The development of farm-raised catfish in the Deep South over the past couple of decades has allowed this long-berated fish to become a delicate, flaky, clean-tasting experience that a lot of people love. This recipe, named for the area of Matagorda County that first tried farm-raising catfish in Texas, is one of my favorites.
1 pound fresh catfish fillets
Water
4 teaspoons oil, for sautéing
2 tablespoons onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons green pepper, finely chopped
2 eggs, beaten
4 teaspoons Old Bay Seasoning
½ cup mayonnaise
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 cup dried bread crumbs
2 teaspoons freshly-squeezed lime juice
4 teaspoons Creole seasoning
2 teaspoons Tabasco sauce
2 teaspoons dried basil, crumbled
Oil for frying
2 cups all-purpose flour
Poach catfish in a large pot of boiling water for about 15 or 20 minutes, or until the fish begins to flake with a fork. Drain poached fish in a colander, and place it on a baking sheet to cool. In a large skillet, sauté onions and peppers in oil for about 5 minutes, or until the vegetables are soft, and set aside. Take the cooled catfish and crumble it by hand in a large bowl. Add beaten eggs to the bowl of crumbled fish. Add cooked onions and peppers to the fish and eggs. Add remaining ingredients to fish and mix well by hand to create a cake-like mixture. Form mixture into 6 to 10 equal-sized rounds and place on a baking sheet until ready to fry.
In a cast-iron skillet or deep fryer, heat oil to about 350 degrees. Just before frying, thoroughly dust each catfish cake with flour. Fry the cakes in the hot oil until they are golden brown all over, rolling them frequently. Depending on your frying apparatus, this should take about 3 to 4 minutes. Drain the cooked catfish cakes on paper towels. Best when served immediately, but you can reserve them in baking dish in a warm oven until ready to serve. Serve with your favorite tartar sauce. Makes 8-10 cakes.
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