EASY and BOLD Blackening Spice
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Have you ever wondered how blackened salmon or blackened chicken is prepared? Blackening Spice features awesome homemade mix of spices from your pantry adds that beautiful colour, heat and a ton of flavour!
Welcome! Here is another spice blend recipe for you, featuring Homemade Blackening Spice!
Working at JOEY Restaurants is when I was first introduced to Blackening Spice. Not to be sharing restaurant secrets here, but we used it in quite a lot of dishes! We often got custom orders from diners with requests for blackened proteins to add to dishes. For example, we would get many orders for Pan-Seared Blackened Salmon. This is how I first learned about the magic of blackening seasoning! It’s also used for shrimp, chicken, steak, and veggies! Learning about how the rub was used in the restaurant kitchen, I was so eager to take this knowledge home with by making my own spice blend and using in a variety of dishes!
What is Blackening Spice?
Blackening Spice is a blend of spices and herbs that is quite spicy. It’s typically used as a rub on proteins, such as chicken, seafood, or steak. You can purchase blackening spice, but I prefer to make my own because it’s so easy to do, you can control the spice level, and you can salt it as desired. Plus, you can make a lot of it if you’ve got loads of the spices and herbs on hand! I love to make big batches because I honestly go through this spice blend quite quickly!
To blacken your food, you marinate with some of the blackening spice and olive or vegetable oil all over the surface of the meat. Then, give your food a nice sear in a grill or cast iron pan on medium heat. The meat can even be baked in an oven, heated to 425 F. This gives an excellent char to your food and adds lots of flavour!
What is Blackening Spice Made of?
Blackening Spice is made of a blend of spices consisting of:
What I like about making my own spices is that you can adjust the quantity of the herbs and spices used, depending on your preference!
Peppers
As I mentioned, paprika is the most prominent spice in Blackening Seasoning. You can use smoked paprika or regular paprika. I didn’t have smoked paprika, so regular did the trick! Note that the flavours will differ slightly depending on which type of paprika you use. I’m also using ground cayenne pepper. If you want a stronger blackening spice, then use more cayenne. Reduce it if you don’t like too much heat! This recipe will not be very mild but not too strong.
Dried Herbs
For this recipe, I’m using dried thyme, basil, oregano. Other great herb options include parsley and cilantro, so feel free to experiment! I have to say I spent almost a day deciding if I wanted to use parsley in this. Maybe next time!
Spices
Finally, we’ll be adding garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and black pepper. The garlic powder and onion powder add excellent flavour to the spice! Of course, some salt is essential to bring out all the incredible flavours from the peppers and the dried herbs!
How to Make Homemade Blackening Spice
To make homemade Blackening Spice, simply mix all the ingredients together in a small bowl or plate. Transfer to an airtight glass jar or mason jar.
Blackening Spice versus Cajun Seasoning
I’ve been tossed between distinguishing Blackening Spice versus Cajun Seasoning, so I don’t blame you if you’re confused as well! I tend to use them interchangeably, and I know I’m not the only one. However, it turns out that the difference between the two is that Cajun seasoning is spicier than blackening spice, with a stronger emphasis on the cayenne pepper. Additionally, Blackening Spice uses more dried herbs to balance out the spice compared to Cajun seasoning.
Storing Homemade Blackening Spice
Store homemade Blackening Spice blend in an airtight container or jar for 3 months, but I would recommend no longer than 6 months. Of course the spice blend will be the most flavourful the fresher it is, so I’d recommend you get on planning some meals where you blacken your food! Check out the next section for some ideas!
I believe this spice blend will become one of your new staples, so I don’t think you’ll have to worry about its shelf life! Let me know how quickly you went through the spice blend in the comments below!
How Would You Recommend I Use Blackening Spice?
I love to use Blackening Spice so much! You don’t have to be super fancy with your meal when you use blackening spice, so I tend to use it when I’m using it in simple dishes such as a stir fry or a protein-style salad. Here are some recipes to come on the blog with blackening spice! Be sure to sign up for the newsletter so that you know when these recipes are released!
Shrimp quinoa salad (recipe coming soon)
WATCH HOW TO MAKE easy & Bold BLACKENing spice HERE:
Let me know what you think of this recipe in the comments! If you’ve tried this recipe, be sure to post it on social media and tag it with #cookingwithanadi and mention me @cookingwithanadi. Thank you!
Easy and Bold Blackening Spice
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp cayenne pepper
- 1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1 tbsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp basil
- 1 1/2 tsp thyme
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1 tsp white pepper
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 2 tsp salt
Instructions
- In a spice jar, combine all ingredients. Keep sealed in a cool, dry place.
Nutrition Facts
Calories
82.33Fat (grams)
2.08Sat. Fat (grams)
0.43Carbs (grams)
17.47Fiber (grams)
6.85Net carbs
10.62Sugar (grams)
1.68Protein (grams)
3.47Sodium (milligrams)
4663.70Cholesterol (grams)
0.00Nutrition info is an estimate.
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Welcome to Cooking With Anadi. This platform is all about making cooking exciting and finding new ways to bring classic flavours and recipes at your service. Join me in my personal journey in the world of cooking. Hope you have a great ride!
