CATTLEMAN'S GRILL: Blackening Seasoning – 281g

Bayou flavour, straight into a screaming pan

Blackening is a technique before it is a seasoning — butter, a hard-hot cast-iron skillet, and a crust that goes dark and fragrant instead of burnt. Cattleman's Grill built this one for exactly that job: mild Cajun herbs and spices from the bayou, balanced so you can lay it on thick without blowing the dish out. It is the shaker you reach for when dinner needs to be ready in six minutes and still taste like a night in New Orleans.

The flavour

Smoked paprika leads — sweet, woody, deeply red. Underneath it a three-pepper middle of black, white and red pepper builds a slow warmth rather than a sharp bite. The finish is herbal and dry: thyme, oregano and marjoram with toasted garlic and onion sitting behind them. Nothing sweet, nothing sugary — this is a savoury crust seasoning through and through.

How to cook with it

• Dip a fish fillet in melted butter, coat it heavily on both sides, and lay it into a cast-iron pan you have preheated until it is almost smoking — two minutes a side, no moving it.
• Season chicken thighs an hour ahead and grill skin-side down over direct heat so the paprika darkens without catching.
• Toss raw prawns with oil and a heavy pinch, then flash them in a rippling-hot pan for ninety seconds a side.
• Stir a teaspoon through softened butter and melt it over a grilled pork chop as it rests.
• Dust it over hot buttered popcorn — the brand's own trick, and it works.

In the shaker

A deep brick-red powder, fine enough to coat a wet fillet evenly, flecked with darker herb and cracked black pepper. It clings well to butter or oil and colours fast in a hot pan, so keep the heat honest and the timing tight.

Ingredients & Dietary

Ingredients: Salt, smoked paprika (colour & flavour), dehydrated garlic, paprika (colour), spices (black pepper, oregano, white pepper, red pepper, thyme, marjoram), dehydrated onion, and extractives of paprika (colour).

Dietary: Cattleman's Grill state no MSG, no chemical preservatives and no anti-caking agents across the range. No gluten-containing ingredient appears in the statement above and no formal gluten-free certification is carried, so we list it as gluten friendly — always check the physical label.

The Rub Smuggler's Verdict

Declare it at customs? In this economy? Get the pan properly hot before the fish goes in — blackening is a crust, not a cremation, and a lukewarm skillet just steams it grey. Finish the plate with SuckleBusters Honey Peach Glaze brushed on late, and put Fancy Hanks Cayenne & Watermelon Hot Sauce on the table for the brave. — Cap'n Darryl "Slow Hand" Rubb

Questions answered

Is Cattleman's Grill Blackening Seasoning hot?
It is mild. The bayou character comes from smoked paprika and herbs, with black, white and red pepper providing gentle warmth rather than serious heat.

What is the best way to use a blackening seasoning?
Coat the protein in melted butter or oil, apply the seasoning generously, and cook in a cast-iron pan preheated until almost smoking — around two minutes per side for fish.

Does it contain MSG?
No. Cattleman's Grill state that they do not use MSG, chemical preservatives or anti-caking agents in any of their blends.