Day Five: Crispy Catfish

I love catfish - this serving cost $5

As we continue our journey of having fish every night and still have variety we turn to catfish.  It's a great vehical for spices as the fish itself is rather bland - the spices aren't at odds with a more flavorful fish.  It's inexpensive and versatile - a "let me entertain you" sort of fish!

First you soak in low fat buttermilk with Tabasco for an hour or so

The recipe is below - first you combine the dry ingredients.  I like to do this in the sink to keep clean up to a minium.

Once you combine the dry ingredients you add oil

This recipe is meant to replicate deep fried catfish.  It sure tastes and looks like the real, high fat deal.  Though you use a 1/4 cup of oil only a fraction makes it to the dinner plate.  Still, the recipe calls for safflour oil.  Extra virgin olive oil has less than half the calories so you may want to substitute.

This dish is baked in the oven - I just use my Le Creuset non-stick skillet for everything.  It goes from stovetop to oven without a problem.  It's on the stovetop here so I can flip it without burning my forearms.

10 minutes on each side till golden brown

A perennial favorite of mine - roasted asparagus, garlic, tomato and lemons

I found really fat asparagus at the store.  This is a nice change from the thinner ones.  Instead of roasting at 450 degrees for 20 minutes as I usually do, I baked at 350 degrees for 30 - 40 minutes, turning everything except the tomatoes over half way through. 

Good enough to eat!

Ingredients for the catfish

1   lb Catfish fillets

1  cup Buttermilk

1  tspn Tabasco Sauce

            1  cup dried Japanese Bread Crumbs (panko)

1   tbsp dried thyme

1   tbsp dry mustard

1   tspn garlic powder

1    tspn onion powder

1    tspn paprika

1    tbsp salt

1   tspn ground black pepper

¼ cup Safflower Oil

1  Fresh Lemon, sliced

Cooking Spray

Procedure:

1.            Preheat your oven to 350ºF.  Spray a cooking sheet with the cooking spray.

2.            Add the tabasco sauce to the buttermilk and put the catfish fillets in the buttermilk.

3.            In a separate bowl combine the bread crumbs with all the seasonings and then mix in the safflower oil.

4.            One at a time remove the fish fillets from the buttermilk, let the excess milk drain off. Dredge the fish thoroughly in the bread crumbs and pat the fillet to make sure the crumbs are well attached.  Lay each fillet, when breaded on the prepared cookie sheet.

5.            When all fillets are breaded put into the preheated oven.  Cook until the coating begins to turn a golden brown, about 20 minutes.

6.            Remove from the oven and serve garnished with fresh lemon slices.



For the asparagus

1 bunch fat asparagus

2 plum tomatoes cut in half

3 gloves crushed garlic cloves

1 lemon cut in half

Salt & pepper to taste

2 tspns canola oil

Procedure

Pre-heat oven at 350 degrees

Cut lower stems off asparagus - the parts that are white

Cut tomatoes in half length-wise

Cut lemon in half width-wise

Smash garlic cloves

Mix ingredients together making sure oil is distributed

Bake in oven for 15 minutes

Turn everything over so both sides are browned (except the tomatoes)

Bake for another 15 minutes

Serve and enjoy!