Slammin' Cajun Salmon

With the Blackstone Rangetop Combo

Recipe by Todd Toven

Ingredients:

• 12-16 oz. salmon fillets
• Olive oil, to taste
• Blackstone Crazy Cajun Seasoning, to taste
• 1 lb linguine or fettuccine
• 1/2 c unsalted butter
• 4-6 garlic cloves
• 1 Jalapeno pepper, cored and diced
• 1 pint heavy whipping cream
• 2 cups fresh tomatoes, diced
•  Fresh basil leaves, to taste
• 1-3 tbsp flour (enough to thicken)
• Louisiana (cayenne-based) hot sauce, to taste
• Fresh lemon juice, to taste
• Green onion, sprinkled for garnish

Directions:

1. Preheat griddle top on medium to high heat.  Exact setting will depend on your griddle size & number of burners.  Make sure griddle top is hot enough to sear.
2. Cut salmon fillets into 4 serving-sized portions.
3. Rub salmon fillets with olive oil.
4. Rub flesh sides of salmon fillets (the pink meat side) with Blackstone's Crazy Cajun Seasoning.  The seasoning will stick to the olive oil. 
5. Meanwhile, fill Deep Fryer Attachment with water, set burner to high, and allow water to boil.  Add salt and olive oil to water for flavor.
6. Place a cast iron or seasoned steel skillet on the hot griddle top
7. Add butter to skillet.  Allow butter to melt. Stir butter to ensure butter doesn't burn.
8. Add minced garlic to butter.  Stir garlic and butter to keep garlic from burning.
9. Add diced jalapeño to butter & garlic.  
10. Add heavy whipping cream to skillet, stirring as you go.  You might need to adjust the burner below your skillet to keep sauce simmering but to avoid boiling and burning.  Continue stirring as necessary.
11. Add pasta to deep fryer basket, submerge in boiling water, pressing pasta down as necessary.  
12. Lay salmon fillets flesh/seasoning side down on the hot griddle top.
13. Flip salmon fillets over once first side is seared.
14. Check pasta and stir as necessary to make sure pasta is not sticking.  Pasta cooking times will vary but you'll want to cook your pasta until it's al dente. 
15. Lift fryer basket and allow pasta to drain over steaming water while you finish the rest of the steps in the recipe.
16. Add diced tomatoes and basil leaves to the sauce as desired.  Continue to stir.
17. Thicken sauce with flour.  It should only take a few tablespoons of flour to thicken a skillet full of sauce.  Slowly add flour and stir sauce until it reaches desired thickness.
18. Add Louisiana hot sauce to pasta sauce.  Add enough sauce to change color of pasta sauce from white to a pinkish or peach color. Sprinkle a few drops at a time until desired amount of hot sauce is dispensed.  Continue stirring.
19. Add fresh squeezed lemon juice to sauce.
20. Remove salmon fillets when salmon is flaky and pulls apart easily with a fork. Set aside.
21. Using tongs, place pasta in creamy Cajun sauce skillet.  Gently turn pasta until it is completely covered in sauce.
22. Plate portions as needed.  Start with a bed of pasta with sauce, sprinkle with chopped green onion, Blackstone Crazy Cajun Seasoning, and a salmon fillet.  Sprinkle salmon fillet with fresh squeezed lemon juice.