Catfish Revisited

By Laura Barnaby

Catfish may not be the state fish of Mississippi, but it should be: Almost all U.S. farm-raised catfish is raised here, and in Alabama, Arkansas and Louisiana. It’s also the home of the Catfish Institute. In a salute to our unofficial state fish, we give you some updated twists on catfish from some of Mississippi’s sons and daughters.

Delta Catfish Cakes (an editor’s favorite!)
Giardina’s chef, David Ferris, usually makes 100 of these catfish cakes at a time, but here, he breaks it down for readers who might want to scale down a bit.
4 each 3-5 oz. catfish filets
2 T green onions, chopped
1/4 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp black pepper
1/4 cup aioli or mayonnaise
1 T Creole mustard
1/2 tsp ground coriander
2 T red bell peppers, minced
1/4 cup homemade bread crumbs
Salt and pepper to taste
Flour for dredging
Canola oil for pan frying

Bake catfish on 350 degrees for 10 minutes or until done. Cool down and place in a bowl and crumble up.  Add the remaining ingredients and mix well. Form into 2 to 2 1/2 oz. portions; dredge in flour and cook in skillet 2 to 3 minutes on each side on medium to medium-high heat or until done. Makes five 2-oz. portions.

Catfish Tamales
Jackson, Miss.-native Ann Cashion, who is chef and proprietor of two notable Washington, D.C., restaurants, Cashion’s Eat Place (in homage to Doe’s Eat Place) and Johnny’s Half Shell, combined the best of two Delta traditions in this tamale recipe she developed just for Delta Magazine readers.

1 1/2 cups masa harina or corn flour
1 1/4 to 1 1/2 cups water, or light fish or shellfish stock
1/2 lb., plus 2 T butter, room temperature
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. cayenne
2 T fresh thyme, chopped
16 strips catfish fillets, 2 1/2 to 3 inches long and 3/4 inches wide
1 T toasted cumin seed, chopped
Salt and pepper

Mix masa harina/corn flour with water/stock to form a non-sticky dough

Beat butter with baking powder, salt, cayenne, thyme.  Gradually beat in masa mixture. Adjust seasoning to taste. Spread a thin layer of mixture onto a corn husk that has been soaked in hot water to soften, to form a rectangle that is roughly 3 inches tall and 3 1/2 inches wide. Sprinkle catfish strips with cumin, salt and pepper.

Center a strip of catfish in each dough rectangle.  Roll corn husk, fold pointed end up, and secure with a "string" of corn husk made by tearing a husk into thin strips lengthwise.

Repeat with each strip of catfish. Steam for 45 minutes.  Let sit at least 10 minutes before serving.

Catfish Provencale
Senior U.S. Senator for Mississippi Thad Cochran proudly shares his favorite catfish recipe. It’s simple, but full of flavor.

4 catfish Fillets
2 tomatoes
1 onion
2 sprigs of oregano
Butter
Worcestershire sauce
Tabasco sauce
Salt and pepper

Slice the onion and cut the tomatoes into narrow wedges. Sauté lightly in 1 tablespoon butter. Place fillets in a pan so they do not overlap. Sprinkle fish with oregano and salt and pepper to taste. Dot fish with butter. Spoon onions and tomatoes over fish. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Add a dash of Tabasco and a splash of Worcestershire sauce to the fish before serving.

Fried Catfish Po-Boy
If you can’t make it to the Ajax Diner in Oxford, here is the recipe for their ”out of this world” po boy.

Seasoned Fry Cornmeal
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
1/4 cup flour
3/4 tsp. kosher salt
1 1/ 2 tsp. lemon pepper
1 1/ 2 tsp. onion powder
1 1/ 2 tsp. garlic powder
1 1/ 4 tsp. cayenne pepper

To make the seasoned fry cornmeal: mix together all the ingredients (makes enough for about five 5-7 oz. catfish fillets).

Sandwich
Vegetable oil (for frying)
1 catfish fillet (should weight about 5-7 oz.)
French bread, 7-8 inches long, halved lengthwise, buttered, and lightly toasted Mayonnaise
Hamburger dill pickles, slices
Green cabbage, shredded

In a deep frying pan or pot, preheat enough vegetable oil to completely submerge the catfish, to 350 degrees. Dredge the catfish fillet in the seasoned cornmeal; fry fillet in oil for 8 minutes (the catfish will float when done). Remove fillet from oil and place on paper towels or a brown paper bag to drain. Spread the top slice of toasted French bread with mayo. Add a layer of hamburger dill pickle slices and sprinkle with shredded green cabbage. Put the catfish fillet on the bottom slice; sandwich the two halves together; cut on the diagonal and serve right away. Additional or other topping suggestions: cheddar cheese, bacon, celery-seed laced coleslaw, jalapeno tartar sauce, Louisiana hot sauce.

Smoked Catfish BLT
Last year, at an event in Napa Valley, chef John Currence of City Grocery in Oxford impressed attendees with this BLT with a Deep South twist.
8 slices toasted wheat bread
8 slices thick-sliced bacon-cooked the way you like it
8 thick slices homegrown tomato (this almost isn't worth the exercise with store boughts)
Baby arugula dressed with extra virgin olive oil, salt and black pepper
4 catfish filets- brined and smoked*
1 1/2 cups oven roasted tomato aioli**
Makes 4 sandwiches

Catfish Brine*
6 cups water
3 /4 cup Worcestershire
1 T dry thyme
4 T kosher salt
1 lemon, sliced
2 T black pepper
1 T red pepper flakes
2 T sugar
1/2 cup white wine

Blend together the above ingredients and pour over catfish filets. Allow to stand for 3-4 hours. Smoke until just fully cooked in a smoker according to manufacturer’s directions.

Oven-roasted Tomato Aioli**
4 medium tomatoes
4 cloves garlic, sliced thin
2 tsp. dry thyme
Salt
Black pepper
8 tsp. olive oil
4 cups homemade mayonnaise
2 tsp. chopped fresh garlic
Zest and juice of 1 lemon

Core tomatoes, slice in half crosswise and squeeze out seeds.

Place tomatoes, cut side up on a baking sheet. Place a couple of slices of garlic on each tomato half, season with salt and black pepper and drizzle with the olive oil. Put tray in oven and roast at 225 degrees for 2 1/ 2 hours until tomatoes have wilted, but not dried out. Chop tomato halves fine and blend with rest of ingredients and season with salt and black pepper to taste. 

Catfish Tacos
Patrick Kelly, Julep Restaurant
2 oz. caramelized onions
2 oz. remoulade sauce
3-5 oz. catfish filets
2 oz. blackening seasoning
2 oz. shredded pepper jack cheese
Jalapeno cheddar tortilla

Coat catfish in blackening seasoning. Sauté in a very hot skillet. Cook on both sides until done, approximately 3 to 5 minutes. Place catfish in jalapeno tortilla; add onions, cheese and remoulade. Wrap like a burrito and grill until crispy on each side.