Kitchen Little Essentials
To make this Blackened Garlic Butter Catfish with Summer Squash, you’ll need:
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Ah, catfish. I just love the stuff. It’s so affordable, not at all finicky to cook, and comes out buttery, tender and incredibly delicious every time. I grew up eating catfish pretty regularly, my Mom always making a special trip to a small roving fish truck that roamed around Virginia and North Carolina (still does today) and snagging all the goods she could. Catfish was usually among her purchases, and I think “catfish night” was just about my favorite of all our regularly scheduled family meals. This Blackened Garlic Butter Catfish with Summer Squash would have been right at home on our table, growing up.
I’m hoping it will find its way to yours. Honestly, I could eat this every day happily, without ever getting bored.
How to Make this Blackened Garlic Butter Catfish with Summer Squash
This is a quick and simple one-pan meal (okay, two pans if you count the pan needed to rest the fish while the veggies cook), and it costs so very little to make. These attributes easily situate this recipe in the “My Kitchen Little” hall of fame (that’s not really a thing), and make it a great one to keep in your own regularly scheduled weeknight dinner rotation.
Here, we’ll use a combination of equal parts olive oil and butter to help build the very simple sauce. The olive oil serves to increase the smoke point of the butter which, if used alone, has a greater chance of scorching. The oil just helps to mitigate that issue, so you’ll see me using it a lot in butter sauces.
The blackening seasoning will mix in with the garlicky, buttery sauce, flavoring it as well and, by the time the veggies and catfish have done their thing, the whole pan will taste like something from your favorite restaurant at a fraction of the price.
WINNING.
How to Make Your Own Blackening Seasoning
You can find really good blackening spice mixes in the spice aisle of your supermarket, but if you want to make your own, simply combine equal parts smoked paprika, chili powder, dried oregano, and onion powder. Use 1/3 the amount of garlic powder, add some cracked black pepper and cayenne pepper to taste (as spicy as you like). It’s really as simple as that.
I find that that the above mixture produces a nice blackening spice blend, but you can bolster the flavor a bit by adding additional spices, if you like. Sometimes I’ll add some dried oregano to the mix, and sometimes cumin and coriander, and also a pinch of cinnamon is DELICIOUS in a blackening spice mix.
I recommend leaving salt out of your homemade spice mixes, though, and salting your recipes as needed, and to taste. This way you can completely control the level of salt that goes into your dishes, and not have to worry about how much is in the seasoning mix.
Blackened Garlic Butter Catfish: The Step-by-Step
- Season the catfish fillets with salt and pepper. Rub the tops of each fillet with the blackened seasoning.
- Place a large skillet over med-high heat and add the oil and butter. When the butter has melted, place the fish fillets in the skillet, seasoned side down. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes and then flip (I use two spatulas to do this, as the fillets are often large). Cook for one minute more. Again using two spatulas (if needed), transfer to a plate or baking sheet for now.
- Add the shallots and squash to the pan, season with salt and pepper, and saute until tender; about 5 minutes. Place the fish back in the skillet, allow it to heat through. Top with some fresh chopped herbs, if desired.
If you like the looks of this Blackened Garlic Butter Catfish with Summer Squash, you might want to check out:
Poached Fish in a Buttery Tomato-Fennel Broth
Pan-Roasted Green Curry Salmon
Whiskey Cream Salmon and Corn Skillet
Blackened Garlic Butter Catfish with Summer Squash
This recipe serves two. To double it, I simply use two skillets (because catfish fillets are usually quite big) and double the amounts of everything.
- Yield: 2 servings 1x
Ingredients
2 catfish fillets
Salt and pepper, as needed
1 TBSP blackened/blackening seasoning (such as Zatarain’s or Chef Paul’s; see note)
2 TBSP olive oil
2 TBSP butter
2 shallots (or 1 cup diced onion)
2 garlic cloves, minced or grated
1 summer squash, sliced into thin medallions (yellow)
 1 zucchini, sliced into thin medallions
Fresh chopped herbs for garnish, such as basil, thyme and parsley (optional)
Instructions
- Season the catfish fillets with salt and pepper. Rub the tops of each fillet with the blackened seasoning.  Place a large skillet over med-high heat and add the oil and butter. When the butter has melted, place the fish fillets in the skillet, seasoned side down. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes and then flip (I use two spatulas to do this, as the fillets are often large). Cook for one minute more. Again using two spatulas (if needed), transfer to a plate or baking sheet for now.Â
- Add the shallots, garlic and squash to the pan, season with salt and pepper, and saute until tender; about 5 minutes. Place the fish back in the skillet, allow it to heat through. Top with some fresh chopped herbs, if desired.
Notes
NOTE: to make your own simple blackening seasoning, combine equal parts smoked paprika, chili powder, garlic powder, dried oregano, and onion powder. Add cayenne pepper to taste (as spicy as you like).
