Cape Breton COAL Blackened Haddock

Cape Breton COAL BBQ Seasoning is a natural fit for blackened haddock. The coarse pepper, garlic, onion, smoky notes, and balanced salt create a beautiful crust without overpowering the fish.

🐟 Cape Breton COAL Blackened Haddock

Ingredients

4 haddock fillets (5–6 oz each)

2 tbsp melted butter

2–3 tbsp Cape Breton COAL BBQ Seasoning

1 tbsp olive oil

Lemon wedges

Fresh parsley (optional)

Directions

Pat the haddock fillets dry with paper towel.

Brush both sides generously with the melted butter.

Coat each fillet evenly with Cape Breton COAL BBQ Seasoning, gently pressing the seasoning onto the fish.

Heat a cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat and add the olive oil.

Place the haddock in the hot skillet and cook for 3–4 minutes per side, depending on thickness, until the fish flakes easily and the seasoning forms a dark, flavourful crust.

Finish with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and garnish with chopped parsley.

Serve With

Roasted baby potatoes

Buttered seasonal vegetables

Creamy coleslaw

Rice pilaf

Grilled asparagus

Mitch's Tip 🔥

For an extra Cape Breton touch, finish the haddock with a small pat of garlic butter just before serving. As it melts over the blackened crust, it creates an incredible smoky, buttery finish.

Simple. Smoky. Unforgettable. 🔥🐟

Turn fresh Atlantic haddock into a restaurant-quality meal in under 15 minutes with our Cape Breton COAL BBQ Seasoning.

A little butter, a hot cast-iron pan, and COAL are all you need for a perfectly blackened crust that's packed with bold BBQ flavour while letting the haddock shine.

Fresh haddock can be sourced from Gillis Seafood.

Would you serve yours with roasted potatoes or fries? 👇

Question:  Is it the spices that "burn" to give the "blackened" effect?

Great question. The short answer is not exactly.

The "blackened" effect comes from a combination of the seasoning, the butter (or oil), and very high heat, not from the spices simply burning.

Here's what's happening:

Butter or oil helps the seasoning adhere to the fish and promotes browning.

Paprika, black pepper, garlic, onion, and any sugars in the seasoning darken quickly as they toast.

The proteins on the surface of the fish undergo the Maillard reaction, creating deep brown, complex flavours.

If the pan is hot enough (typically cast iron), the crust becomes very dark—almost black—while the fish stays moist inside.

With your Cape Breton COAL BBQ Seasoning, the coarse black pepper and paprika will contribute most to that signature dark crust. If your blend has very little sugar (which I believe it does), it's actually less likely to burn than many commercial blackening seasonings. That means you get a rich, smoky crust rather than a bitter, burnt one.

For the best results:

Pat the haddock dry.

Lightly coat it with melted butter or a high-smoke-point oil.

Preheat a cast-iron skillet until it's very hot.

Cook about 3–4 minutes per side, depending on thickness.

The crust should be deep mahogany to nearly black, not charred to the point of tasting bitter.

I actually think COAL is well suited to blackened fish because it already has that smoky BBQ profile, so it produces a bold crust without needing the heavy cayenne that's common in traditional Cajun blackening blends.

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