The Best Cajun Spice Rub

The Best Cajun Spice Rub Surf and Turf

Is there really a best Cajun Spice Rub? If you search the internet, you will probably find thousands of them and celebrity chefs have made small fortunes branding and marketing their own "secret blends". The truth is that for the most part, many of these are composed of the same basic ingredients in different ratios. 

Over the years, I have experimented with adding a little more of this, a little less of that, adding a new ingredient etc., until I came up with one that suited my own taste and that's exactly what I encourage you to do. Feel free to reduce the heat or salt content or pump up the smokiness by using all smoked paprika in place of the two mentioned here...adding some ground chipotle powder will also add some smoky heat. The point is that the best Cajun spice rub is YOUR personal favorite blend, so get out there and start working on your own. Here's a great place to start. ;)

Mix together:

• 3 tbsp paprika
• 3 tbsp smoked paprika
• 3 tbsp onion powder
• 2 tbsp garlic powder
• 1 tbsp chili powder
• 2 tbsp dried oregano
• 2 tbsp dried basil
• 1 1/2 ground thyme
• 1/2 tbsp crushed chili flakes
• 1 tbsp cayenne pepper
• 1 tbsp coarsely ground black pepper
• 1 tbsp white pepper
• 1 tbsp celery salt
• 2 tbsp kosher salt

In the photos above we have used this great Cajun spice rub  in this mouth-watering Surf and Turf. When using it on seafood like these sweet, succulent shrimp and scallops, I generally just toss them in the spice rub and put them directly onto the grill. When using it on beef, like this beautiful rib-eye steak, I like to give it as much time as possible. I rub plenty of it all over the surface of the steaks and leave them in the fridge for the day or at at least a few hours if possible. I then add a little more when I take them out of the fridge and let the steaks come up to room temperature before hitting the preheated hot grill.

Grilling any good cut of steak straight out of the fridge is, I think, the most common mistake that folks make when trying to grill the perfect steak. It is ESSENTIAL to take the steaks out of the fridge for at least an hour depending on the thickness of the cut in order to achieve the perfect rare, medium or even well-done steak.