the perfect weeknight meal because of how fast it comes together! I love serving it alongside a Lemon Dijon Salad or a side of Okra Fried Rice.

You can also use blackened salmon as the base for other delicious lunches or dinners. Try the fish stuffed in flour tortillas with a chipotle crema for easy fish tacos. Or serve leftover blackened salmon cold as a protein in your favorite salad. 
If you love this Crispy Cast Iron Blackened Salmon recipe, be sure to also check out: Blackened Chicken Alfredo Pasta and Blackened Fish Tacos – two other fun ways to enjoy one of my favorite spice blends!

Did you make this? If you snap a photo, please be sure tag me on Instagram at @girlwiththeironcast or hashtag #girlwiththeironcast so I can see your creations!

5 from 6 votes

Crispy Cast Iron Blackened Salmon (15 Minute Recipe!)

Spicy-sweet blackened salmon cooks flawlessly in a cast iron pan! Season wild salmon filets with a homemade blackened spice blend, sear on the stovetop, baste the fish in butter and finish in the oven as needed. An easy, feel-good dinner!

Prep: 5 minutes mins

Cook: 10 minutes mins

Total: 15 minutes mins

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Ingredients

• ▢ 4 6oz salmon filets (skin on)
• ▢ 2 ½ tsp Smoked paprika
• ▢ 3/4 tsp brown sugar
• ▢ 1 tsp Garlic powder
• ▢ 3/4 tsp Cayenne
• ▢ 1/2 tsp onion powder
• ▢ 1/2 tsp dried Oregano
• ▢ 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• ▢ 1/2 tsp Kosher salt
• ▢ 1/4 tsp Black pepper
• ▢ 1 Tbsp + 1 Tbsp Olive oil
• ▢ 2 tbsp unsalted butter
• ▢ Lemon zest + juice to finish
• ▢ Fresh parsley (chopped, to garnish)

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Equipment

• ▢
  1 Lodge Pre-Seasoned Cast Iron Skillet 
• ▢
  1 OXO Good Grips Stainless Steel Fish Turner
• ▢
  1 Splatter Screen

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Instructions

• Preheat oven to 400°F
• Pat salmon dry on both sides with a paper towel. In a small bowl: mix all the spices together. Season all sides of the salmon with the homemade blackening seasoning. Drizzle with 1 tbsp olive oil and rub seasoning into salmon.
• Preheat cast iron over medium high heat for 3 minutes. Lower heat to medium, add in 1 tbsp olive oil and swirl around the skillet. Place salmon flesh side down first in the cast iron skillet. Using a spatula or your fingers, press the salmon down for 5 seconds so all of the fish comes in contact with the skillet and doesn’t curl. Sear for 3 minutes. Flip with a spatula so now the skin side is down. Add 2 tbsp butter and once it melts, using a towel or oven mitt to hold the handle, tilt the skillet and baste the salmon in butter with a spoon. Allow this to be done for 2 minutes.
• Using a digital thermometer, take the temperature of the thickest part of the salmon, so you have a baseline of what the internal temperature is prior to putting the salmon in the oven. Internal salmon temperatures are as follows: Rare: 120°F, Medium rare 125°F, medium 130°F, medium well 135℉-140°F. I do not recommend well done, because it will make the salmon very dry. I personally prefer medium rare. If your salmon is not as thick, it may be done using the stovetop method only. If you have a thick piece of salmon and it is not to your desired temperature, continue into the oven.
• Place in the oven for 4-6 minutes or until your preference of doneness is achieved.
• Remove from the oven and place on a plate (it will overcook if you leave it in the cast iron). Using a microplane or grater, zest lemon over the top of the salmon, sprinkle chopped parsley and either squeeze lemon juice over the salmon or serve with lemon wedges on the side.

Notes

• If wanting to only make two 6oz pieces of salmon, halve the blackening seasoning
• You can also use my favorite pre-made blackening seasoning, Chef Paul’s Red Fish Magic

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1, Calories: 260kcal (13%)

© Author: Stephanie