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Cajun Fried Catfish with Sweet Hushpuppies

Source of Recipe

"The Prudhomme Family Cookbook" by Paul Prudhomme


Recipe Introduction

"Eli says that when the family wanted a good, big fish dinner, Mom and Dad loaded the fish, corn flour, pork lard, seasonings, and pots in the wagon, hitched up the horses, and headed for the woods near the house to cook. He says they ended up within rock-throwing distance of the house, but there was 'just something about cooking fish outdoors.' Mom enjoyed these outings because Dad did the cooking. He and the boys cleaned the fish, used wire to hang a big pot from a tree limb, and built a wood fire under the pot. Dad determined when the pork lard was hot enough for frying by dropping a match into it; if the match lit, the lard was hot enough. Elden remembers Dad draining the fried fish on green moss. All the family agree that fish always seemed to taste better when it was cooked outdoors. Eli and Sue's fried catfish has a nice crunchy crust. Sue fries it for an unusually long time by modern standards, which usually call for cooking fish just until flaky. We found her method makes the crust crunchier and keeps the fish moister for a longer time than quick frying. When we tested the recipe, we discovered that something we had found to be true about many vegetables was also true for fish — that they're delicious cooked for a very long time or a very short time, but they're really terrible cooked for a medium length of time or anything between long term and short term. Eli and Sue's hushpuppy recipe is unusual in that the only liquid in the batter is from one egg; yet the hushpuppies come out wonderfully moist. Be sure to make the batter well ahead of frying the fish, since the batter needs to sit about two hours (but not more than three) before the hushpuppies are fried."

List of Ingredients

â—¦ 1 ½ pounds freshwater catfish fillets about ½ inch thick, cut into pieces 3 inches long

Seasoning Mix:
â—¦ 1 tablespoon garlic powder
â—¦ 2 teaspoons salt
â—¦ 1 ½ teaspoons black pepper
â—¦ 1 teaspoon ground red pepper (preferably cayenne)
â—¦ 2 tablespoons hot pepper vinegar
â—¦ 2 tablespoons prepared mustard
â—¦ 1 large egg
â—¦ 1 cup milk
â—¦ About 3 cups pork lard (preferred) or vegetable oil for pan frying
â—¦ 1 ½ cups corn flour

â—¦ Sweet Hushpuppies (recipe follows)



Recipe

Place the fish pieces in a large bowl or pan. Combine the seasoning mix ingredients thoroughly in a small bowl. In a separate bowl, combine 1 tablespoon of the seasoning mix with the hot pepper vinegar and mustard, mixing well. Reserve the remaining seasoning mix. Spread the vinegar and mustard mixture evenly over the fish, working it in your hands to coat all pieces well. Set aside.

In a medium-size bowl, beat the egg until frothy. Beat in the milk and 1 teaspoon of the seasoning mix.

In a large plastic bag, combine the corn flour and the remaining 1 tablespoon plus ½ teaspoon seasoning mix, mixing well. Soak one batch of fish in the egg and milk mixture for a couple of minutes, making sure all pieces are thoroughly coated. Add the fish pieces to the seasoned flour and dredge thoroughly. (Dredging the fish in a bag instead of in a pan or bowl seems to help more corn flour adhere to the fish, and that results in a thicker crust. Let sit about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large heavy skillet, heat pork lard ½ inch deep over high heat to 300° F. (If using vegetable oil, heat to 280° F.) Add the fish to the hot lard without shaking off excess flour, making sure all pieces lie flat in the skillet.

Fry until dark golden brown on the bottom, about 11 minutes in lard, or 16 minutes in oil. (Meanwhile, soak another batch of fish in the egg and milk mixture.) Turn fish and cook until second side is dark golden brown, about 6 minutes more for either lard or oil. Do not crowd. (Maintain temperature for lard as close to 300° F as possible, and 280° F for oil.) Drain on paper towels and serve immediately with the hushpuppies.

Makes 6 servings



Sweet Hushpuppies:

â—¦ 1 cup all-purpose flour
â—¦ ½ cup sugar
â—¦ ½ cup yellow cornmeal
â—¦ 2 tablespoons baking powder
â—¦ ¼ teaspoon salt
â—¦ â…› teaspoon ground red pepper (preferably cayenne)
â—¦ 1 cup very finely chopped onions
â—¦ ½ cup very finely chopped green bell peppers
â—¦ ½ cup very finely chopped green onion (tops only)
â—¦ 1 egg, beaten
â—¦ Pork lard (preferred) or vegetable oil for pan frying

In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, cornmeal, baking powder, salt, and pepper; mix well, breaking up any lumps. Add the onions, bell peppers, green onions, and egg, stirring until thoroughly blended. (Mixture will be very dry at this point, but it will get moister as it sits. Cover and refrigerate for about 2 hours, but no longer than 3 hours or the batter will get too moist.)

In a large skillet over high heat, heat lard ½ inch deep to 350° F. (If using vegetable oil, heat to 330° F.)

If using lard, slip the batter by tablespoonfuls (or use a small ice cream scoop) into the hot lard and fry in batches until cooked through and dark golden brown on all sides, about 5 minutes total, turning at least once.

If cooking in oil, once the oil reaches 330° F, turn off heat momentarily and slip the hushpuppies into the hot oil. Then turn heat to low and fry in batches until dark golden brown on all sides, about 4 minutes total, turning at least once. Continue for remaining batches, being sure to return lard to 350° F each time, and oil to 330° F.

Drain on paper towels and blot the tops with more paper towels.
Serve while piping hot.

Makes 2 to 3 dozen hushpuppies