Fried Catfish With Pepper Wrapped Scallions Recipes

RESTAURANT-QUALITY FRIED CATFISH

Steps:

• Pat fillets with paper towel
• Place fish in a large baking dish or plastic storage bag, pour in buttermilk; coat well; allow to sit for 10-minutes in refrigerator
• Meanwhile, make tartar sauce; After the tartar sauce is made, coat and cook the fish
• In a large bowl, add cornmeal, salt, pepper and cayenne; stir with fork till blended
• Using a cast-iron, or heavy bottom skillet, pour oil into skillet and heat to medium;
• While oil is heating, take a fillet directly from the buttermilk and place it in the cornmeal; pat the cornmeal on the fillet; coat it all over, twice; repeat with remaining fillets
• Check your skillet; the oil needs to be around 312 - 350ºF; you can sprinkle a few pieces of cornmeal in the oil to see if it sizzles; if it does sizzle, the oil is ready
• Cooking in batches of two fillets, place them in the hot oil; DO NOT MOVE THE FILLETS until they've cooked for 2 1/2 - 3 minutes on one side
• After 2 1/2 -3 minutes, use tongs and flip the fish over and cook for an additional 3 minutes
• Use a thermometer to measure internal temperature; it should be 145ºF
• Remove fillets from oil and place on a paper towel
• Repeat until all fillets are cooked and drained
• Plate fillets and serve with lemon and tartar sauce
• In a small bowl, combine all ingredients; refrigerate until ready to serve

SOUTHERN FRIED CATFISH

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine the olive oil, mayonnaise, scallions and relish to make a tartar sauce. Refrigerate until needed.
• Heat oil in deep-fryer to 350 degrees F.
• Combine cornmeal, Blackfish Spice and salt and pepper, to taste. Dredge catfish fillets in seasoned cornmeal. Deep-fry coated pieces in batches until they are cooked through, about 10 minutes. (For basic reference, use the manufacturer's instructions for your deep fryer for similar foods, then test the fish see that it is fork tender.) Allow to drain on paper towels and serve with tartar sauce and fresh lemon wedges (to squeeze lemon juice over the fish).

SOUTHERN FRIED CATFISH

Steps:

• In a small bowl, mix buttermilk, water, salt, and pepper. Pour mixture into a flat pan large enough to hold the fillets. Spread fish in one layer over bottom of pan, turning to coat each side, and set aside to marinate.
• In a 2 gallon resealable plastic bag, combine the cornmeal, flour, and seafood seasoning. Add fish to mixture, a few fillets at a time, and tumble gently to coat evenly.
• Heat oil in deep fryer to 365 degrees F (185 degrees C).
• Deep fry fillets until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Avoid overcrowding so fillets have room to brown properly. Fish should be slightly crisp outside, and moist and flaky inside. Drain on paper towels.

TODD RICHARDS'S FRIED CATFISH WITH HOT SAUCE

Steps:

• Combine the buttermilk, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, granulated garlic, granulated onion and 1 teaspoon each of the salt and black pepper in a large bowl or large resealable plastic freezer bag. Add catfish pieces; cover or seal and refrigerate for 2 to 8 hours.
• Whisk together the cornmeal, cayenne and remaining 3 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper in a shallow dish or pie pan.
• Heat the oil in a 12-inch skillet to 350 degrees over medium heat.
• Remove the catfish from the buttermilk mixture and dredge in the cornmeal. Let stand 5 minutes.
• Fry the catfish (large pieces first), in batches, until golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Drain on a plate lined with paper towels. Serve with additional hot sauce.

FRIED CATFISH

Steps:

• Pat fish dry; transfer to a pie dish or other wide, shallow dish. Season generously with salt andpepper. Add buttermilk, turning and arranging fish strips to fully submerge. Let stand 2 hours, or refrigerate, loosely covered, up to 8 hours.
• In another pie dish, season cornmeal with salt and pepper. Working one at a time, lift fishstrips from buttermilk, allowing excess to drip off, and dredge in cornmeal mixture, turning toevenly coat. Gently shake off any excess; transfer to a wire rack.
• Pour enough oil into a large, heavy-bottomed skillet (preferably cast iron) to come 1/4 inchup sides (about 3/4 cup); heat over medium-high. When oil shimmers and a bit of cornmeal sizzles when dropped in, add fish in a single layer (do not crowd pan; fry in batches if necessary). Cook, undisturbed, until fish is golden brown on bottoms and lifts easily from skillet, 2 to 3 minutes. Flip and continue cooking until golden on bottoms and just cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes more. Transfer to a clean wire rack, season with salt, and let cool 1 minute. Serve with lemon wedges and hot sauce, or one of the fish sauces.

FRIED CATFISH WITH PEPPER-WRAPPED SCALLIONS

Steps:

• In a skillet or deep fryer, heat oil to 450 degrees.
• Butterfly the catfish by slicing the belly lengthwise. Slice the meat away from the tail and spread the flesh apart, making sure that it is attached to the spine.
• Prepare the garnish by slicing the chili pepper crosswise into eight circles 1/8 inch thick, discarding the seeds. Place a scallion stalk through each pepper circle, and make four 1/2-inch cuts into the ends of the scallions so the ends feather.
• Place the cilantro on a serving platter.
• Place the fish in the hot oil and quickly lower the flame so the oil is at 250 degrees. Cook the fish for approximately 5 to 6 minutes, or until golden.
• When the fish is done, turn up the flame so the oil is 450 degrees and continue frying the fish for one minute.
• Remove the fish from the pan, drain on paper towels and place on top of the cilantro.
• In a separate small saucepan, place a tablespoon of the oil just used for cooking the fish, and add the soy sauce, sugar and sesame oil. Heat until it begins to bubble, and pour sauce over the fish. Surround the fish with scallion bundles and serve.

FRIED CATFISH PO'BOY WITH CELERIAC REMOULADE SAUCE

Steps:

• For the remoulade: Combine the celeriac, mayonnaise, ketchup, mustard, capers, scallion, anchovy, hot sauce, garlic and lemon juice in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper, and mix well.
• For the fried catfish: In a large heavy skillet, heat the oil to 365 degrees F on a deep-fry thermometer.
• Set up 3 pans. In the first, mix 1/2 cup of the flour and some salt and pepper. In the second, mix the milk and the hot sauce. In the third, mix the remaining 1/2 cup flour and the cornmeal and cornstarch; season with salt and pepper
• Dredge the catfish fillets first through the flour, shaking off any excess. Next, dredge in the milk mixture, again shaking off the excess. Finally, dredge the catfish in the cornmeal mixture, making sure the fillets are completely coated. Let sit for 5 minutes.
• Carefully slide the breaded fillets into the hot oil and cook until golden brown and cooked through, about 10 minutes.
• Assemble the sandwich: Spread the cut sides of the baguettes with remoulade. Layer with sliced tomatoes, shredded lettuce and a catfish fillet. Chow down!

SPICY CATFISH WITH BELL PEPPERS AND ONIONS

Steps:

• Season fish with salt and pepper. Dust lightly with flour. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in heavy medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add fish to skillet. Cook until golden brown and just opaque in center, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer fish to plates. Add 1/2 tablespoon oil, onion and bell peppers to same skillet. Sauté until crisp-tender, about 4 minutes. Add vinegar and jalapeño. Stir 1 minute. Season mixture with salt and pepper. Spoon over fish.

FRIED CATFISH AND SPAGHETTI

Steps:

• Marinate the catfish: In a medium bowl, mix together buttermilk, mustard, salt and pepper. Add the catfish strips, turning to coat each side, and place in the refrigerator to marinate as you prepare the sauce.
• Prepare the pasta sauce: In a large pot set over medium-high, heat olive oil until it shimmers. Add ground meat, onion, green pepper, seasoned salt and black pepper. Cook until the meat is browned and cooked through and the vegetables have softened, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, 30 seconds.
• Add tomato sauce, crushed tomatoes, stock, sugar, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, Italian seasoning, parsley, basil and red-pepper flakes. Continue to simmer until sauce has thickened, about 20 to 30 minutes.
• While the sauce is cooking, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package directions until al dente.
• As pasta cooks, prepare the fish for frying: As sauce cooks, heat the vegetable oil over medium-high in a large (12-inch) cast-iron skillet until it reaches 365 degrees on an instant-read thermometer.
• In a medium bowl or resealable plastic bag, combine the cornmeal, flour and seafood seasoning. Add the fish to the mixture, a few strips at a time, and tumble gently to coat evenly
• Working in batches, fry fillets until golden brown, about 5 minutes, flipping occasionally with tongs. Avoid crowding the pan, so that the fillets have room to brown properly. (Fish should be slightly crisp outside, and moist and flaky inside.) Drain on paper towels, and hit with seafood seasoning or salt as soon as the fried strips come out of the oil.
• Toss the spaghetti into the simmered sauce. Serve the sauced pasta across plates, alongside the fried fish. Sprinkle more basil and parsley over the top.