love cajun, creole, and blackened foods. Can’t get enough!
The only problem I have is that there is a spice I have not been able to identify that is not necessarily a bad spice, but one that if they use to much of it overpower the others and it becomes almost dirty tasting for lack of a better term for it.
Can anyone help identify what that may be? It is disapointing when I order something out and it has that dirty taste. And I can not count the # of jars of cajun spices I have tossed out. And when I make a cajun season following recipes I have tried I know that I like each of the spices used individually or they woulding be in my cupboard. But I can not figure out what one or combo of two perhaps creats that dirty or overly unwashed herby/dirty flavor that ruins it for me.
Help! I want more cajun without the dirty taste added!
Dirty. I like smoky. Do you know what the dirty taste is?
I posted a response to this question earlier today and now I don’t see it.
I found my posting. The problem is that Chilipepper32 posted the same question in two places. Here is my earlier response:
You can make your own spice mix tasting each spice before adding it to see it that is the one the produces the “dirty taste”.
Cajun Spice Mix
Ingredients
• 1/4 cup Kosher salt
• 1/4 cup cayenne
• 1/4 cup paprika
• 1/4 cup garlic granules
• 1/4 cup ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons onion granules
• 2 tablespoons oregano, dry
• 2 tablespoons thyme, dry
Directions
Mix all ingredients and store in a jar.
Creole Seasoning Blend
1-1/2 teaspoons onion powder
1-1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
1-1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1-1/2 teaspoons dried basil
3/4 teaspoon dried thyme
3/4 teaspoon black pepper
3/4 teaspoon white pepper
3/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon and 3/4 teaspoon paprika
2-1/4 teaspoons salt
In a small bowl, combine onion powder, garlic powder, oregano, basil, thyme, black pepper, white pepper, cayenne pepper, paprika and salt. Store in an airtight container.
Blackening Spice
• 1 tbsp toasted ground cumin seeds
• 2 tbsp paprika
• 1 tbsp salt
• 1 tbsp onion powder
• 1 tbsp garlic powder
• 1 tbsp plus 1 tsp cayenne
• 1 tbsp white pepper
• 1/2 tbsp thyme
• 1/2 tbsp ground black pepper
• 1/2 tbsp oregano
Place a cast iron pan over moderate heat for 4 minutes. Add the cumin seeds and toast until fragrant. Remove allow to cool and grind in a coffee mill. Add to spices.
Combine all ingredients and store in airtight container for up to 2 months.
Makes 1/2 cup spice mix.
Good luck!
Check you ingredients…could be cumin. Too much is very overpowering, and to me tastes like sweat smells, if that makes sense to you. Just a pinch is enough for me for the flavor.
Cumin is one of my favorite spices, so it’s not that one. I use thyme in some of my Italian dishes and don’t notice it. All the spices in my cupboard do not have the dirty taste. So it is one I am un familar with that they use in restarants or in the commercially mixed combinations.
Is there another spice that some of the restaraunts use in there blackening seasonings that hasn’t been listed? Whatever it is, it is the SAME dirty taste anywhere that there seasoning is more on the milder side vs bold and spicy side. Tried a blackened burger again this week, dirty again. But the blackenened Halibut was wonderful. It is driving me nuts!
Ivdkeyes, thanks for the different recipes to try. And sorry about posting it in 2 spots. Posted it in another spot before I realized that the question area was a better suited place for it.
I hope the recipes will help.
They will, thank you. I will try them all. But home is not the problem. The main reason I am trying to identify the ingredient is so that I can inquire as to whether or not it is in their recipe when I want to try a resturants blackened items. When I eat out I always gravitate to the spicy, blackened, cajun, etc and don’t want a dirty taste to make me avoid an esablishment all together. Not fair to them when there could be so many other good choices on a menu if I had only known ahead of time. When I do get that dirty taste I hate to offend them by asking about it.
It could be a combination of some. I know that on occasion when I mix certain ones, they do that. I have found that paprika mixed with some, do it often. It’s like it triggers a chemical reaction so when the two are fine by themselves, you mix them together and get it. It’s possibly the cumin and paprika doing it, combined. I know that oregano sometimes has that taste to it after a while, but it takes a long time before it does that.
My dad said to take a small piece of chicken, like a 1-2 inch cube, and try it will a little of the spices. He said a small piece will help you to figure out what it is. He said also using a small piece, will tell you what needs to be changed since it may be the cooking method used. You may need to adjust your spices then and continue testing to find out what it is.