The Catfish That Walks

I think the catfish species has been much maligned.  When I talk to people about my love of catfish (for eating), many reject the idea and turn up their noses at the thought.  However, catfish inhabit every continent on the planet except Antarctica.  That could be because they don't like the very cold, frozen temperatures.  They prefer cool, clean, deep water with slow or moderate currents. They also like a sandy or rocky bottom. So they inhabit rivers, streams, swamps, lakes and reservoirs.

There are over 2000 catfish species in existence and more than half of them live in the Americas.  They live in Central Europe, Africa and Asia and some of the world's best catfish recipes come from those countries.  In some locales, there is a species of catfish that walks.  Well, it doesn't actually walks, but has a way to get across land when the waters dry up.

At one time, catfish were a delicacy and eaten on special holidays, so when immigrants came to American shores, they brought that tradition with them.  Nowadays, catfish is enjoyed anytime.

Catfish have no scales, but they do have what are called "barbels" which look like cat whiskers.  Nor do they have fur. They have a delicate flavor so they lend themselves easily to many fish recipes.    They can be sautéed, broiled, put in stews or barbecued. 

In Indonesia, people get their catfish grilled by street vendors in stalls and eaten with vegetables and soy sauce.  In Malaysia catfish is fried with spices (See below: Fried Catfish Middle Eastern Style). In some Indian states catfish is eaten as a favored delicacy during the monsoons.  And, of course, in the Southern United States, catfish is generally fried in oil with cornmeal.  (See below my Annapolis-inspired Fried Catfish Nuggets for the Super Bowl.)

In the US, roughly 95% of  farm-raised catfish is raised in Mississippi, Arkansas, Alabama, and Louisiana.  Catfish is very popular in the South in the summertime.  In recognition of and to celebrate its popularity, President Ronald Reagan declared June 25th National Catfish Day in 1987.

Here, in the coming months, you are going to find some of the world's best catfish recipes for catfish lovers.

Fried Catfish Middle Eastern Style

You will know from this blog that fish and catfish, in particular, are featured.  Searching always for new catfish recipes, this one is adapted from a recipe called Lahori Fish.  Lahore is a city in Pakistan.  It is not specifically for catfish, yet this recipe is delicious using my favorite river food.  You may find some new seasonings and ingredients in this recipe you might not have in your pantry, like gram flour (made from chickpeas), chaat masala and carom seeds.  No worries.  You can find them in Indian markets or online.

The fish is marinated in and covered with a thick  batter of gram flour (Besan) and spiced with carom seeds (Ajwain) and chaat masala, another spice mixture..

Ingredients

    * 1 kg, (about 2.2 lbs) catfish nuggets or fillet, cut into medium sized fillets/chunks)
    * bread crumbs
    * oil for frying

 

  * Batter:

    * 1/2 cup gram flour (Besan)
    * 1 tsp ginger garlic paste
    * 1 tsp red Chilli powder
    * 1 tsp crushed red chillies
    * 1 tbsp crushed whole coriander
    * 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
    * 1/2 tsp carom seeds (Ajwain)
    * 2 tbsp white vinegar
    * salt to taste
    * water, as required

Directions

    * Combine all ingredients for the batter with enough water to make a thick paste.
    * Apply this well on the fish.  Marinate for couple of hours so that some marinade is absorbed by the fish.
    * Now lightly coat with bread crumbs and set aside for 15 minutes.
    * Deep fry the fish, in batches, in hot oil until golden brown.
    * Drain and sprinkle fish with lemon juice and Chaat Masala.
    * Serve hot with salad and lemon wedges.