There’s nothing better than catching a catfish from a Texas lake or river and cooking it for a special meal. Texas also has many catfish farms where you can catch all that are allowed by the farm’s owner. If you haven’t been fishing lately or don’t care to fish, you can always get catfish at your local grocery store.Be aware that the surface of store bought catfish should be shining and lustrous.
In Fish Without a Doubt, authors Rick Moonen and Roy Finamore write that “Farm raised catfish is sweet and mild, with a freshwater earthiness. The fine grained fillets are tender, with soft flakes.” They recommend buying catfish farmed in America and not in China because of China’s farming methods. They also state that most American catifish processors test their fish before harvesting them. In addition, “Catfish is a very versatile fish. Broil it, bake it, fry it, sauté it.”
This recipe includes a creamy sauce made from tomatillos for serving with the catfish bites. As far as tomatillos, they were created in Mexico and are the basic ingredient of the many Hispanic fresh and cooked green salsas and sauces. Although some people call tomatillos green tomatoes, they are very different from unripe green tomatoes even though they are related. When shopping for tomatillos, choose the small ones which are sweeter than the largertomatillos. Their husks should be light brown and not dried up. The sauce in this recipe adds a delightful zesty flavor to the bite size catfish fillets.
Grilled Catfish Bites with Creamy Tomatillo Sauce
Recipe adapted from Chile Pepper, October/November 2012
8 servings
Ingredients for the Catfish
2 lbs catfish fillets chopped into large bite size pieces
½ cup any Mexican flavored seasoning
Olive oil for coating fish fillets
Tostado chips for serving
Ingredients for the Creamy Tomatillo Sauce
8-10 tomatillos husked and rinsed or 1 13-oz can tomatillos
1 jalapeno pepper
1/3 cup cilantro, roughly chopped
2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
½ small white onion, finely diced
4 TB heavy cream
Other Items Needed
Measuring cups and spoons
Cutting board
Chef’s knife
Grill pan
Grill
Spatula
Saucepan
Colander
Blender or food processor
Instructions for the Catfish
Coat the catfish with olive oil and season generously. Toss until well covered. Place the catish in the grill pan over high direct heat. Grill the fish until a nice char is developed. Remove from the grill and allow to rest for 5 minutes.
Instructions for the Creamy Tomatillo Sauce
If using fresh tomatillos, boil them in salted water until just tender. Drain well. For canned tomatillos, drain them well.
Place the tomatillos, jalapeno, cilantro, garlic, and onions in the blender or food processor. Blend until coarsely pureed. Add the cream 1 tablespoon at a time and blend until it has reached a sauce-like consistency. Add salt to taste and let the sauce stand 30 minutes before using.
To serve place tostado chips on each plate. Cover with the catfish bites. Drizzle the tomatillo sauce all over the fish and chips or serve the sauce on the side with the chips.
Kathryn’s Texas Kitchen’s chalkboard menu has a dish for cooking in your kitchen instead of your backyard grill.
Until next time…
Bon appétit!