That's a pretty bold statement, however, beauty and taste are in the eye (mouth) of the beholder. I am a catfish lover, so, IMHO, this is the word's best catfish recipe! Having grown up at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay on the Severn River in Annapolis, MD, I suppose it is only natural that I came to love fish. We had all kinds of fresh fish and seafood available to us: butterfish, rockfish, shad, white and yellow perch, and hardheads (which I was to learn later were actually Atlantic croaker) were a few in abundance.
Of course, we also had Chesapeake Bay blue crabs and in late spring through the summer, we would enjoy pan-fried soft-shell crabs. Aside from a short walk to the bottom of my street to go fishing and crabbing with my father and brother, there was a fish vender who came to our street every Saturday and sold fresh fish right from his truck. Then my mom would fry the smaller fish and bake the larger fish and add a sauce. Then I would be in fish heaven.
I hasten to add that we did not have catfish nuggets; it was the whole catfish with the bone in that my dad would catch, skin, clean and cut in half. At that time, my mom cooked the world's best fried catfish.
2 lbs catfish nuggets or fillets cut into strips
1 cup yellow corn meal
2/3 cup crushed Panko (Korean or Japanese bread crumbs)
3 tsps salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper or to taste
Oil
Pour enough oil into a large heavy skillet (cast-iron is my favorite) so it is about 1/4 inch deep. Heat oil to very hot, but not smoking.
Rinse catfish nuggets in cold water. If using fillets, cut them into pieces. Put cornmeal, Panko, salt, pepper and cayenne into a thick brown paper bag. Drop nuggets into bag and shake until well coated. Shake off excess.
Carefully place catfish pieces in the oil. Fry in batches in a single layer so you don't crowd them. Cook until golden brown; about 2 minutes on each side. Drain on brown paper bag or newspaper. If preferred, you can cover paper with a paper towel.
Serve with homemade tartar sauce.
Homemade Tartar Dipping Sauce
1 cup mayonnaise
3 Tsp dill relish
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper or to taste
1/2 tsp cumin seed (optional)
Mix well and dunk away
Of course, we also had Chesapeake Bay blue crabs and in late spring through the summer, we would enjoy pan-fried soft-shell crabs. Aside from a short walk to the bottom of my street to go fishing and crabbing with my father and brother, there was a fish vender who came to our street every Saturday and sold fresh fish right from his truck. Then my mom would fry the smaller fish and bake the larger fish and add a sauce. Then I would be in fish heaven.
I hasten to add that we did not have catfish nuggets; it was the whole catfish with the bone in that my dad would catch, skin, clean and cut in half. At that time, my mom cooked the world's best fried catfish.
2 lbs catfish nuggets or fillets cut into strips
1 cup yellow corn meal
2/3 cup crushed Panko (Korean or Japanese bread crumbs)
3 tsps salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper or to taste
Oil
Pour enough oil into a large heavy skillet (cast-iron is my favorite) so it is about 1/4 inch deep. Heat oil to very hot, but not smoking.
Rinse catfish nuggets in cold water. If using fillets, cut them into pieces. Put cornmeal, Panko, salt, pepper and cayenne into a thick brown paper bag. Drop nuggets into bag and shake until well coated. Shake off excess.
Carefully place catfish pieces in the oil. Fry in batches in a single layer so you don't crowd them. Cook until golden brown; about 2 minutes on each side. Drain on brown paper bag or newspaper. If preferred, you can cover paper with a paper towel.
Serve with homemade tartar sauce.
Homemade Tartar Dipping Sauce
1 cup mayonnaise
3 Tsp dill relish
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper or to taste
1/2 tsp cumin seed (optional)
Mix well and dunk away
2 comments:
Now this sounds sincerely like the world's best as catfish should be fried and whether using a fork or eating as simple finger food, I can find many reason to enjoy this staple hearty food.
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