Blackened Grouper
From Marie via Food.com

Happy birthday to John, happy birthday to John, I’m sor-ry you’re almost thir-ty, but at least this fish was tasty.  I know, I should quit my day job and write songs.  Ha.  My secret talents aside, yesterday was indeed John’s birthday.  And what better way to celebrate than a trip to Marco Island, Florida!?  We’re spending a sun-filled week at John’s parent’s place in Marco, which never gets old, even after 10+(!) visits.  Seeing as how we think of vacations as a chance to cook, rather than a vacation from cooking, staying in a house with a fully stocked kitchen is right up our alley.  We vowed to eat fish at least once a day this trip, and so far so good.  For John’s birthday dinner we opted for a simple Cajun dish, grilling up blackened scamp grouper and serving it atop garlicky grits, drizzled with our favorite remoulade sauce.  Creole food is one of John’s all-time favorites, and of course blackened fish is a classic.  Unfortunately most commercially sold blackening rubs have ugly ingredients like artificial colors and lots of sugar.  But with 5 minutes (tops!) of extra effort, you can mix up your own rub out of spices you probably have in your pantry.  And with a cook time of 6-7 minutes on the grill, a meal can’t come together much faster than this!  We loved the blackening rub so much that we’re making it again tomorrow, only with fresh mahi mahi served atop a Ceasar salad.  Yum!

*My sincerest apologies for the unedited iPhone picture…a new computer without editing software installed yet + forgetting my good camera on vacation = a very unfair representation of a delicious dish!

Ingredients

• 2 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp garlic salt
• 1 tsp dried thyme leaves
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1/4 tsp cayenne
• 3 Tbsp butter
• 12-16 ounces grouper (or sea bass, or mahi mahi, etc)

Preparation

1. Heat grill to medium-high.
2. Combine paprika, garlic salt, thyme, pepper and cayenne in a small bowl.  Set aside.
3. Melt butter in a large, shallow dish.
4. Dip fish into the butter, evenly coating both sides.
5. Sprinkle fish with seasoning blend to evenly coat on both sides.
6. Place on grill and cook, grill cover down, for 6-7 minutes.  No need to flip.  Fish is done when it flakes easily.

Serves 2.