# cooking catfish



## Mickie (Sep 3, 2004)

I was hoping to get some new or different types of recipes using catfish and or halibut.  If you have any ideas I would love to hear them!


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## masteraznchefjr (Sep 4, 2004)

hmm.. only time i cooked halibut was using red wine vinegar and salt and pepper with some parsely and pan cooking it in olive oil


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## crewsk (Sep 4, 2004)

Check out www.catfishinstitute.com I got a free recipe booklet from them with several yummy catfish recipes.


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## marmalady (Sep 7, 2004)

POACHED HALIBUT W/CITRUS BUTTER SAUCE

4 servings

1 ½ cups orange juice		
2T lime juice		
1/3 cup white wine
2T minced shallot		
¼  cup butter		
1 bay leaf
4 6oz.halibut fillets 		  
 Orange peel strips, chives for garnish

Boil orange juice and lime juice til reduced to 1/3 cup; boil wine and shallots in another pan til wine is reduced to 2T, about 3 minutes.  Add reduced oj mixture to wine mixture.  Reduce heat to low; add  butter 1 piece at a time, whisking til just melted.  Remove from heat; season with salt/pepper.
Bring large skillet of salted water to simmer; add bay leaf and fish; cover and simmer til fish is just opaque in center, turning once; about 5 minutes.  Transfer fish to plates; spoon sauce over, and garnish with orange peel and chive.


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## LMJ (Sep 7, 2004)

Call me weird, but I could never see eating catfish. ANYTHING nasty in the water, it's gonna be concentrated in them.


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## marmalady (Sep 8, 2004)

I think most catfish sold in the stores now is 'farmed'; so they get a better diet!


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## AllenOK (Sep 13, 2004)

Have you tried blackening either or them?  I love blackened catfish.


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## Raine (Sep 15, 2004)

http://www.catfishinstitute.com/


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## lutzzz (Oct 25, 2004)

I use catfish filets to make fish & chips if I can't get good fresh cod here.. which leads me to a question.

The beer batter recipe/s I have just says to mix the beer with the flour and/or cornmeal mix... maybe an egg, garlic powder/salt, etc.. but it doesn't say to WAIT after I mix the batter.

I was watching a show on TV (Paula something with phony exaggerated southern accent) and she said to wait THREE HOURS to allow the yeast in the beer to interact with the flour, etc... Then my next door neighbor told me that the yeast is killed in the process of making the beer and waiting didn't add anything... ???? And that I had to add baking powder or whatever to get a more "fluffy" coating...

I guess I could experiment but does anyone here make/use a beer batter and do you let it sit for a couple hours?


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## mudbug (Oct 25, 2004)

lutzz, I would never let beer in any form sit around for 3 hours for any reason.


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## spryte (Oct 25, 2004)

Depending on the beer, the yeast is not all killed.  My SO brews beer and he can make a good yeast starter from the yeast left over in the bottom of a good beer.  

Paula Deen doesn't have a fake southern accent.

And here's another vote for Blackened Catfish....  YUM!!!


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## lutzzz (Oct 25, 2004)

ABSOLUTELY! The life of an open beer around here is usually about 3 MINUTES, not hours...

But then I was keying on the foodtv program and she clearly said "let it sit/rest for 3 hours so the yeast in the beer can interact with the flour" or words to that effect...

But yeast dies at about 120 degrees or so as I recall so I don't see how it could be still active in beer that's been "processed", however they do it... the beer must be heated above 120 degrees during processing I'd think? or some beer is.. 

oh well, just wondered if anyone here had any ideas.


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## lutzzz (Oct 25, 2004)

I forgot foodtv usually has the recipes on their site...

This is the specific recipe under her 10/25 show...

Beer Batter 
2 1/2 cups beer 
2 cups all-purpose flour 
Pinch Cajun seasoning 
Pinch salt 
Whisk together beer, flour and seasonings; let sit on the counter for several hours.


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## kitchenelf (Oct 25, 2004)

It is quite common when frying with a beer batter to let equal parts flour and beer set on countertop for 3 hours before using.  It won't hurt anything, I promise.


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## kitchenelf (Oct 25, 2004)

One of my favorite catfish recipes is to take a packet of Italian dressing mix and mix with about 1/4 cup dry Italian herbs with enough olive oil to make a thick paste.

Coat catfish filets and bake in oven at about 375 - 400 for about 2o-25 minutes or until done.  They will start browning along the edges.

I also do this on the grill - place the seasoned filets on a cookie sheet with sides, close grill, and cook for about 20 minutes.

No need to turn them over.


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## spryte (Oct 25, 2004)

The yeast is added to the beer after brewing.  When the brewing has been completed, the beer goes through a chiller then the yeast is introduced to the chilled beer (wort) to start fermentation. 

Beers that have been pasteurized contain no living yeast.   The modern mega brews like AnheiserBusch are pasteurized.  I believe draft beer is not pasteurized.  Also micro brews are likely to be unpasteurized and therefore will contain active living little yeasties.  

And I don't even drink beer!!! I got that just from hanging around with my SO.... the beer connessiuer!

=)


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## spryte (Oct 25, 2004)

*clears throat*  ummmm sorry for hijacking your thread    


I like my catfish blackened!!!  =)


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## lutzzz (Oct 25, 2004)

Thanks, Spryte.. I think that answers my question.. it depends on the beer you use... and the beer I'm using I could let sit until hell froze over and it wouldn't add anything to my batter because the yeast is DOA 

So, I'll add baking powder or some active yeast to my batter, then let it sit around for awhile... I'll try that next..
thank ye... 

Did I hijack the thread too? Hummm...


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## kitchenelf (Oct 25, 2004)

Paula Dean's accent is as authentic as they come.  There are several versions - and hers is one of them.  I know many people with that exact same accent.


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## crewsk (Oct 25, 2004)

kitchenelf said:
			
		

> Paula Dean's accent is as authentic as they come.  There are several versions - and hers is one of them.  I know many people with that exact same accent.



My daughter sounds a lot like Paula Dean!


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## lutzzz (Oct 25, 2004)

Well, I was considering the fact that I lived in Georgia for a couple of years (albeit Augusta and she's from further south) and nobody I ran into talked with THAT much of an exaggerated accent.. and her two sons on the show occasionally don't talk with that sane heavy accent.. and none of the vendors she visits or fishes with or visits to pick produce on her show talk that way.. so that made her a majority of ONE as far as I could see .. 

And, since I like her show and learn from it. I've watched it many times and even she slips up and talks with a "semi-normal" accent occasionally e.g. (her "ya-alls" are reduced to only 2 per sentence and most of her words can be understood... I also suffer through Emeril Live often even though it's usually too much "ham" for me to handle.. but I learn from the show so I bite the bullet and watch.

But, without thinking of the broad audience here, I've evidently unintentionally offended some here and for that I'm sorry.. I won't do it again


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## Lifter (Oct 25, 2004)

The original posting requested recipes for catfish or Halibut...

In Canada, catfish has yet to be elevated to the "edible" rating, although I expect there are those that eat them, and/or actively fish them, I can't be counted amongst that minority...

Halibut, on the other hand, is a really great meal!

Try to bribe or coerce your fishmonger to giving you the steaks at the "neck" of this fish, I believe these to be the best cuts..., I forget exactly why, but once had it explained to me and it made perfect sense!

Anyways, I followed my Norwegian Mother's method of cooking, which involved melting butter in a pan, then adding whole milk to a simmer, then the steaks, turning them once until flakey...

Does this work for catfish?  I can't tell!  

Personally, I woudn't cook any freshwater white fleshed fish like this (and note I love deep fried halibut in "fish and chips" (also known as "double grease"!)(but I digress!)

For white fleshed freshwater fish, I keep going back to my cottage country recipe, listed below, where you get a really good large bag of salt and vinegar chips, pinhole the bag, crush them to a meal, dip your skinned and boned fillets in egg/milk mixture shake/coat the fillets in the chip fragments and fry in lard....

If the fish is really fresh, it just doesn't get better than that...

Lifter


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## kitchenelf (Oct 25, 2004)

LOL Lutzz - you didn't offend me - I was just making a statement about knowing some of these people - her accent is what I like to call a "country club" accent.  Most of the people I know that talk that way are a member of some country club.  And my neighbor talks that way - and the drunker she gets the funnier it is to listen to.

Oh, and it's only women that talk that way too.  And usually only one member of a family - the MOTHER!  Why is that? 

No offense taken.


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## buckytom (Oct 26, 2004)

lol, mudbug, i with you. it's so hard to cook with beer, never makes it into the bowl.

i wonder how catfish would be in a marinara sauce??


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## crewsk (Oct 26, 2004)

I love my catfish dredged in a simple seasoned cornmeal-flour mixture then fried to a golden brown(small catfish are best for this)with the tail left on!! The tail is the best part IMO. Especially when it is crunchy!!


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## kitchenelf (Oct 26, 2004)

I love the tails too crewsk - brim tails are good!!!  So are fried shrimp tails     The best fried shrimp tails are the coconut shrimp at Outback  :roll:


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## PA Baker (Oct 26, 2004)

*Pecan Crusted Fish with Peppers and Squash*

12 oz. skinless catfish, whitefish or orange roughy fillets, about 1/2" thick (we've also used skinless salmon fillets)
1/2 c finely chopped pecans
1/3 c yellow cornmeal
1/2 tsp onion salt
1/4 c flour
1/4 tsp ground red pepper
1 egg
1 Tbsp water
2 small red and/or orange sweet peppers, seeded and quartered
1 medium yellow squash and one medium zucchini, each cut into 1/2" diagonal slices
1 tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp seasoned salt

Line a 15"x10"x1" baking pan with foil.  Lightly grease foil and set aside.  Rinse fish and pat dry.  cut fish into 4 serving-size pieces.  Set aside.

In a shallow dish, stir together flour and ground red pepper.  In a small bowl beat together egg and water.  In another shallow dish, mix together the cornmeal, pecans, onion salt.  Dip one piece of fish in flour to coat lightly, shaking off excess.  Dip fish in egg, then pecan mix to coat.  Place coated fish on prepared pan.  Repeat with remaining fish.

In large bowl combine sweet peppers, zucchini and yellow squash.  Add olive oil and seasoned salt.  Toss to coat.  Arrange peppers and squash next to fish, overlapping veggies as needed to fit on the pan.

Bake uncovered in 425F oven for 20-25 minutes or until the fish just flakes easily with fork and veggies are tender.


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