This Blackened Salmon recipe is one of our most requested seafood dishes! It’s rich and satisfying and full of flavor. The blackening seasoning provides just the right amount of smoky, herby, spicy notes, and the turmeric cream sauce perfectly complements the meaty fish.

Growing up, one of us wasn’t the biggest fish lover. It was too dry, too flaky, too…”fishy.” Even to this day, that same sister is pretty picky about her fish. But one fish that we both have always enjoyed is salmon. This fish always seemed meatier than its brethren, rich and buttery and substantial, and never fishy.

When we were kids, we spent our summer breaks visiting our grandparents in the Pacific Northwest in a town just above Seattle, which is still one of our favorite places in the world. Each summer, our Papa (grandpa) would fire up the charcoal grill, pick alder leaves from his backyard and add them to the coals, and place a full side of salmon down on the grates. Maybe it’s just our rose-colored glasses, but we remember that it was always cooked perfectly.

These days, we’re still eating salmon, and we love to play around with different ways to prepare it. Blackened fish has always appealed to us as we’re big advocates of bold spices and flavors, so it seemed only natural to make our own blackening seasoning and add it to our favorite kind of fish!

The seasoning is smoky, spicy, and subtly sweet, and the salmon is luscious and fulfilling. All of this pairs perfectly with an earthy, velvety smooth turmeric sauce that is poured over the fish. The bright yellow color of the sauce really makes this dish pop, and it elevates what is already an extremely luxurious meal into one that you’ll be talking about days after you make it. All you need is a fresh arugula salad on the side and you’re good to go!

Blackening Seasoning

For this Blackened Salmon Recipe, we prefer to use our own blackening seasoning. It’s is so, so good! This spice blend will be concentrated in flavor on its own, but once you add it to the fish (or even sprinkle it over other things if you want to use it elsewhere), the flavors spread out and soften.

If you want to use store bought instead, however, feel free.

Ingredients in the Blackened Salmon

This recipe makes enough for about 4 to 6 servings, so if you’d like to make less (if you’re not fans of leftovers, for example), then go ahead and divide the ingredients in the salmon and the ingredients in the blackening seasoning by half.

Here’s what you’ll need for the salmon:

Salmon – we love salmon with this dish, but if you don’t like salmon or can’t find it, you could also use steelhead. It’s somewhat similar in color and flavor to salmon, but will be slightly less buttery.
Melted butter (for brushing on fish) – brushing butter on the fish is important as it helps the spice blend to stick. You can use olive oil, if you prefer.
Butter or neutral oil (for pan frying) – you want an oil that has a high smoke point for this as the fish needs to cook on a higher heat to blacken. If you’re using butter alone, it’ll burn more easily, so just be sure to watch it carefully.
Blackening seasoning to coat both sides of each filet – you can use as much as you want to cover the fish, but we used almost all of ours. If you don’t use yours up, you can add the remaining seasoning to potatoes, chicken, tofu, or anything you like!
Garnish with squeeze of lemon and chopped parsley – these are optional but highly recommended. Lemon really amps up the flavor of the seasoning and it pairs well with the turmeric cream sauce too. The parsley adds some much needed clean herby taste. Plus, it’s so pretty on this dish!

Turmeric Cream Sauce

This cream sauce is the perfect accompaniment to this salmon. You don’t necessarily have to have it , but if you want to impress your guests or even yourself, you should make it. It’s a beautiful, bright yellow blanket for the salmon, and don’t you want your salmon to be cozy under a blanket?

Here is what you need for the sauce:

Butter – salted or unsalted is fine here. We usually use salted butter for things. We like it better, but if you’re watching your salt intake, you can use unsalted instead. The butter is necessary in order to make a light roux for the sauce, so don’t use oil here instead of the butter.
Flour – all purpose is what we’d recommend here. You just need a little bit to mix with the butter in order to make a roux, which is what helps thicken the sauce.
Heavy cream – heavy cream makes this sauce thick and luxurious. Using milk or half and half may taste similar, but you won’t get the same velvety smooth, thick sauce as you do when you use cream.
Turmeric powder – this may seem like a lot of turmeric, but we tried using less at first and it wasn’t bright enough in color or flavor for us. This amount gives you a nice earthy flavor and a bold golden hue.
Black pepper – black pepper and turmeric go so well together. Definitely don’t leave this out.
Salt – if you’re using salted butter and don’t want a salty sauce, you can start by adding 1/4 tsp of salt at first and then increase it if you want it more seasoned.

To Make the Blackened Salmon

Pat down both sides of each salmon filet. Working on one side at a time, brush the sides of each filet with melted butter and cover with the blackening seasoning. For the best flavor, we recommend using a fairly heavy application of the seasoning here, but if you like milder flavor, you can use a little less.

Heat the neutral oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Once the butter or oil is hot, add the salmon to the pan and cook on one side for 5 minutes. Don’t be alarmed if it looks a little dark but watch the temperature of the heat. You want it blackened, not burnt through!

Flip the salmon and cook for 5-7 minutes, depending on the thickness of your filets. If the salmon is getting too dark, reduce the heat to medium low. An instant read thermometer should register 135F to 140F. The salmon will continue to cook a little while resting, so let it rest for several minutes.

To Make the Turmeric Cream Sauce

While the salmon is resting, make the sauce. Start by adding butter to a small frying pan. Once the butter has melted, add the flour and whisk with the butter to combine for about 1 minute. This is your (very small) roux, which will help thicken the sauce. Slowly add the cream and whisk into the roux until it’s smooth. Add the turmeric, pepper, and salt, and, once again, whisk to combine. The sauce should be just slightly thick, but not gloppy, and gorgeously yellow.

Finishing Touches

Serve the blackened salmon with a little turmeric cream sauce, a lemon wedge, and a light shower of fresh parsley. We like to have our salmon with a side of roasted potatoes and a broccolini or an arugula salad.