Catfish: Fried Catfish
Source of Recipe
From "Tom Fitzmorris's New Orleans Food"
Recipe Introduction
"It's gospel, as far as I'm concerned: No catfish you ever make will ever be as good as catfish rolled in cornmeal and deep-fried. If you want to give it some extra moxie, marinate it in something good, as I do in this recipe. The other article of faith is the great superiority of small, wild catfish to big, farm-raised ones. Unfortunately, the catfish you find in the store is almost certainly farm-raised, which not only has an off-taste to me but also is too big. The essential trick in frying fish is to keep the oil at 375 degrees F. Use a fat thermometer to monitor this. Whatever utensil you have that will keep the heat up is fine. I've had good luck with a black iron skillet with an inch of oil, a deep Dutch oven with a couple of quarts of oil, and a good electric fryer."
List of Ingredients
◦ 2 pounds small catfish fillets
◦ 3 tablespoons yellow mustard
◦ 2 tablespoons lemon juice
◦ 1 tablespoon juice from a jar of dill pickles
◦ 2 teaspoons milder Louisiana hot sauce, such as Crystal
◦ 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
◦ 1 cup corn flour (Fish-Fri)
◦ 1 cup cornmeal
◦ 1 tablespoon salt
◦ ½ teaspoon granulated garlic
◦ Peanut oil, for frying
Recipe
Wash the catfish and remove the skin and any remaining bones. Unless the fillets are very small, cut them on the bias into strips about 1½ inches wide.
Blend the mustard, lemon juice, pickle juice, hot sauce, and Worcestershire sauce in a bowl. Put the catfish fillets into the bowl and toss to coat with the marinade. Let marinate for about 30 minutes, refrigerated.
Combine the corn flour, cornmeal, salt, and garlic with a fork in a large bowl. Put four to six pieces of catfish into the corn-flour mixture and toss around to coat the catfish. Repeat with the remaining fish.
Pour the oil into a cast iron skillet or a Dutch oven to a depth of 1 inch and place over medium-high heat until the temperature reaches 375° F. Working in batches, fry the catfish until they turn golden brown. Remove with a skimmer (or better, the spider utensil used by Asian cooks). Drain on paper towels.
Serve with tartar sauce and pickles and hot sauce. And don't forget the Hush Puppies.
Serves 2 to 4
Hush Puppies:
◦ Vegetable oil for frying, preferably oil previously used for frying fish or chicken
◦ 1½ cups white self-rising cornmeal
◦ 1½ cups self-rising flour
◦ 1 teaspoon salt
◦ ½ teaspoon salt-free Creole seasoning
◦ ½ teaspoon sugar
◦ 1 cup canned corn, drained
◦ 2 green onions, finely chopped
◦ 1 small jalapeño pepper, seeded and membrane removed, chopped
◦ 2 sprigs flat-leaf parsley, chopped
◦ 1¾ cups milk
◦ 1 egg, beaten
Pour the oil into a heavy saucepan to a depth of 1 inch. Heat over medium-high heat until the temperature reaches 350° F.
Whisk the cornmeal, flour, salt, Creole seasoning, and sugar together in a small bowl. Add the corn, green onions, jalapeño, and parsley, and stir to blend well.
In a second, larger bowl, beat the milk, egg, and ¼ cup of water together. Add the cornmeal-green onion mixture to the wet ingredients and mix with a whisk until no dry flour is visible. (Add a little more milk to the mixture if necessary. The mixture should be sticky but not runny or grainy.)
With a tablespoon, make balls of batter. Fry 4 to 6 at a time until they're medium brown; they should float on the oil when they're ready. Remove and drain, and allow the oil temperature to recover before adding more hush puppies.
Serve as an appetizer with a mixture of equal parts mayonnaise, horseradish, and sour cream, or tartar sauce. Or alongside fried seafood or chicken.
Makes about 18 hush puppies
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