How to Cook Catfish
For much of my early life I had a love-hate relationship with catfish.
I would go fishing with my dad, who liked to cast a line from one of the many piers built out into the Gulf of Mexico from the shores of Louisiana, Alabama and Florida. His fellow anglers frequently reeled in catfish, which too often were left to expire on the planks of the pier, their stiff dorsal fin sticking almost straight into the air, ready to deliver a painful sting to any barefooted kid unfortunate enough to step on it. One day, one of those unlucky barefoot kids happened to be me.
All I can remember from that misadventure is searing pain shooting through my foot and up into my leg, and being taken to a hospital emergency room. Lesson: When handling catfish–dead, alive, or dying–be very careful. (I’ve since learned that a catfish’s stinging ability lies with a particular protein that it can deliver via its fins. True biology fact!)
On the other hand, I have to say that eating a mess of fried catfish on a big screened porch on a soft southern night is an experience I’m dearly miss, and one that I wish I could share with my own children.
The South is the epicenter of catfish culture in the United States. Most catfish consumption takes place in this region. Traditionally, southerners bread it with cornmeal and fry it. But there are numerous other ways to prepare it, too.
Thanks to farmed catfish, this southern staple is showing up on seafood shelves in other regions, too. That’s a positive development. It’s an inexpensive food, yet one that is particularly high in protein and other nutritional goodness.
Nearly all U.S. farm-raised catfish, by the way, comes from four states: Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi. This industry employs over 13,000 people. Catfish farming is also economically important in parts of South America and Asia.
So just what is a catfish? The name applies to an incredibly large number of different species, but they all have prominent barbels, resembling a cat’s whiskers–hence the name. Most catfish are found in freshwater habitats, though some–like the “cat” that sent me to the hospital–live in the sea. Catfish range greatly in size, too. Some are tiny, and may be kept in aquaria. Others are literally gigantic; the largest freshwater fish on record is a 646-pound Mekong giant catfish that some fishermen in Thailand somehow managed to catch.
Most of the catfish that you buy at the store will weigh between one and two pounds. This is the weight range that catfish farmers aim for in their effort to promote product consistency.
The following are some 
catfish recipes you might wish to try:
Catfish in Beer Batter
Ingredients
3 cups self-rising flour
2 cups beer, whichever brand you prefer
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
6 catfish fillets
Cooking oilDirections
1. Combine 1 1/2 cups flour, beer, garlic, salt and black pepper in a bowl.
2. Dredge catfish fillets in the remaining flour, and then in the better created in step 1.
3. Heat cooking oil in skillet. Fry fillets in hot oil until golden.
4. Drain fillets on absorbent paper towels, and serve hot.
Tip: Make tabasco or other hot sauce available for your guests to put on the catfish, if they wish. Also, have plenty of cold beer on hand to drink!
Baked/Broiled Catfish
Ingredients
4 whole large catfish
1/2 cup tomato sauce
2 packages shredded cheddar or Mexican cheese
2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, grated
1 tablespoon parsley flakes
Cooking oil
Directions
1. Brush fish, inside and outside, with tomato sauce.
2. Grease a baking large baking dish. Place fish in dish and brush with a little cooking oil.
4. Sprinkle the two cheeses and the parsley flakes over the fish and bake in an oven at 350 degrees for approximately 30 minutes.
5. Turn fish over and broil close to top heat of oven for 2 minutes.
Grilled Catfish
Ingredients
6 catfish fillets
Juice of 2 lemons
1/3 cup cooking oil
1 teaspoon salt
Directions
1. Combine all ingredients (except fillets) in a casserole dish to create a marinade.
2. Place fillets in casserole dish with marinade. Let stand in refrigerator overnight.
3. Grill marinated fillets over hot coals 4 to 6 minutes per side, or until the fish flakes when pierced with a fork.
Sarah Sandori is the food and entertaining columnist for the Solid Gold Info Writers Consortium. Have you ever wanted to be able to exactly duplicate a favorite dish from a favorite restaurant? Check out Sarah’s article where she reveals her source for the most mouth-watering secret restaurant recipes in America: http://www.solid-gold.info/most-wanted-recipes.html
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Southern Pecan Catfish, Red Potato Wedges, and Vanilla Pound Cake With Fresh Berries
How about an old fashion Southern Catfish meal? For something really tasty, make these Southern Pecan Catfish. You know if it’s southern, it has to have butter and cream. This catfish is fried in butter and served with a creamy sauce. Invite your catfish lovin’ friends to share this meal with you. You will really impress them! Red Potato Wedges make a great side dish. And finish off your meal with another Southern staple, Vanilla Pound Cake with fresh berries.
SOUTHERN PECAN CATFISH
1 cup finely chopped pecans, divided
1/2 cup cornmeal
1 tsp salt, divided
1 tsp pepper, divided
4 catfish fillets (about 6-oz each)
1/2 cup butter, divided
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp minced fresh parsley
In a shallow bow, combine the following ingredients: 1/2 cup of the pecans, cornmeal, 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and 1/2 teaspoon of the pepper. Coat the fish fillets with this mixture.
In a large heavy skillet, melt 1/4 cup of the butter over a medium-high heat. Fry the fish in the skillet until it flakes with a fork. This should take about 6 to 7 minutes of cooking on each side. Remove from skillet but keep warm.
Melt the remaining butter over medium heat in the same skillet used to cook the fish. Add the remaining pecans and cook and stir for about a minute. Add the cream, lemon juice and remaining salt and pepper. Cook mixture, stirring constantly, for about another minute. Stir in the fresh parsley and spoon sauce over the fish before serving.
RED POTATO WEDGES
4 medium red potatoes, scrubbed and cut into wedges
1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 tsp minced fresh rosemary (or 1/2 tsp dried, crushed rosemary)
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place potato wedges in a large bowl. Sprinkle with remaining ingredients and toss to coat. Place on a baking sheet that has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. Cover and bake 20 minutes. Turn potatoes and continue baking another 20 minutes or until browned.
NOTE: As a diabetic you should not eat potatoes by themselves. These are good with burgers, steaks, chicken, fish, etc. which are high in protein.
VANILLA POUND CAKE
2 1/2 cups reduced-fat baking mix (Bisquick)
1 1/2 cups Equal Sugar Lite
2 tbsp cornstarch
1 cup light vanilla flavored nonfat yogurt
6 tbsp stick butter or margarine, melted
1/4 cup 2% milk
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract
Combine baking mix, Equal Sugar Lite and cornstarch in a mixing bowl. Mix in yogurt, melted butter, milk, eggs and flavorings until well blended.
Spoon mixture into well greased Bundt pan. Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 45 to 50 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes. Carefully remove cake from pan and cool completely on a wire rack.
Serve with fresh berries.
Enjoy!
For more of Linda’s recipes and diabetic information go to http://diabeticenjoyingfood.squarespace.com
For her vintage recipes, visit her blog at http://grandmasvintagerecipes.blogspot.com
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