Blackened Catfish - Claire Robinson

jaynine's Note:

This is a Claire Robinson recipe from "5 Ingredient Fix" on Food TV. I've used it on tilapia and plan to use it on redfish as soon as we catch some. I leave out the salt, there's enough in the creole seasoning. And I sometimes have trouble finding fresh chives, so use green onions instead. Good served with wild rice or rice pilaf.

• Total Time: 30 mins
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 15 mins

Ingredients:

Serves: 4

Yield: 4.0 fillets

Compound Butter

• ½ cup unsalted butter , room temperature
• 1 tablespoon creole seasoning
• 1 lemon , zested and juiced
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• 1⁄8; teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
• 1 tablespoon chopped chives

Catfish

• 2 lemons , thinly sliced
• compound butter (above)
• 4 (8 ounce) fresh fresh skinless boneless catfish fillets
• ¼ cup creole seasoning
• whole chives , for garnishing

Directions:

1. In a bowl, mix together the butter, Creole spices, lemon zest and juice, salt and pepper. Stir in the chopped chives and set aside. The butter can be made ahead and chilled; bring to room temperature before using.
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F; preheat a large well-seasoned cast iron skillet or nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.
3. Line the bottom of a 9 by 11-inch baking dish with the lemon slices and dollop half of the compound butter evenly over the lemon.
4. Evenly coat both sides of each fish fillet with 1 tablespoon Creole seasoning.
5. Working in batches if necessary, add the seasoned fillets to the hot skillet, and cook 2 minutes on each side to just toast and brown the seasoning.
6. With a spatula, carefully place the seared fish on top of the buttered lemon slices in the baking dish.
7. Bake until fish easily breaks apart with a fork, 12 to 15 minutes.
8. Immediately top each hot fillet with a spoonful of compound butter; transfer to serving plates and garnish with a few whole fresh chives crossed like an x over each fillet.