by Annmarie Kostyk

Created on: June 05, 2010

The catfish has to be one of those most unappealing looking fish in the world, but it makes for tasty eating!   They are probably also one of the most recognizable fish around with their prominent whiskers framing their face and their scaleless body.  Catfish are members of the carp family and are a freshwater fish.  They happen to be the largest family of fish on the planet.

Catfish has been gracing the dinner tables throughout Africa, Asia, Europe and North America for hundred of years.  Catfish was a common food used to celebrate holidays and feast days in Europe with many of the recipes have been passed down for generations.  It can be either wild-caught or farm-raised, although the wild caught offers much more flavor than the farm-raised.  Catfish has very little taste, so wild caught is the way to go.  One of the most popular ways to cook the catfish is to fry it after dipping it in batter and dredging it in cornmeal.  Fried catfish is extremely popular in Southern cooking.  Common side dishes to serve in the Southern style are with a side of coleslaw, hush puppies and French fries.

Plantation Fried Catfish

Ingredients:
1  large lemon
1/4  cup milk
2  eggs, beaten
2  tablespoons fresh rosemary, chopped
2  tablespoons fresh garlic, minced
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon white pepper
1 pound catfish fillets
2  cups yellow cornmeal
1/4  cup  extra-virgin olive oil
    
Directions:
In a large bowl, grate rind from lemon. Cut lemon in half and squeeze juice into bowl, removing seeds. Stir in milk, eggs, rosemary, garlic, salt and pepper.
Add catfish to mixture.  Coat catfish thoroughly.  Cover with cling wrap. Refrigerated for 1 hour.
Pour cornmeal into a large shallow dish. Dredge each catfish fillet in cornmeal.  Coat both sides completely.  Add olive oil to hot pan.  
Cook catfish fillets over medium-high heat for 4 minutes on each side or until browned. Remove from skillet. Serve with a lemon wedge

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