[CH] Spicy catfish

Steve.Taylor@alltel.com
Tue, 3 Feb 1998 09:17:21 -0600 

     I'd never challenge Rael, our famous Redneck Sous Chef, to a 
     cooking (or Twister) contest, especially after reading his 
     delicious-sounding catfish recipes, but I'll de-lurk briefly to 
     offer a humble catfish dish of my own.
     
     While your skillet heats up for sauteeing, take a couple of nice 
     catfish fillets and squeeze a fresh lime over one side of them.  
     Give 'em a good sprinkling of Old Bay seasoning (discussed on the 
     list in the recent past; a crab boil/seasoning mix).  Dust the 
     fillets thoroughly with your favorite chile-inspired powder.  (I 
     like ground jalapeno, but ground habs, Calvin's powder, or other 
     blends you like would work just as well.)
     
     Put a little olive oil in the skillet and skootch your fillets 
     around over medium-high heat 'till they begin to brown on the 
     bottoms.  Toss in some minced fresh garlic or give the fillets a 
     good shake of garlic powder.  Flip 'em over, squeeze in another 
     lime and season the cooked sides just like you did the top.  The 
     fillets are done when they're flaky and white throughout. 
     
     Although the presentation isn't colorful, my wife and I often eat 
     this catfish over steamed rice that we've drizzled with some of 
     the tart, spicy, savory pan drippings.  Salads or steamed veggies 
     go well with it.  Wonder if one of Rael's fruit salsas would make 
     a sweet counterpoint to the fish/lime/pepper flavors?
     
     --Steve