As some of may be aware, I am in the process of writing a book titled: "THE CATDADDY" CHRONICLES". I have come to the conclusion that writing a book is harder than I thought, but it is slowly coming along. The recipe below is one I am putting in the book.
"Catdaddy's Catfish"
Follow these steps to the letter and your catfish will turn out perfect every time. The recipe contains some seemingly small details that if not followed, will make "great" fried catfish in to just OK fried catfish.
Ingredients
Catfish fillets ( if you must, you can substitute another species of fish)
Vegetable Oil—The long standing conventional wisdom is that you must use peanut oil, but that is not at all necessary, in fact, I prefer vegetable oil
Corn meal—Course ground is best, but not necessary
Flour
Pepper/Salt
Instructions/Important Tips
* Thick fish is not good. If you have a fillet that is over 1 inch think, filet it again
* Keep the fish in the refrigerator until you are ready to fry. Cold fish fillets make for a better meal coating and also turn out more firm and flaky than fish fried at room temperature
* Use a ¾ meal to ¼ flour ratio. The flour is not entirely necessary, but we ARE going for perfect catfish, so use it if you have it (I love that line). The amount of meal depends on how much fish you are frying—we are not cooking up a batch of crystal meth here, so the amount of meal does not have to be precise—just use enough so that the last batch you fry is not rolled in wet meal
* The fish needs to be moist, BUT NOT WET, when rolling in the meal. I like to use a "shaker" that has a screen that allows the meal to drop back down after shaking, but that is not necessary, you can just use a big bowl or--as we say in the South---a paper sack.
* As for the pepper, put more in the meal than you think you need—Don't worry, it won't be too hot ( unless you are a Yankee or a weenie)
* Don't put salt in the meal (a little know secret to great fried fish). Salt the fish AFTER it comes out of the oil.
* After shaking the cool, moist fish in the meal mixture, drop into the oil. Make sure the oil is hot (325- 350 degrees) before you drop in a fillet. This seems like something I shouldn't have to mention, but I just don't know who is going to be reading this.
* If I am cooking for 3 or less, I like to use a fry daddy that automatically gets the oil at the right temperature. For more numerous diners, I love to use my Cajun Fryer..
* There is really no need to time the frying process, just keep an eye on it. After the pieces float to the top, they are telling you " Leave us in for one more minute and we'll be done"
Put the fillets on a plate with a heavy layer of paper towels. If you are frying a lot of fish, keep the already fried pieces on a plate in a warm oven.
There you have it. Don't be afraid to fry fish—if it was bad for you I'd be dead by now. Also, I prefer wild fish over farm raised (just like with Salmon for you Birkenstock types). I do admit to buying some catfish once at the grocery store but I was careful not to let anyone see me. I hid the pack of fillets under a case of beer in the shopping cart. That experience left me feeling so empty and emasculated that I never did it again.
