By June heat settling in. Made smoked chicken wings Wednesday — brined, dried, rubbed with a mix of paprika and garlic and cayenne and brown sugar, into the smoker over cherry wood at 275 for ninety minutes then crisped on the hot grill for five minutes per side. The smoke and the char and the sweetness of the rub — wings that are better than any restaurant because I spent three hours on them and a restaurant won't spend three hours on wings because restaurants have to make money and I don't, which is the only advantage of disability and I'm taking it.
Connie's birthday next week. She'll be fifty-six. I'm already planning the cake — chocolate again, three layers, Betty's recipe. Last year's was good, not great, the layers uneven. This year I bought new pans, same size, same brand, because baking is a science and science requires consistent equipment, which is something I understand from the mines — you check your equipment before you go in because your equipment is what keeps you alive, and in baking, the equipment is what keeps the layers even.
Earl Thomas is fourteen months. Walking everywhere. Talking in his own language — syllables that sound like English run through a blender, with occasional real words popping out like coins from a slot machine. He said PawPaw clearly on Sunday, looking right at me, and I would like that on the record because Travis says he said it first at home but I was not there and therefore it doesn't count and the first time he said it to my face is the first time he said it, and I will not be argued out of this position.
Those wings work because of the rub—the paprika, the cayenne, the garlic, the brown sugar doing its slow caramelizing work over cherry wood. The smoke is theater; the spice blend is the actual argument. That same logic translates to a Tuesday night when the smoker isn’t happening but dinner still has to. Blackened tilapia is what you make when you understand that bold seasoning and high heat are the real machinery, and the protein is just along for the ride.
10-Minute Blackened Tilapia
Prep Time: 4 min | Cook Time: 6 min | Total Time: 10 min | Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 4 tilapia fillets (about 6 oz each), patted dry
- 2 tablespoons smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoon neutral oil (avocado or vegetable)
- Lemon wedges, for serving
Instructions
- Make the blackening blend. Combine paprika, cayenne, garlic powder, onion powder, thyme, oregano, black pepper, and salt in a small bowl. Stir until uniform.
- Season the fish. Press the spice blend firmly onto both sides of each tilapia fillet. Don’t be timid—you want full, even coverage.
- Heat the pan. Place a cast iron skillet or heavy stainless pan over medium-high heat for 2 minutes until very hot. Add the butter and oil together—the oil raises the smoke point, the butter carries flavor.
- Cook the fillets. Lay fillets in the pan without crowding. Cook 3 minutes undisturbed until the bottom is deeply charred and the fillet releases cleanly from the pan. Flip and cook 2–3 minutes more until the fish is opaque through and flakes easily at the thickest point.
- Rest and serve. Transfer to a plate and let rest 1 minute. Serve immediately with lemon wedges. Goes well over rice, next to ranch mashed potatoes, or straight off the pan.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 230 | Protein: 34g | Fat: 10g | Carbs: 3g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 380mg