Make this easy Blackstone blackened fish on the griddle with only 3 ingredients! Or for a full meal that’s restaurant-worthy, add the cheesy grits and Cajun sausage vegetable topping to create one epic griddle dinner!
I wasn’t going to write a full recipe for this Blackstone blackened fish, but then I took the first bite of this griddle dinner… and the second bite, and a third bite, and I thought to myself “This blackened catfish dish could be featured on a restaurant menu”.
So I had to share the step-by-step instructions and Blackstone griddle recipe with you so that you could enjoy it too!
If you’ve ever watched any of my YouTube videos, then you know that my main goal is to teach you how to make restaurant-quality, easy dinners on your griddle or flat top grill. And this delicious, perfectly-balanced and flavorful blackened griddle catfish fit the bill.
So here we are…
Even if you’re not a fan of catfish, I highly encourage you to try this recipe… or even substitute grilled shrimp, tilapia, or chicken. The blackening seasoning was perfect, the fish was nicely crispy on the outside, and the rich and creamy grits were the ultimate compliment to the Blackstone fish. You could even cook griddle salmon with this blackening method and the cheese grits!
Here’s how to make this fantastic blackened fish on the griddle:
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Ingredients for the BEST Blackstone Blackened Fish Dinner
This Blackstone fish recipe is a full plated dish, with all of the flavors working together to compliment each other. So I highly recommend that you try the full dinner, grits and all. Even if you don’t think that you like grits, I’d bet that you’ll love these. In fact, for years my wife told me that she didn’t like grits, but then I made her these cheesy corn grits and she changed her mind.
Here’s what you need to replicate this blackened fish on the griddle:
For the Blackened Catfish:
- fish filets – The filets that we used were about 8 ounces each, which was the perfect size and thickness to be able to develop a nice crust on the fish without overcooking it. We used catfish, but you can also substitute tilapia, cod, redfish, salmon, grouper, or flounder… basically any mild fish will be great!
- blackening seasoning – We have tried MANY store-bought blackening seasonings and hated most of them. Most are either way too salty or way too spicy. But this Kinder’s Blackened Seasoning was absolutely perfect – HIGHLY recommend!
- butter
For the Cajun Sausage Topping:
- Cajun sausage – I used one link from a package of Zatarain’s Cajun Style Smoked Sausage – so about 7 ounces of sausage per two large fish filets.
- bell pepper
- onion
- tomato
- jalapeno
For the Cheesy Grits:
- corn grits – Also known as Polenta, we HIGHLY recommend these from Bob’s Red Mill. The cheese grits really make this dish, and this brand of grits has a nice, coarse grind texture.
- chicken bouillon – I always have the Better Than Bouillon brand of chicken base in my fridge because of the convenience and ability to add extra flavor to soups, sauces, rice, etc.
- half and half – Or you can substitute milk, heavy cream, or a mixture of both… We had both heavy whipping cream and half & half in our fridge, so we used a 50/50 blend of both.
- butter
- freshly grated cheeses – This recipe was all about using what we already had in the fridge, so we incorporated a 50/50 blend of smoked gouda and sharp cheddar cheese. The smoked gouda was fantastic in the grits! No matter what cheese you use, I recommend that you freshly grate your own.
How to Make Blackened Fish on the Blackstone Griddle
Seasoning the Fish
One of the keys to blackening fish is a heavy dose of blackened seasoning, so be sure to season both sides of your fish filets liberally. I also highly recommend that you taste test your seasoning for salt content, which will determine how much seasoning you should use.
Some store-bought blackened seasonings are incredibly salt-heavy, so you would want to use less. *The Kinder’s Blackened Seasoning was not too salty in our opinion – one of our favorites!
Liberally season both sides of your fish filets with the Kinder’s Blackened Seasoning. Your fish should look something like this:
While you’re prepping the fish, go ahead and melt about 3 tablespoons of butter in a small saucepan on the griddle as well.
Cooking Fish on the Blackstone
Once your griddle is ripping hot (about 450-475 degrees F), it’s time to start cooking the fish. Be patient and wait until your griddle is up to temp before adding the fish, that way you get the maximum amount of blackened crust.
*TIP – To gauge the griddle temperature, you can either use an infrared temperature gun or, what I do more frequently, let the oil tell you how hot the griddle is. If you’re using a high heat oil like avocado oil (my preferred oil for griddle cooking), then when the griddle surface starts to smoke, your surface temp should be right around the smoke point of your oil. For avocado oil, that’s about 475-500 degrees F.
Right before you put the fish on the griddle, pour about 1/2 of the melted butter on the top of the seasoned fish filets. Then, place the fish on the griddle with the buttered side down first.
Your fish should look something like this when you first place it on the Blackstone griddle:
One tip for cooking fish on the griddle: I would encourage you to cook the blackened fish on the first side (the presentation side) about 70-80 percent of the way through, before flipping to the second side. For perfect blackened fish, you want that nice dark crispy “crust”, and it’s difficult to get that if you flip the fish too early.
With griddle cooking, when you add your ingredients or proteins to the griddle, the temperature of the griddle surface lowers due to the coolness of the food. That means that most foods that you cook will have a nicer crust or char on the first side, because when you flip to the second side, the griddle temperature is lower.
Finishing the Blackstone Blackened Fish
Once the fish is about 70-80% cooked through, flip it to the second side to continue to cook.
I also recommend that you flip the fish in to a clear area on the griddle. A fresh area or “zone” on the griddle should be hotter in temp because there wasn’t any food on it previously, so you’ll get more of a crust on your fish versus flipping it over in the same exact spot.
Your blackened fish should look something like this after you flip:
Making the Cheese Grits and Sausage
This blackened fish on the Blackstone is fantastic by itself, but if you want something to perfectly compliment the fish, then try my favorite cheesy grits and a simple Cajun-style sausage topping:
Cooking the BEST Cheese Grits
We’ve made these cheese grits (aka polenta) many times in the past, because the creaminess goes great with a variety of seafoods, cream sauces, Italian entrees, and this griddle blackened fish. I like to cook my grits according to package instructions, but with a few twists to add extra flavor:
- Add about 1 tablespoon of chicken base (or bouillon) to the liquid while it is coming up to temp.
- Substitute about 1/3 of the water in the instructions for milk, half & half, or heavy cream. This will give you rich and creamy grits. So if your package instructions call for 3 cups of liquid per 1 cup of dry corn grits, then use 2 cups of water and 1 cup of half & half.
- Add a few good tablespoons of butter at the very end, after the grits have thickened.
- Add about 1 cup of freshly grated cheese at the very end, after the grits have thickened. *I use about 1 cup of cheese per cup of dry corn grits.
Making the Sausage and Veggie Topping
To add some extra flavor and textural components to my griddle fish recipe, I decided to make a sautéed “relish” of sorts. I simply diced up some Cajun sausage, bell peppers, onion, tomato, and fresh jalapeños, and cooked them on the Blackstone in a bit of avocado oil until tender.
To get a nice crust on your diced sausage, I recommend adding it to the griddle separately from the vegetables. If you were to add the diced vegetables and sausage together in a pile, then the moisture from the vegetables would cause your sausage to steam more than sear or char.
Here’s what my Blackstone 22″ griddle looked like when cooking the sausage and vegetables… The skillet of butter melting on the griddle was to pour over the fish filets before cooking them (so that you can get a feel for the flow the recipe):
Once your sausage has developed a nice crust, you can combine it with the sautéed vegetables and move the mixture to the cooler side of the griddle to keep warm while your fish cooks.
Blackstone Blackened Catfish with Cheese Grits and Cajun Sausage
When all of the individual components of your dish are finished, it’s time to combine them into one beautiful and delicious plated dinner.
Add a few spoonfuls of the cheese grits to the bottom of a plate. Lay the blackened fish on top, and spoon some of the Cajun sausage and vegetables on the fish. Garnish with some chopped green onion or chopped celery leaves for a pop of color, and you’ve got an easy restaurant-quality dinner ready to serve to your family.
With the nice textural components from the soft grits and crispy fish, and the perfect amount of spice, you’ll feel like you just sat down at a fancy Cajun seafood restaurant! In fact, the wife and I visited a popular high-end Cajun kitchen restaurant recently, and I can definitely picture this Blackened griddle fish on their menu (with a price tag of about $25-$28!).
Watch Me Cook this Blackened Fish on the Blackstone Griddle
More of a visual learner? You can watch me cook this full Blackstone blackened fish recipe on my YouTube channel (where I have over 400 griddle cooking videos!):
Looking for other Cajun or seafood Blackstone griddle recipes? Check out these favorites:
- Cajun Stir Fry on the Griddle – Shrimp boil meets stir fry!
- Blackstone Crab Cakes – A family favorite recipe!
- Cajun Shrimp Fried Rice – A fun take on the popular griddle fried rice.
Want to try making this Blackened Blackstone Fish on your griddle at home? Print the recipe down below to save it for later:
Blackstone Blackened Fish with Cheesy Grits
Ingredients
- 2 fish filets *about 8 ounces each – We used catfish filets.
- Kinder's Blackened Seasoning *enough to liberally season fish filets
- 3 tablespoons butter
For the Cheese Grits:
- 1 cup corn grits (aka polenta)
- 2 cups water
- 1 cup half & half
- 1 tablespoon chicken base *like chicken flavored Better Than Bouillon
- ½ cup smoked gouda shredded – or substitute all cheddar
- ½ cup sharp cheddar cheese shredded
- 2 tablespoons butter
- pinch of salt and pepper
For the Cajun Sausage Topping:
- 1 link Cajun sausage (about 7 ounces) about ¼" dice
- ½ tomato diced
- ½ fresh jalapeno seeded and diced
- ¼ green bell pepper diced
- ¼ onion diced
Instructions
- Make the cheese grits. Bring 2 cups water, 1 cup half & half, and chicken bouillon up to a boil. Stir in 1 cup of corn grits. Cook for about 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until grits have thickened. Turn off the heat, and add butter and shredded cheeses. Stir well. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper.
- Prep the griddle and the fish. Heat griddle on medium to about 350-400℉. Season both sides of the fish filets liberally with the blackening seasoning. Melt about 3 tablespoons of butter in a small saucepan.
- Make the Cajun sausage and vegetable topping. Add about 1 tablespoon of avocado oil to the heated griddle and spread it around with your spatula. Add the diced bell pepper, onion, tomato, and jalapeño to the griddle. In a separate area, add the diced Cajun sausage. Sauté the sausage and vegetables separately until the sausage has developed a nice char and the vegetables are tender. Combine the sautéed veggies and sausage and move to the cooler zone of the griddle to keep warm.
- Adjust the griddle temperature for the fish. Turn the heat of the griddle up to about 475-500℉.
- Cook the blackened fish. When the griddle is up to a higher temp, pour about 1/2 of the melted butter over the top (presentation side) of the seasoned fish filets. Place the fish, butter side down, on the griddle to cook. Cook fish on the first side (presentation side) until about 70-80% cooked through so that a nice crust can develop. Then, flip fish to the second side and cook until done.
- Plate the blackened fish and cheese grits. Spoon some of the cheese grits on the bottom of the plate. Lay a piece of blackened fish on top of the grits. Spoon some of the Cajun sausage and veggie topping on top of the fish. Garnish with sliced green onions or chopped celery leaves. Enjoy!
Notes
- We used catfish for this griddle blackened fish recipe, but you can also substitute tilapia, redfish, cod, salmon, or flounder.
- If you don’t have smoked gouda, you can use all sharp cheddar cheese (1 cup). Grating your own block cheeses is preferred.
- This recipe yields extra cheese grits. Refrigerate leftover grits covered for up to 1 week.
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