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Friday Night Fish Fry

Source of Recipe

From "The Outdoor Table" by April McKinney


Recipe Introduction

"Backyard fish fries are a tradition where I come from, so I had to share my favorite fried catfish recipe. If you don't have a portable deep fryer, you can easily prepare your fish indoors according to the recipe below, and keep the fish crisp in the oven until you're ready to serve it. Be sure to fry up a batch of hushpuppies as well."

List of Ingredients

Catfish:
â—¦ 2 large eggs
â—¦ 1 cup whole or low-fat milk
â—¦ 2 pounds catfish fillets (4 to 6 ounces each)
â—¦ 1 ¼ cups cornmeal
â—¦ 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
â—¦ 1 teaspoon salt
â—¦ ½ teaspoon seasoning salt
â—¦ 1 teaspoon dry mustard
â—¦ ¾ teaspoon ground black pepper
â—¦ ¼ teaspoon celery seed
â—¦ Peanut oil, for frying

Tartar Sauce:
â—¦ 1 cup mayonnaise
â—¦ 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
â—¦ ½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
â—¦ 1 tablespoon sweet pickle relish
â—¦ 2 tablespoons grated white onion


Recipe

For the catfish, preheat the oven to 250 degrees, and place on a wire rack on top of a baking sheet. Whisk together the eggs and milk in a shallow dish, and place the catfish fillets in the mixture to soak for about 10 minutes. In another shallow dish mix together the cornmeal, flour, salt, seasoning salt, mustard, pepper, and celery seed.

Heat the oil to 350 degrees in a cast iron skillet. Remove the fillets from the milk mixture, and dredge them in the cornmeal mixture until they are well coated. Place the fillets in the oil in several batches, and cook them for about 4 minutes per side. Remove the fillets from the oil, and place on the wire rack. Keep the fish in the warm oven until all of the fillets are fried.

For the tartar sauce, mix together the mayonnaise, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, relish, and onions in a medium bowl. Keep the sauce chilled until you are ready to serve it with the catfish.

Makes 4 to 6 servings



Sweet Onion Hushpuppies:

â—¦ 2 cups yellow cornmeal
â—¦ 1 cup self-rising flour
â—¦ 2 tablespoons sugar
â—¦ 1 teaspoons salt
â—¦ ¼ teaspoons baking soda
â—¦ 1 teaspoons garlic powder
â—¦ 2 large eggs, beaten
â—¦ 1½ cups buttermilk
â—¦ ½ cup grated sweet onion
â—¦ ¼ cup sliced green onions
â—¦ Canola oil, for frying

In a large bowl whisk together the cornmeal, flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, and garlic powder. Whisk in the eggs and buttermilk until they are just combined, and then stir in the sweet onions and green onions.

Pour 2 to 3 inches of oil into a Dutch oven or electric fryer, and heat to 375 degrees. Working in batches, drop the tablespoonsful of batter into the oil, being careful not to overcrowd.

Let the hushpuppies fry for about 2 minutes on each side. Once they are golden brown, drain them on paper towels. Serve warm.

Makes 28 to 30 servings