Blackened Catfish with Tropical Salsa

This is actually a hybrid of two recipes. I was intrigued by this grilled seabass with tropical salsa recipe (OK, I'll admit, it's the mangoes that caught my eye), but my supermarket doesn't carry seabass and apparently they should be avoided anyway for those who are sustainability-minded. And because catfish was on sale, I thought I'd pair the salsa with some blackened catfish. I really like how it turned out though the catfish is pretty spicy and there was a whole lot of smoke while preparing it. I had to open all my windows to get the smoke out!

BLACKENED CATFISH WITH TROPICAL SALSA

Ingredients:

Salsa:

• 1 cup 1/4-inch pieces peeled cored pineapple
• 3/4 cup 1/4-inch pieces peeled pitted mango
• 2/3 cup 1/4-inch pieces red bell pepper
• 1/2 cup 1/4-inch pieces seeded tomato
• 1/3 cup 1/4-inch pieces seeded English hothouse cucumber
• 1/3 cup 1/4-inch pieces red onion
• 3 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh mint
• 2 tablespoons minced seeded jalapeno chili
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

Catfish:

• 1 lb boneless catfish fillet
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon parsley flakes
• 1 teaspoon ground red pepper
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon thyme
• butter or oil for cooking (NOT margarine)

Directions (Salsa):

1. Combine first 10 ingredients in medium bowl; toss to blend. Season salsa with salt. Chill to blend flavors, at least 1 hour and up to 4 hours, tossing occasionally.

Directions (Catfish):

1. Mix all dry ingredients together. Coat fillets evenly with mixture.
2. Heat a small amount of butter or oil in a large cast-iron skillet or a large non-stick skillet. Place fillets in skillet and cook 3-5 minutes on each side.

Yield: 4 servings

Links:
Original catfish recipe
Original tropical salsa recipe