Blackend Fish

[Seaducer]

This goes out especially to Airslot and his nice catch of Drum this weekend. However this recipe is also good for many other types of fish. Speckled trout being my prefered fillet.

Buy yourself some good Paul Prudhomme's Blackend Redfish Seasoning. (Hopefully ya'll get that up north. If not mix up your favorite seasonings like Cayenne red pepper, black pepper, salt, paprika, etc.) A BLACK IRON skillet is essential (make sure you have already cured the skillet though; preservation wax doesn't taste good with fish!). Teflon pans will burn, and stainless steel or aluminum will not stay hot when you put the fish on it. Get your fish really dry using a paper towel. If the fish is not dry, the water inside the fish will steam the fish instead of frying it. Get the skillet white hot. It should be smoking. (I recommend doing this outside) Season your fish extremely generously. Trust me it will taste better; even to northerners. Because the skillet is so hot it will carmelize the seasonings and they won't be as hot as you'd think. Put a dab of butter in the skillet and immediately add the fish or the butter will burn. You'll know when to flip it when it is a DARK golden brown on the bottom. Repeat for other side. If you season the fish enough, the dark part will be the seasonings and not the burnt fish. I recomend serving this immediately as with all other fish. They would be nice over a raspberry vinegrette salad or (my personal favorite) with good crawfish etouffee as a covering.

-Clay