Salmon Says; Blackened Salmon Recipe

One of our favorite foods is seafood.  We don't get a lot of it, we usually live in pretty land locked areas, but we have had good luck with Salmon.  We used to like it pretty plain, butter and lemon pepper.  That is until Justin ordered a blackened Salmon for dinner at a restaurant in Wilmington, North Carolina .  I think I ate half of it, at least!  It. was. so. GOOD.

We decided that we would have to try to make it for ourselves at home, about two days later.  Luckily, we pretty much struck gold on the very first try... and even the side dishes were so good, that we pretty much make the same thing every time. Blackened Salmon, mashed sweet potatoes and grilled asparagus.  I promise this is good, and very easy.  Please read all the instructions, so that they can all get done at once, hopefully I explained it well enough to know the steps you should take.

 1st: Mashed Sweet Potatoes

First, you are going to want to start you sweet potatoes boiling, I am sorry I don't have an exact recipe for this, I always just throw them together.  (***While these are cooking assemble the cayenne mixture and prep the asparagus.)

Peel a few small sweet potatoes, and dice into small pieces (to cook them fast) 

get them boiling, if they are soft when sticking a fork through, they are done, drain and mash 

add a little butter,

milk

cinnamon

brown sugar 

a dash of vanilla

( all these things to your personal taste)

 I like to whip mine with beaters to make them really smooth. This is also up to your personal preference.  Cover potatoes, throw the asparagus on the grill and begin cooking fish.

**You want to have the sweet potatoes mashed before you begin to cook the salmon which goes fast, cause you want to serve the fish hot!

2nd Grilled Asparagus

If you have one of those Gorge Foreman grills break it out and dust that baby off (I've had one since my wedding almost 9 years ago we use it all the time for quick veggies!).  Plug in to preheat. p.s. If you don't have a foreman one of those iron pans with the grill bottom would probably work too!

Break the ends off your asparagus 

drizzle lightly with olive oil 

salt and pepper.  

You are going to grill these babies on the foreman, put them on the hot grill just before you start frying the fish.  (everything will be ready right when the fish is done!)  You want these to be crisp tender 5 to six minutes on the grill!!   Not too well done!

3rd: Blackened Salmon

serves 4-ish

4 salmon fillets, skin and bones removed

1/2 cup butter, melted

In a small bowl combine:

2 Tbsp ground paprika

1/2 Tbsp ground cayenne pepper (if you like it really hot add 1 Tbsp)

1 Tbsp onion powder

2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/4 tsp thyme

1/4 tsp dried basil

1/4 tsp dried oregano

Brush salmon fillets and both sides with butter, and sprinkle with cayenne mixture. 

(sometimes I'm lazy and dip them in both butter and cayenne mixture!)

Melt 1/4 cup butter in pan.

Cook the salmon 2 to 5 minutes, turn fillets and 

continue cooking until fish is easily flaked with fork.

Serve all immediately.  Please Enjoy!

Hope I covered everything.  Do you have any questions?

I promise this is good.  My little niece came over and loved it so much she keep asking for 

"more of that good chicken"  She was 5 or 6, too cute!