Barlow's Blackened Catfish

Although good, I had to make some modifications to the dish (thank goodness I read the reviews first!). First, I used only half of the cayenne pepper called for and 1/4 tsp of salt (thought that was still almost too much considering other additions that I made). I added 1.5 tsp of Old Bay, 1 tsp paprika, 1/2 tsp of creole seasoning, 1 dash of seasoned salt, 1/2 tsp of Blackened Seasoning, and 2 tsp onion powder. I used olive oil to coat the fillets instead of butter and used just enough italian dressing to lightly coat the fillets (maybe a teaspoon for each fillet, it helps to keep the fish from drying out.) Make sure that you open the windows during the blackening process, as stated in earlier reviews! Even the dog left me in the kitchen when the smoke got thick! I served it on top of some old-fashioned dirty rice, and my boyfriend really enjoyed it. He had the rest for lunch and it was even hotter the next day! He claimed that he had to sit on a wet towel to cool off! Overall, the recipe is a great starting point for blackened catfish.

This was a fantastic recipe, but fairly spicy, and I even decreased the amount of cayenne pepper by 1/2 teaspoon. If you can't handle really spicy food, I'd suggest using about 3/4 teaspoon total cayenne pepper. After reading reviews, I also only used a dash of salt and black pepper instead of the full amount called for, and seared the fillets in olive oil instead of butter. NOTE: Make sure that when you do the blackening part, you do it in a well ventilated area. There is a lot of smoke and strong vapors from the pepper, so be careful. I served this with corn on the cob, hush puppies, and honey roasted red potatoes (recipe found on this site). Absolutely delicious, will definitely be making this one again. Thanks!

My husband does not like fish, but he cleans his plate every time I make this! I have tried this with several other kinds of fish (cod, tilapia), but the catfish tastes the best. I follow the recipe exactly, except I never have lemon pepper, so I squeeze fresh lemon over the filets. I also brush the filets with dijon mustard after I coat them with salad dressing. It adds a delicious zing. Also, if you don't like things really spicy, you can cut the cayenne pepper in half and just use a little more garlic powder to make up for it. I usually serve this with a tossed salad and some Zatarin's jumbalaya rice with diced kielbasa.

This is my first try at blackened anything. I had a bad experience years ago when it first became popular but I had a taste of my niece's at a restaurant lately and have been wanting to have more ever since. I used Zatarins Blackened Seasoning and added the garlic powder. I also used the fresh lemon juice. I used a combo of olive oil and butter to sear the fillets and didn't use the salad dressing at all. It made a delicious sauce as it baked and it only needed 15 minutes to bake. They were almost done after the hot searing. I served it over plain rice with steamed carrots on the side. My husband who is picky about seafood loved it. Thanks a lot for the recipe.

I figured this recipe could use a review that wasn't written almost 10 years ago, so here it goes. I made minimal modifications and it turned out amazing. First, I only used 1 tsp of salt and it was plenty. Also, if you don't like spicy that much, only use 1 tsp of cayenne. I love spicy stuff, and this recipe had my ears burning and my nose sniffling. USE THE ITALIAN DRESSING. I almost didn't, but I was glad I did. Like another user said, the dressing mellows out some of the saltiness. If you're worried your fish is going to be too salty after trying a bit after searing, chances are after using the dressing, it will be fine. Also, I only drizzled some over the fish. 1 cup is way too much. DO NOT BAKE FOR 30 MINUTES. I only baked for 15 and it came out perfect. It was juicy, tender, and flaky but not dried out. For a side, I fried some green beans in the same skillet that I used for the fish. I had a lemon that I needed to use so I squeezed some juice onto both the green beans and the fish and it added a nice, fresh zing. My boyfriend and I both loved it. Make this!

Wonderful! The only modification I would make is only to add only 1 tsp of salt. Also, I saw one reviewer below that made a comment of this being too salty, but she used garlic salt - make sure to use garlic "powder". We like it spicy, so the spice was perfect.

I read the reviews prior to using this recipe. On previous attempts I used the spice sold by that famous New Orleans chef for blackened fish but found it blah. I followed this recipe to the letter on Halibut (I couldn’t get catfish) and found it absolutely excellent. So simple but the combination of spices brought out the beautiful spicy flavor associated with blackened fish. Don’t change a thing. Use as directed!

This is one spicy dish, but we love spicy food, so that was fine. Well, at least I love it, and Jeanne puts up with it. First, I think for one pound of fish, you could cut the spices in half, one teaspoon of each should be plenty. I use two, and had a lot left over, and I really coated the fish. Second, as someone else mentioned, watch out for the fumes when frying. Open the windows, and turn on the exhust fan, you are going to need it. The secret to this recipe is of course the Italian dressing. It seems to take away some of the heat, but still leaves a nice bite and great flavor. I will be doing this one again, perhaps with a differant fish next time.

Simple and could be tasty - but WAY TOO MUCH SALT! If I make again, I will eliminate the 2 teaspoons salt, since lemon pepper and the dressing is already salty. Also, 1 cup of Italian dressing is wasteful, I believe a simple drizzle over the fillets would suffice.

This is very good but it is wowy spicy and we love spicy/hot but was almost too hot for us. When I make again I will not change the spice mixture but will instead only rub in about 1 tsp per fish fillet and that will prob be enough. Overall very good but you gotta love hot!

This was a great recipe. I thought it would be very salty but it wasn't. Also I didn't have any cayanne pepper so I used chili powder and this worked great. Would diffently try again.

This recipe was really excellent but I think it was way to salty and a bit spicy for the wife. Next time I will cut way back on the salt, maybe just 1/2 tsp and add more at the table if needed. I cought some river cats and filleted them, soaked them in buttermilk for 2 hours then did the recipe just as directed. I dont think you need to go 30 minutes in the oven though, just long enought to get the dressing hot. We served the fillets over a bed of lettuce and I am so glad to find a great way to do catfish other than frying. Ive been snacking on the leftovers today right out of the fridge and there great. I think next time I will make a poboy with this recip dressed with tomato and lettuce. Way to go Barlow!

I usually read the reviews but was in a hurry. Wish I had! lol It was okay. Next time I'll use less salt, two teaspoons was definitely too much. Other than that, it turned out well.

My fiance is from New Orleans so I'm constantly trying to find cajun recipes for him. His biggest complaint about most of the recipes I've tried (this 1 included) is that we all seem to assume "Cajun" means SPICY..which it does not, at least not HOT spicy..it's essentially "flavorful & blackened". I don't eat seafood & I can't tolerate anything more than mild spice so I've always stayed away from "Cajun" recipes but having been down there w/him a few times, he's right, there IS a HUGE difference (I can actually eat many REAL Cajun recipes). If it's spicy it spicy, not Cajun. I won't use this recipe again for the reasons outlined but I imagine from his description that anyone who DOES like hot-n-spiciness would probably LOVE it, that's just not us. Enjoy if you do try it..won't know if ya don't!

I used 2 lbs of catfish and cut the spices in half and it turned out PERFECTLY! In other words, I used 1/4 the spices the recipe calls for and it turned out wonderfully. I did this because so many of the other reviewers said it turned out too spicy and/or salty. By doubling the fish and cutting the spices in half, that problem was eliminated. Other important changes made were: I used olive oil instead of butter to brush onto the fish, instead of lemon pepper, I used the juice of one fresh lime (I squeezed the lime juice on it AFTER I had blackened it and placed it in my pan right before pouring on the salad dressing) and finally, I used HALF the Italian dressing that the recipe called for (in other words, I used 1 cup of dressing for 2 lbs of catfish). The dressing I used was Wish Bone "Just 2 Good" Italian dressing (because it has 2 grams of fat). It was DELICIOUS. My husband made me promise to make this for him regularly. By the way, even though I doubled the recipe, my husband and I wiped our plates clean! I served it with a side of cooked veggies (used a bag of frozen veggies) and a fresh salad.

I'll admit I haven't tried this recipe yet, but as soon as I saw that it says to pan fry the fillets for 2 minutes per side, then bake for another HALF HOUR I knew this recipe wasn't for me! The fish would be dried out garbage after that much cooking time - I don't care how thick the fillets are.

I have made Blackened Catfish many times. Most recipes call for the major ingredient to be paprika. I would reduce the cayenne to at most 1/4 teaspoon and add paprika to make up the difference. See Blackened Seasoning Mix on this site.

Quite good. I altered the recipe a bit, some from advice from other reviewers and some from what I had on hand: I used 1.5 teaspoons of cayenne (not 2) -- I like spicy food and this was about right for me (or maybe slightly too much); I skipped the lemon pepper -- didn't have any; I added some old bay seasoning because I had some on hand and it seemed appropriate; I found that I didn't need all of the 2 tablespoons of butter to brush the catfish well -- a nice fact that makes the recipe healthier; I didn't have Italian dressing on hand so made some from olive oil, white wine vinegar, and water and drizzled over the catfish -- I only poured a quarter of a cup (not 1 cup) as that seemed to make make the catfish very wet. In retrospect, I should've used even less; the catfish turned out a bit oily from the dressing. Finally, I found I needed to bake the catfish for 40 minutes to be done (not 30-35 minutes).

I usually do not add salt, because my husband is not a big salt eater. I also cook this on my George Forman grill because I like it crispy on both sides.

Turned out fantastic! For 2 lbs of fish I took the other reviewers advice and cut down the spices to 1-1/2 t of each and it turned out restaurant quality!! Yum. Also took their advise on the smoke issue and used the outdoor grill to sear so that all the smoke stayed outside. Will definitely be making this again soon.

Delicious, but the cayenne pepper may be too much. Cut back a bit, and it'd be perfection.

This recipe is great! I gave it 4 stars because if made as is would be too salty and too spicy (unedible). Luckily I had read the reviews and made alterations before preparing. I did only a light sprinkle of salt on top of the fish (did not add it to the mixture) but next time I will leave it out all together. The salt in the lemon pepper seasoning is plenty. I used a tad more than half of the cayenne and it was perfect for us (we like spicy). I also only did just drizzle of italian dessing and it came out great. Another tip: Sear on a cast iron skillet so you can just put the whole thing in the oven afterwards. No extra dish to wash!

Very tasty, the cayenne and pepper really penetrate the fish. I agree with most other people, use a lot less salt, and half the cayenne pepper Another suggestion. I had a 1/2 pound catfish, and cooked it on 350 for 20 min, and it came out a little dry so I would check it after 15 to see how it is making out. I made this over brown rice, the italian dressing sauce that's left over flavored the rice beautifully.

This was excellent! I only made a few slight changes, per the other reviews. I used half the amount of cayenne (1 teaspoon instead of 2), omitted the salt (it definitely didn't need salt), and used olive oil instead of the Italian dressing. The fish was really flavorful and moist and super easy to cook. Mine only took 15 min in the oven though, on 350. Thanks for sharing the recipe! I'll definitely be making it again.

I also halved the amount of pepper for this dish based on others' reviews, but my mouth was still burning! I might reduce it just a little bit more next time. I also did not have lemon pepper and instead dribbled some lemon juice on the fish before they went into the oven. Based on another person's review, I also just dribbled the italian dressing on the fish right before putting them in the oven and left out the salt altogether. It was quite tasty and relatively nutritious as compared to frying the fish. I also might try olive oil instead of butter next time.

CAUTION-HEED VENTILATION WARNINGS!! Open windows and turn on vent hood before cooking to circulate air. The searing process releases strong pepper fumes that will overwhelm you if you are not careful. I crave super-spicy food but this recipe was too much heat for me. I love the blend of spices, just needed to tone it way down so I cut everything in half. Also added paprika, equal inmeasurement to the other spices. Seared in olive oil, without brushing with butter first, for healthier alternative. I strongly recommend using "Good Seasons" dry italian salad dressing packet following thir directions but using extra virgin olive oil for the veggie oil. This dressing is great on fish even without the blackening seasons. YUMMY!! Thanks for the recipe!

Very good recipe! I can't even imagine 2tsp of cayenne, I did 1tsp and that was plenty spicy and I am not a light weight. I added some onion powder for a little boost. Served it with the Dill Sauce recipe here on AR.

Too hot!!!! I give it 5 stars though because blackened Cajun fish is supposed to be hot. The fish was tender and I think people that like it very hot would enjoy this. I will have to try using maybe a quarter or less of the spice next time.

I tweaked the recipe by adding onion powder and reducing the cayenne pepper to 1 tsp. but it turned out delicious - a real winner at my house.

I made it exactly as stated in the recipe and I have to give it 3 stars because of the salt. 2 tsp was a lot, and then to bake it in the italian dressing just made for a really salty meal!! Next time I make it, I will omit the salt completely. EDIT- We made a second time (with half the salt!) and this time, we just left it on the pan and blackened it for about 10 min. Did not do the oven with the dressing. I thought it tasted even better this way!! Warning - it is very spicy, but I love it this way!

My husband said, "you're going to make this again, aren't you?" We both enjoyed it. The only change I made was using olive oil instead of butter. We like things hot, but I think 1 1/2 tsp of cayenne would be a little more palatable -it would still be hot. If you don't like your tongue to burn definitely cut it to 1 teaspoon. I would suggest serving this fish with something cooling. I served it with Oriental Sesame Slaw and fresh cut up fruit and it was a great combination. Thanks for sharing this recipe.

Way, way, way too salty. At first I had to check and make sure I had garlic powder instead of garlic salt, but I had the right one. Leave the salt out! I can't express this enough. I liked everything else about this dish, which is why I gave it 3 stars instead of one. The cooking time was fine and I could just taste how good the other spices would've been without all the salt. I'll make this again, but with no salt.

TOO SALTY! This dish tasted good and was easy, but man was it salty. We actually already halved the salt and used 2 tsp for 2 lbs of catfish, and it still tasted extremely salty. I would either cut out salt next time since the other spices already give it plenty of flavor, or use 1/4 tsp per pound of catfish.

I used half of cayenne paper as other reviews suggested, but it was still too spicy for me. My husband loved it. It is easy to make and fun to eat. Next time I would put half of the salt.

I followed the recipe exactly and it came out awful. Even my husband, who eats anything, wouldn't eat this. We both agreed the Italian dressing ruined it.

Wow! Anyone that knows Cajun food knows it's hot! My Texas family LOVED this! Way to go Jeff!!

This was surprisingly good. I like things spicy, and this was just about as hot as I can eat and still enjoy the flavor. Per other reviews I cut the salt down to 1/4 of the original amount listed (probably could omit it completely). Instead of salad dressing I used 1/2 tbsp canola oil mixed with 1/8 tsp Italian seasoning for each fillet. Also, 30-35 minutes would be WAY too long a cooking time, especially if you have thin fillets and/or cut down the recipe. I used a single 1/2" thick fillet and only needed to cook for 10 minutes. This went well with candied sweet potatoes, but would be wonderful served with applesauce too.

Omitted salt entirely and just drizzled with italian dressing (health/sodium reasons)... Delicious!! Will definitely make again!! Update: Have made this at least 15 times. Soooooo good. My 20 yr old son's favorite meal. Always serve with buttered noodles with parm and garlic green beans. This IS my cajun seasoning for everything!

Even though I had difficulty eating this dish (I cut the amount of cayenne pepper in half and everyone's mouths were still on fire), the catfish had such a wonderful flavor to it! I'll definately try making this dish again (maybe with a little less pepper)

Really tasty! I omitted the salt and cayenne (my husband doesn't tolerate spicy) and added 1 teaspoon of paprika. Also, I drizzled the italian dressing (as per other reviewers). My 10 and 11 year olds thought it was "AMAZING"! I thought it was really moist and tasty and I'm so glad that I didn't add that salt.

My husband and I loved this recipe! We love spicy food and this hit the spot! Warning: this recipe is even a little too spicy for us so I will not put so much cayenne pepper next time.

I enjoyed it very much, I also used some garlic and onion powders on both sided as well

This fish was soooooooo delicious! It was flaky and the italian dressing gave it great flavor! As with some of the other reviewers, I made some minor modifications. I cut back on the cayenne pepper (I used 1/8 tsp), the salt (I used 1/2 tsp), the black pepper(I used 1/2 tsp), and the italian dressing. I didn't quite use the full 1 cup. But, since the sauce was so good, I'll be sure to use all of it the next time I make this dish! I also used olive oil instead of butter to blacken the fillets. Overall, this recipe gets an A+ from me! I'm sharing it with all of my friends!

This was a really good catfish recipe. I thought it would be a good one to try as I have never done a blackened fish before and it looked like a simple enough recipe. I recommend opening the windows and turning on the fan during the initial blackening process, as I managed to smoke up my entire house. Oh well, I guess that comes with the territory, being my first time and all. As for the fish itself, I really liked the flavor, but next time I make this recipe, I'm going to cut the salt in half as it was just a but too salty for my taste.

My husband is cajun and hates it. He took one bite then gave it away. He said the flavors don't fit the fish. I won't be making it again...unfortunately b/c it was so easy!

Will like to try on other fish and chicken.

I followed this recipe to a "T" and I did not like it at all. The only thing keeping me from giving it 1 star is that the hubby liked it enough to eat most of his fillet. I'm from South Louisiana, grew up eating cajun food, and something about this just wasn't right. I think it was the italian dressing, but if I make this again I'll use 1tsp of all the spices and possibly substitute Tony Chachere's cajun seasoning for the cayenne pepper (and of course, figure out something else to use in place of the italian dressing).

I was at the new Sprouts Market in my neighborhood and they had some fresh catfish. I am trying to eat more fish, so thought I would try it. They guy at the meat counter said it was good. I thought I would try this one as I was concerned that the fish might be too strong. I modified it a little bit, but it is still HOT!. I do like hot though. When I added a little lemon juice it took away some of the hot. I read several of the reviews and added less seasoning and no salt. I used 1/2 of the pepper, cayenne, and garlic powder. I did not have lemon pepper, so I used the zest of a lemon and mixed that in the mixture. Instead of using butter, I used a spritzer and sprayed olive oil on both sides, then put on the rub. I put a little olive oil in the pan too prior to blackening. I then put it in the pan and put Italian dressing on both sides. I had some type of light wishbone Italian I like. I did not use a whole cup, I just put some on the top and bottom and baked for 30 minutes. It was really good. I can't remember the last time I had catfish, probably a really, really long time, but it was good, easy, fast and I will make it again. I just ate it with some plan brown rice, slice of trader joes sprouted wheat bread and some frozen french green beans I got at Trader Joes cooked in the microwave. Turned out to be good. There was one filet that I cut into two sections. I ate it all, but it was a lot. Try it, you will like it even if you are a little cautious about fish.

Great recipe, we LOVED it. Some of the reviewers said it was salty so I used non salt lemon pepper and 1 tsp salt.

Wow! This recipe was so easy. This is definitely the quickest dinner prep out there. Took about 5-10 minutes to throw the ingredients together for the rub. The taste was increduble. One of my top five!!! Don't change a thing.

I made this last night and it was a huge hit with my husband who claimed he didn't like catfish when I told him that's what we were having for dinner. I did cut the cayenne, salt and pepper back to 1tsp and and used olive oil instead of butter and hubby insists that next time I make it to "not change a thing". It definitely is spicy but that's what you should expect when it is "blackened". Another recipe for the rotation!

Tasty although a bit salty. I thought I was going to die of smoke inhalation during the blackening in the pan though. Make sure you put the stove fan on.

I cut the cayenne in 1/2 and added a cajun spice I had not used yet. I did not have the salad dressing so stirred lime juice into the spices at the bowl bottom and poured that over the fish. I also Just put some butter in the pan to sear with instead of brushing the butter on the sides. I also just heated everything back up in my electric skillet to serve instead of doing oven. Saved a pan and having to deal with oven. Very tasty.

Wow, people were not joking about the smoke. I needed a dust mask just to breathe while blackening!!! It was ridiculous. Used catfish nuggets, doubled the recipe except only used 1 tsp. of cayenne - it still had plenty of kick! Did not have lemon pepper so substituted equal parts pre-mixed Cajun spice. That might have had something to do with the super kick;next time I would use even less of the cayenne (like less than 1/2 tsp. for a double batch.) Doubling the spice mix, I did not have enough to coat 2 lbs. of nuggets. My nuggets were also slightly frozen still, so needed longer than 35 minutes for baking time. Flavor was good & they came out moist!

Barbeque version...I love catfish and i love spicy, and this recipe is extra spicy. No salt is needed, and my experience has been to never use as much lemon pepper as any recipe states. Cut back on the black pepper as well. Get grill on b'bque very hot before blackening, then wrap fillets in a foil packet with dressing on top and bottom. Grill/steam on low heat for approx 20 minutes. This fish is so moist and so spicy, and by using the outdoor grill you keep your smoke detectors from going off. This is a great addition to my recipe box!!!

I have never cooked any fish of any kind before. This was the most delicious and easiest recipe I have ever tried! Mouth watering! The local store here in Texas (Kroger) have Catfish fillets on sale this week and I went back and bought more! I will most certainly share this recipe with all my friends! Thank you Barlow who ever you are. Five stars!

This was good! I never follow recipes exactly, though, so there were a few changes made to the original. I used a tad more garlic powder (we love garlic here), and cut down on the cayenne. I also added blackened seasoning and old bay to make up for lack of cayenne. It turned out great.

We loved this recipe. I already had the Tony Chachere spice and herb seasoning which is great for blackening so I used that instead of the seperate seasonings. It was very flavorful. I'll definitely prepare this again.

Holy sinus clearing spices! So, I didn't read the reviews before making this. however, my husband loves spicey and it was actually really good, just a bit heavy on the cayenne. :) I will reduce the cayenne a bit next time but this is easy and delicious!

Easy recipe that gives a ton of flavor to broing fish. I only use 1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper so my children can also eat this.

My husband didn't think he liked baked fish until I made this. It was a little too spicy for me, though. Not recommened for children, either.

this was delicious, had a really nice flavor, i did not have any dressing so i made one from this site(Creamy Italian Dressing I)

Wow. I actually read through all of the hints and everyone seems to have a different flavor. So we decided to try the recipe in the original form and absolutely LOVED IT!!! It had kick, it had a taste that lasted after the last piece was eaten. Very good, very simple, and will definitely make when company comes over. The dog had trouble eating it, but it sure was funny to see her try.

very good and easy. I like spicy but will probably cut back on this one next time or only season one side of the fish. Delicious!

I was nervous to try this recipe as I have never done anything blackened. It was wonderful, juicy, and flavorful. I followed the recipe with only the following little changes. I added onion powder to the seasoning and some EVOO to my cast iron skillet to blacken the fish. I did not use the whole cup on italian dressing, but enough to cover the fillets. I served it with baked potato, steamed spinach, and a salad. My husband, who was weary of catfish, said it was great. I think the spicy level was just right. Taste your rub before hand so you know if it needs more or less. And like others said, open the window and prepare for smoke. I may try it with coconut oil next time as it can get hotter without the smoke.

This was delicious. Even my 7-year old son asked for seconds. I omitted both the salt and the cayenne pepper and added a little blackened seasoning. I think the salt in the itialian dressing made up for this omission perfectly. Thanks for the recipe. Will definitely prepare catfish using this method from now on.

I thought it was a pretty good recipe, but some of the salt needs to go. There's the salt, the cayenne which is salty, and the garlic salt. I'll just have to ratchet some of that down the next time I make it, but I could definitely taste the goodness in there.

This recipe was excellent !!!!! I LOVE spicy food, although my fiancee cannot always take it as spicy as me, so I decreased the cayenne pepper to only 1 teaspoon. My fiance loved his meal, he just couldn't get enough !!!! Thanks

Perfect! Very flavorful with the right amount of heat!

This is a great recipe if you like hot! My husband and I enjoyed every last bite and followed the recipe...woulnd't change a thing!

Absolutely wonderful!!! Don't change a thing. My husband and I loved this dish.

Would have been a great recipe, but so salty we ended throwing it out. Will try again without salt.

I used fresh lemon juice (half a lemon) mixed with the melted butter (no lemon pepper). My kids don't like HOT so I prepared theirs without cayenne, then added it to make mine. As per other reviews I drizzled the italian dressing on-it did not take 1 whole cup. This is about a 7 out of 10 hottness if you use the recipe as is. I chose to serve this with Garlic Mashed Potatoes and Kickin Collard Greens! The meal altogether is heaven, just heaven. The kids love this one! Great leftover too.

Good recipe for fish!! If you're sensitive to spicy I would cut the cayenne from 2 teaspoons down to 1/4 teaspoon. I cut the cayenne pepper in half and it was still too much for me. Otherwise - good.

Excellant! It's nice to have a catfish recipe that doesn't require breading and frying. We like spicy but I only used one teaspoon of ceyanne and it was plenty. Took longer to cook in my oven but we will definitely make again.

A little spicy but other wise really good. Next time I'll cut the spices half.

We love this recipe. Easy, spicy, flavorful. I have also made it with tilapia with great results. I usually have to make more of the spice mixture while I'm coating the fish. I have it at least twice a month. Parents and friends have raved. Definitely try it!

This recipe was delicious, but I did make some modifications. I had to make up 2 cayenne pepper mixtures because my cat fish were big. Sprinkle cayenne pepper, no salt, dash of pepper, use olive oil instead of butter, sprinkle both sides of fish (after rubbing olive oil on) with Creole Seasoning, drizzle Italian Dressing & squeezed fresh lemon juice on fish when done baking. Very moist!

I used talapia with this recipe. Was very good. I suggest if you're going to blacken anything, to have a WELL ventelated kitchen. I do not. I was coughing like crazy while frying the fish. Also, I since I used talapia, I didn't need to bake it as long. Only about 10 minutes.

My boyfriend and I LOVED this recipe. It was very very spicy though and I had to drink two glasses of cola for one pretty nice size filet. I only used 1 teaspoon of salt and about 1 1/2 teaspoons of the pepper. I will maybe cut down on the cayenne a little next time...maybe just one teaspoon and substitute a teaspoon of paprika for the second...but other than that I will leave it the same. I served this fish with spinach cooked in bacon grease and northern beans...yum.

Great recipe! All I changed was using 1/2 of the cayenne and 1/2 the salt, olive oil instead of butter, and just poured a little bit of dressing on each fillet. Very good and will make again!

cayenne pepper is very spicy so i only used 1 tsp. i used everything else in the recipe. like all the others said the smoke is really strong when you blacken the fish so i put the oven fan on and i opened the back and front door! i will make this again, very tasty.

Very good but next time I'll lighten up on the cayenne (I don't like a lot of spice). But I will make again!

My children loved it, as well as my boyfriend

Leaves your mouth steamin'!!!

I love spicy food and this is wonderful. Great spicy flavor to it. The only thing I would suggest is using 1/2 of what it calls for on the Itailan dressing or just omiting it all together.

I cut back on the cayenne and salt and still had some spice mix leftover. Also used 1/2 cup of the dressing and no butter. Easy weeknight recipe with a kick. Thanks for sharing!

I have tried this twice -- the first time, I used 1 tsp of everything instead of 2 (but I also just had 2 filets, so that seemed to be about right) but it was WAY too salty and spicy for us. I tried it a second time with just a half tsp of everything, and it was much better. It's a great flavor, but very over-powering if you follow it as it is. Just beware! :)

Everyone who tasted this HATED the blackening seasoning. Yuck! It was too strong, and the cayenne pepper overpowered the fish. I'd never make this again.

OK, being from the great white north where we don't eat catfish on purpose, I was skeptical that I'd even like this recipe. My southern born and bred boyfriend and I rarely agree on food and the normal "fried in cornmeal" southern channel cat recipes don't appeal to me at all, but wel all like cajun type stuff, so when my son brought 15 catfish filets home from his fishing trip last weekend, I gave this a go. It was AWESOME! Spicy and tender and flaky. Fifteen filets, two teenagers, one good ol southern country boy, one displaced yankee, zero leftovers. 'Nuff said!

This was excellent, although you must like hot food. I did cut back on the salt. No salt when i prepared the rice, and cut back to 1 teaspoon in the recipe. Next time I will cut the peppers back a tad. Very easy and quick.

Wow this recipe was fantastic!! I did i exactly as instructed (only cooked in the pan a little bit longer to blacken) and my husband was complimenting me all evening on how good it tasted! It is a bit too spicy for young children so I'd recommend setting some aside and only rubbing the seasoning on very very lightly for kids. But for anyone who enjoys a good spicy meal that makes you keep tissues near, this is the best!!!

I like spicy, but this was way too much - ruined 2 lbs of fish. You couldn't taste the fish at all, it was like eating spoon after spoon of pepper.

I used mahi mahi for this recipe. Delicious if you like spicy!

I LOVED this recipe and didn't change a thing. Very yummy with some rice and green tea!

Excellent recipe, great flavor! I used olive oil spray instead of butter, and just enough light Italian dressing to cover the fish before baking, and served on a bun. Served with some dirty rice, will definitely make this again. Yum!

This is hot as Hades, but it's absolutely delicious!! Even if you really enjoy spicy food, you may find it a little too much...so go lightly on the seasonings the first time until you determine just how much 'heat' you can take. I agree with a previous reviewer about the amount of Italian dressing. Although I always double or triple the rest of the recipe, 1 cup of dressing is more than ample.

also excellent with tilapia yum!

Very easy to make and tasty. To make healthier I just sprayed the fillets with cooking spray instead of butter. Definitely cut back on the cayenne (I used only a pinch).