Blackening is a cooking technique used in the preparation of fish and other foods. Often associated with Cajun cuisine, this technique was invented and popularized by chef Paul Prudhomme.^[1] The food is dipped in melted butter and then sprinkled with a mixture of herbs and spices, usually some combination of thyme, oregano, chili pepper, peppercorns, salt, garlic powder, and onion powder.^[2] It is then cooked in a very hot cast-iron skillet.^[2][3] The characteristic brown-black color of the crust results from a combination of browned milk solids from the butter and charred spices.^[4]

While the original recipe calls for redfish (Red drum),^[3] the same method of preparation can be applied to other types of fish as well as proteins such as steak, chicken cutlets, or tofu.