Paul Prudhomme, the famous beloved New Orleans chef, is credited with perfecting and popularizing blackened redfish in the 1980s.  He singlehandedly caused a shortage of redfish!  According to accounts, the idea came from his childhood camping trips, when he and his siblings cooked fish over open fires in black iron skillets   At his restaurant K‑Paul’s in the French Quarter, he refined the method: fillets were dipped in melted butter, coated with his signature spice blend (paprika, cayenne, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, black pepper, and herbs), and seared in a white‑hot skillet until charred.  A final butter splash often flared, creating the signature crust.  

Here’s a quotation from Chef Paul:  It’s not totally about the food, it is about the eater.  Eating with a cheery heart makes food taste great.  If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it will be a merrier world.”

I remember standing in line to eat at family style tables in Paul Prudhomme’s restaurant in the French Quarter in the 1980s.  The food was a phenomenon: it was like home cooking but SPICY and exciting.  Prudhomme was very engaging with his guests, and amazingly generous with his attention and conversation.  In the next decade he became a tv personality – for me his cookbooks and tv shows introduced the idea that a home cook could create really exciting dishes as perfect for a family meal as for a fancy dinner party.  His cookbooks, which are still on my shelves and very well-worn, were like bibles of local New Orleans food.  I saw him once at Ruth’s Chris on Broad Street and my friend Claire approached him (I wouldn’t have dared interrupt his meal) to tell him how much he meant to us… he was incredibly kind and gracious.  I think he was truly a good person, genuine and funny.  Just watch some of his cooking videos or old tv shows which clearly show his love of cooking along with his lack of pretension.  This dish, made famous by Chef Paul (who by the way began his career at Commander’s Palace), is pretty easy to replicate.  I heated the skillet on my gas grill so that the smoke and sizzle would stay on my patio.  But all you need is a well-seasoned black skillet and a lot of heat.  This dish takes minutes to cook but is truly satisfying with some simple steamed potatoes and a glass of cold white wine.  I loved making this and it looked gorgeous on my Lenox Red Lacquer platter.  Don’t skip the parsley!  So, eat with a cheery heart, and as Chef Paul would say, “Good cooking, good eating, good loving.”