Catfish Courtbouillon
Author: Carine Clary
Ingredients
- For the Sauce:
- 2 tablespoons bacon fat (or butter)
- 1 cup onion, minced
- ½ cup celery, minced
- ½ cup red bell pepper, minced
- 1 tablespoon chili, minced (jalapeno or serrano)*
- 1 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- ⅓ cup minced fresh parsley
- 1 tsp. ground thyme
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- ⅓ cup dry white wine
- 1 cup chicken or seafood stock
- ¼ cup minced chives or scallions (if scallions, green part only)
- For the Marinade:
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 egg white, whisked
- For the Fish:
- 1 inch of vegetable oil or lard
- 1 to 2 pounds skinless fish fillets
- ⅔ cup flour
- ⅓ cup fine cornmeal, a/k/a "fish fry"
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- Lemon juice to taste
- For the rice:
- 1½ cups rice (white or brown) cooked to package directions
Instructions
- For the sauce:
- Heat the fat in a large frying pan over medium-high heat and saute the onion, celery, red pepper and chili until soft, about 5 minutes.
- Add the garlic, thyme & paprika and let this cook another minute or two, then add the white wine & canned tomatoes with their liquid and bring to a boil. Let this boil down by half, then add the stock and simmer uncovered for 10 minutes. Turn off the heat, cover the pan and set aside. This can be made the day before and refrigerated.
- For the Fish:
- Whisk together the egg white & lemon juice.
- Cut the fish into bite-sized pieces and marinate in the fridge for 30.
- Pour about one inch of oil in a frying pan & heat to 350 degrees.
- Mix the flour and cornmeal. Salt the catfish chunks, then dust them in the flour/meal mixture. Fry the fish over medium-high heat until nicely browned, about 3 to 5 minutes per side.
- To serve, lay some rice on the plate, spoon over the sauce, top with the fish and put a little sauce on top of that.
Notes
*taste the chili before adding. They can vary in heat greatly.
Recipe by The FrangloSaxon Cooks at https://franglosaxon.com/catfish-courtbouillon/