Gridiron Chef

Posted 10/30 by Mark Wimer, Exclusive to Footballguys.com

This week, it's time to talk fish. Not just any fish - catfish. From the first few times I went fishing with my dad (and also my uncle Ray), I've liked to catch, and (even better) eat, catfish. Luckily for all of us, these days you don't have to go pull some lunkers out of the local water hole, because farm-raised catfish is available in most grocery stores.

There are lots of ways to enjoy catfish - you can cook it up in a gumbo; or boil it, chill it, and serve it with cocktail sauce like shrimp; and so on - but the best way to enjoy catfish in my book is to deep fry those whiskery suckers. Over the years, I've come to prefer catfish nuggets for frying - generally they are close to uniform thickness and sized conveniently to handle in my preferred double-coating method. Catfish nuggets are widely available in Georgia where I live - if you can't get nuggets, simply take fillets of catfish and chunk them into pieces roughly the size of a saltine cracker.

One note on deep frying - don't skimp on the oil (or lard) - you should have a good 1/2 to 3/4 inch or so of it in the deep-bottomed pan you plan to use for frying up the catfish. If you skimp on the oil, your catfish nuggets simply won't turn out right. Trust me on this - I've had my share of disasters while developing my recipe for this dish, mostly related to not using enough oil.

Here's what you'll need to deep fry 1 1/2 to 2 pounds of catfish (besides the hot oil, covered above).

Double-Dipped Catfish Nuggets

1 - 2 pounds of catfish nuggets (depending on how many people you are feeding and how big their appetites are)
1 large brown paper bag with: 1 1/2 - 2 cups of flour (I like 50/50 whole wheat/white flour), 1 - 2 teaspoons of salt and several grinds of pepper mixed in

2 large bowls

Bowl #1 has 2 eggs (large or extra-large, 3 medium) and 1/2 - 3/4 a cup of milk (whole or buttermilk is best, in my opinion) - beaten until slightly frothy, with a uniform yellowish color
Bowl #2 has between 1/2 - 1 cup of flour and 1/2 - 1 cup of corn meal, 1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper (or more, to taste), ~1 teaspoon of salt (to taste) and several grinds of pepper (to taste) - stir all the ingredients together until they are evenly distributed in the bowl.

Heat up the oil until a drop of water put into the oil sizzles and pops vigorously. While the oil is heating, dump all the catfish nuggets into your large brown paper bag. Fold over the top of the bag and shake vigorously to coat all the nuggets. After the nuggets are coated with the first layer, quickly dip into the egg/milk mixture one at a time. Then drop the individual eggy fish nugget into the 2nd bowl and dredge it on both sides (drag it through the cornmeal mix to get a coating on both sides of the nugget). Pile these on a plate after they are coated.

Once the oil is hot enough, grab enough nuggets to make roughly a single layer in the oil and carefully (from just above the oil), drop in the nuggets all at once. You don't want to make the hot oil splatter on your hands and arms! This step is important to get crispy coating on your nuggets. If you drop them in a few at a time, the nuggets dropped in later will be soggy because the oil temperature will be too low to crisp the coating. After your first batch is a nice golden brown (just a matter of a few minutes, depending on how hot the oil is), pull them out to rest/drain on a plate covered with paper towels. No matter how good they smell, don't pop one in your mouth right away - they are still just as hot as the oil in the pan when you first remove them (learn from my mistake, reader, please!). Let the oil reheat for a minute or so, then repeat the process until all your nuggets are fried. Allow them to rest and drain for a few minutes before serving.

While you are allowing the nuggets to cool down to simply hot (as opposed to burn-the-roof-of-your-mouth-for-a-week hot), a very tasty side dish can be easily made in the microwave that perfectly complements the cornmeal coating on the nuggets. If you feel able to manage another dish, while your nuggets fry (or while they cool), take a minute to mix up.

Creamed Corn Casserole

1 can of creamed corn (14 oz size)
1 egg
4-6 crackers (saltines, Ritz - I've had good luck with 1 pulverized piece of Wasa brod cracker as well (Swedes out there will know what I mean))
Salt and pepper to taste. Nice additions include a dash of cayenne pepper or a smattering of ground mustard. Experiment with the spicing until the mix suits your palate

Beat the egg until slightly frothy and uniformly yellow. Crush the crackers to small bits (I do this in a cereal bowl using a tablespoon) - dump crackers, creamed corn and salt and pepper into the egg. Mix until uniformly smooth.

Pour the mixture into a shallow microwave-safe dish. I like to use old "Lean Cuisine" trays for this (reduce, reuse, recycle) but any shallow microwave-safe bowl will do. Nuke the mixture on high for 3-5 minutes (depending on the power of the microwave), stopping to lightly stir in the center roughly once a minute until the casserole sets up. Serve.

Fried catfish with a cornmeal coating and creamed corn casserole is a feast fit for any angler (or those of us who are fish fans). The nuggets are eminently suitable for dipping in nice strong mustards of various types, or cocktail sauce, or sprinkling with Texas Pete hot sauce - whatever fish-friendly condiment you happen to have in the fridge that grabs you. Here's to good food, good friends, and good times! Enjoy!