Blackened Cajun Drum with Collard Greens & Cheddar Grits

Blackened Cajun Drum

with Collard Greens & Cheddar Grits

30 MIN
4 Servings
Wellness at Blue Apron
Find recipes that suit your lifestyle with our new nutritionist-approved dietary tags.
Vegetarian
These recipes don’t contain meat, poultry, fish, or seafood.* They’re made with fruits and vegetables, grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds. *Select artisanal cheeses may contain animal-derived rennet.
Carb Conscious
These meals have 48g or less of net carbs (total carbs minus dietary fiber) per serving. They replace refined carbohydrates from sources like white flour, rice, and cane sugar with high-fiber foods like fresh vegetables, fruits, and whole grains.
600 Calories Or Less
Coming in at 600 calories or less per serving, these recipes are ideal for those choosing to monitor their caloric intake without sacrificing flavor. The US Food & Drug Administration uses 2000 calorie daily intake for general advice. The 600 calorie cap equates to 30% of the total 2000 calories per day based on 3 meals per day with 200 calories remaining for snack or beverage.
Wellness Grain
These recipes feature grains such as barley, quinoa, farro, orzo, couscous and more, handpicked by our Culinary team in collaboration with our Registered Dietitian.
Pescatarian
These recipes feature a wide array of nutritious seafood options like salmon, cod, tilapia, crab, and shrimp. While these dishes never contain meat, pork or poultry, they may contain animal derived ingredients such as milk, butter, cheese and/or honey.
To view a recipe's full nutrition information, head to your Upcoming page at blueapron.com, click on a specific recipe, then head to the Nutrition tab and select 'View Full Nutrition.' Nutrition Facts Panels are available up to 1.5 weeks in advance

From the Test Kitchen

Mardi Gras in New Orleans usually means lots of Southern food—and you can’t have Southern food without grits. Originally a Native American dish, grits is a porridge made from ground corn that often accompanies fresh fish. We’re adding extra flavor to ours by melting in cheddar cheese, resulting in a perfectly creamy side. And in traditional Cajun fashion, we’re blackening the drum fillets (deliciously charring their coating of spices).

Get Plans
  • Nutrition
    PER SERVING
  • Calories
    700 Cals (est.)
fresh
ingredients
Blackened Cajun Drum with Collard Greens & Cheddar Grits
Title
  • 4 Drum Fillets
  • 1¼ cups Yellow Grits
  • 3 cloves Garlic
  • 1 bunch Collard Greens
  • 1 Yellow Onion
  • 1 large bunch Parsley
  • 2 oz Cheddar Cheese
  • 4 Tbsps Butter
  • 2 Tbsps Cajun Spice Blend (Smoked Paprika, Ground Yellow Mustard, Dried Onion Powder, Garlic Powder, Dried Oregano, Dried Thyme & Cayenne Pepper)
  • 1 Tbsp White Wine Vinegar
time-saving
tips & techniques
Cheddar Cheese
step-by-step
instructions
Cook Along Triangle Created with Sketch.
Prepare the ingredients:
1 Prepare the ingredients:

Wash and dry the fresh produce. Peel and thinly slice the garlic and onion. Remove and discard the stems of the collard greens; thinly slice the leaves. Pick the parsley leaves off the stems; discard the stems. Grate the cheddar cheese. Pat the fish fillets dry with paper towels; coat with half the spice blend and season with salt and pepper.

Make the cheddar grits:
2 Make the cheddar grits:

In a medium pot, heat 5 cups of water and a big pinch of salt to boiling on high. Once boiling, stir in the grits; reduce the heat to low. Cook, stirring frequently, 5 to 7 minutes, or until the water is absorbed and the grits are tender. Remove from heat and stir in the butter and cheddar cheese until well combined; season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover and set aside in a warm place. Just before serving, transfer to a serving dish.

Cook the aromatics:
3 Cook the aromatics:

While the grits cook, in a large pan (nonstick, if you have one), heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil on medium-high until hot. Add the garlic, onion and as much of the remaining spice blend as you’d like, depending on how spicy you’d like the dish to be; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, 2 to 3 minutes, or until softened and fragrant.

Add the collard greens:
4 Add the collard greens:

Add the collard greens, vinegar and ¼ cup of water to the pan of aromatics; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, 4 to 6 minutes, or until thoroughly combined and the collard greens have softened. Transfer to a serving dish; loosely cover with aluminum foil and set aside. Wipe out the pan.

Cook the fish:
5 Cook the fish:

In the same pan used to cook the collard greens, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil on medium-high until hot. Add the seasoned fish fillets; cook 2 to 3 minutes per side, or until slightly blackened on the outside and cooked through. Remove from heat.

Serve your dish:
6 Serve your dish:

Transfer the cooked fish fillets to a serving dish; garnish with the parsley. Season the cheddar grits with pepper. Serve with the collard greens on the side. Enjoy!

Tips from Home Chefs

Get Plans

Blackened Cajun Drum

Prepare the ingredients:
1 Prepare the ingredients:

Wash and dry the fresh produce. Peel and thinly slice the garlic and onion. Remove and discard the stems of the collard greens; thinly slice the leaves. Pick the parsley leaves off the stems; discard the stems. Grate the cheddar cheese. Pat the fish fillets dry with paper towels; coat with half the spice blend and season with salt and pepper.

2 Make the cheddar grits:

In a medium pot, heat 5 cups of water and a big pinch of salt to boiling on high. Once boiling, stir in the grits; reduce the heat to low. Cook, stirring frequently, 5 to 7 minutes, or until the water is absorbed and the grits are tender. Remove from heat and stir in the butter and cheddar cheese until well combined; season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover and set aside in a warm place. Just before serving, transfer to a serving dish.

Make the cheddar grits:
Cook the aromatics:
3 Cook the aromatics:

While the grits cook, in a large pan (nonstick, if you have one), heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil on medium-high until hot. Add the garlic, onion and as much of the remaining spice blend as you’d like, depending on how spicy you’d like the dish to be; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, 2 to 3 minutes, or until softened and fragrant.

4 Add the collard greens:

Add the collard greens, vinegar and ¼ cup of water to the pan of aromatics; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, 4 to 6 minutes, or until thoroughly combined and the collard greens have softened. Transfer to a serving dish; loosely cover with aluminum foil and set aside. Wipe out the pan.

Add the collard greens:
Cook the fish:
5 Cook the fish:

In the same pan used to cook the collard greens, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil on medium-high until hot. Add the seasoned fish fillets; cook 2 to 3 minutes per side, or until slightly blackened on the outside and cooked through. Remove from heat.

6 Serve your dish:

Transfer the cooked fish fillets to a serving dish; garnish with the parsley. Season the cheddar grits with pepper. Serve with the collard greens on the side. Enjoy!

Serve your dish:
Browse Steps
1 of 6