A friend brought me two catfish today. See its Lent around here and it being a predominately ..... well if I gotta explain, it will just take too long. Its seafood Fridays in Lent. When I was a kid, all year Fridays was always seafood, just like Mondays was always red beans & rice. Then during Lent it was seafood everyday. I am not Catholic, but I like a religon that does a load of seafood anytime. LOL
Filleted the catfish, then sliced each half into half following the blood line or longitudinally. Its just how I normally prefer my fried fish, some just eat the fillets, some quarter, some even chip (thats good stuff too). Pretty isn't it, thats only 2 fish.
Lets start getting the fish ready now they are cleaned and sliced ........
In the bowl is a little mustard and some thyme, no salt or pepper either, I don't want to draw the fluid out the fish. The ammount in the bowl is all I used for all that cat fish. Dump all the fish in, swish 'em around and just let 'em sit till you're ready.
Now to the important stuff. Hush puppies. Yes I know its a southern thing, but they are soooooo good I can't believe the whole world does not embrace them! Oh and BTW, did I mention that my Mom was renowned for her hush puppies? They were simply amazing! No, she never had a recipe, but I'll watched and really tryed to learn. Mine are not bad, but never of her quality.
Here's some things you'll need.
Flour, sugar, cornmeal, salt, baking powder & soda.
I always sift and for three good reasons. first, it lightens or aerates the flour and corn meal, It catches any little varmits in the crushed grains (I swear I don't know how they get in them either). Finally do you see the bay leaves? Mom always kept them in the sugar and grains. She said it kept the weevils and ants out. I don't know it works, but I have never seen any since I started doing it 40 years ago.
Minced onions, they need not be minced but if chopped remember to lower the cooking temp so they get a better chance to cook. Just be consistent.
While here, if you don't have one of these I highly recommend it, it saves wasted plastic bags littering the world's trashes.
They on the reefer grates and hang down freeing up space in the reefer as well as keeping cut veggies fresh and handy. I have a red on for tomatoes, a white on for peppers, and the blue one for onions. Cool huh...... Tupperware may yet save the earth.
Mix everything up in the bowl I use equal parts corn meal to flour, a healthy amount of sugar (they are supposed to be slightly sweet). A pinch of salt, baking powder, baking soda, ( that's 4 powder to 1 soda, soda is your stablizer).
Buttermilk.... A southern stable, Biscuits, pancakes, corn meal, hush puppies. I use it as much as milk.
While I am here, see the scoop? A while back I had a 4 scoop set given to me. Silly, right? These are the handiest things since pockets on a shirt. I do everything from core apples to measure muffins, yes even to dropping hush puppies. If you don't have some, again, I love mine now. I use 'em daily.
Everything dry in the bowl, add the onions to the dry mixture and stir around with a spatula. They are coated dry and hence don't clump will mixing. Add the Buttermilk and ....... The secret ingredient! Dum dum dummmmmmm!
Let it set a few mins. and the butternilk will act on the baking powder and create beautiful little air bubbles.... see?
Its ok taste it, make sure it now tastes delicious! Oh it does, it does! (BTW this is great on hotdogs making corny dogs too!)
Using my small scoop. into grease at med.high temp. they will hit the bottom of the pot and bounce up to float.
Look two have already flipped! They will flip them selves if you've got 'em right. If not, give the pan a shake, if not still you can manually do it. Pffft......
Now I must back up and appoligize, all my large idaho taters were rotten in the insides. I don't know why and there was no blemish visible. Also I didn't have an cabbage in the house, used it making tasso & shrimp smothered cabbage the other night
Its store bought curlie fries and a salad . I did make the tarter sauce, which is also a family thing...... I'll tell ya about that next.
Fish fry.... gosh a gazillion ways to do something so easy. Its just 4 to 1, flour to cornmeal. I add salt, Tony's, and dried mustard..
And wa-la.... its supper!
Fried catfish, hush puppies, curlie fries, garden salad, summer pickles & Tarter sauce.
Seems I am forgeting something......... It will come to me.
Fried fish without hush puppies is like kissing thru a screen door, I mean its still a kiss but whats the point?
Filleted the catfish, then sliced each half into half following the blood line or longitudinally. Its just how I normally prefer my fried fish, some just eat the fillets, some quarter, some even chip (thats good stuff too). Pretty isn't it, thats only 2 fish.
Lets start getting the fish ready now they are cleaned and sliced ........
In the bowl is a little mustard and some thyme, no salt or pepper either, I don't want to draw the fluid out the fish. The ammount in the bowl is all I used for all that cat fish. Dump all the fish in, swish 'em around and just let 'em sit till you're ready.
Now to the important stuff. Hush puppies. Yes I know its a southern thing, but they are soooooo good I can't believe the whole world does not embrace them! Oh and BTW, did I mention that my Mom was renowned for her hush puppies? They were simply amazing! No, she never had a recipe, but I'll watched and really tryed to learn. Mine are not bad, but never of her quality.
Here's some things you'll need.
Flour, sugar, cornmeal, salt, baking powder & soda.
I always sift and for three good reasons. first, it lightens or aerates the flour and corn meal, It catches any little varmits in the crushed grains (I swear I don't know how they get in them either). Finally do you see the bay leaves? Mom always kept them in the sugar and grains. She said it kept the weevils and ants out. I don't know it works, but I have never seen any since I started doing it 40 years ago.
Minced onions, they need not be minced but if chopped remember to lower the cooking temp so they get a better chance to cook. Just be consistent.
While here, if you don't have one of these I highly recommend it, it saves wasted plastic bags littering the world's trashes.
They on the reefer grates and hang down freeing up space in the reefer as well as keeping cut veggies fresh and handy. I have a red on for tomatoes, a white on for peppers, and the blue one for onions. Cool huh...... Tupperware may yet save the earth.
Mix everything up in the bowl I use equal parts corn meal to flour, a healthy amount of sugar (they are supposed to be slightly sweet). A pinch of salt, baking powder, baking soda, ( that's 4 powder to 1 soda, soda is your stablizer).
Buttermilk.... A southern stable, Biscuits, pancakes, corn meal, hush puppies. I use it as much as milk.
While I am here, see the scoop? A while back I had a 4 scoop set given to me. Silly, right? These are the handiest things since pockets on a shirt. I do everything from core apples to measure muffins, yes even to dropping hush puppies. If you don't have some, again, I love mine now. I use 'em daily.
Everything dry in the bowl, add the onions to the dry mixture and stir around with a spatula. They are coated dry and hence don't clump will mixing. Add the Buttermilk and ....... The secret ingredient! Dum dum dummmmmmm!
Let it set a few mins. and the butternilk will act on the baking powder and create beautiful little air bubbles.... see?
Its ok taste it, make sure it now tastes delicious! Oh it does, it does! (BTW this is great on hotdogs making corny dogs too!)
Using my small scoop. into grease at med.high temp. they will hit the bottom of the pot and bounce up to float.
Look two have already flipped! They will flip them selves if you've got 'em right. If not, give the pan a shake, if not still you can manually do it. Pffft......
Now I must back up and appoligize, all my large idaho taters were rotten in the insides. I don't know why and there was no blemish visible. Also I didn't have an cabbage in the house, used it making tasso & shrimp smothered cabbage the other night
Its store bought curlie fries and a salad . I did make the tarter sauce, which is also a family thing...... I'll tell ya about that next.
Fish fry.... gosh a gazillion ways to do something so easy. Its just 4 to 1, flour to cornmeal. I add salt, Tony's, and dried mustard..
And wa-la.... its supper!
Fried catfish, hush puppies, curlie fries, garden salad, summer pickles & Tarter sauce.
Seems I am forgeting something......... It will come to me.
Fried fish without hush puppies is like kissing thru a screen door, I mean its still a kiss but whats the point?
