Broiled Catfish With Fresh Thyme, Garlic, And Lemon

Emeril LaGasse is one of my favorite chefs ever.  Love his style of cooking!

I won't be using freshwater catfish for this recipe, instead, will use tilapia or cod.  Would not change a thing about anything else.

Healthy and delicious!

Source:  Emeril.com




INGREDIENTS

• Four 6- to 8-ounce skinless catfish fillets
• 2 teaspoons Emeril's Original Essence or Creole Seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley (optional)
• Lemon wedges, for serving (optional)

DIRECTIONS

Position a rack about 4 inches from the broiler element and preheat the broiler.

Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. Season the catfish fillets on both sides with the Essence, salt, and white pepper, and place the fillets on the prepared baking sheet.

In a small bowl, combine the garlic, olive oil, and thyme. Using a small spoon, spread the garlic mixture evenly over the catfish. Then drizzle the fillets with the lemon juice.

Transfer the baking sheet to the broiler. Cook the catfish for 6 minutes. Then rotate the baking sheet front to back, and continue cooking until the fish flakes easily when pressed with your fingers at the thickest part, about 4 minutes longer.

Remove from the oven and serve immediately, sprinkled with the parsley and garnished with lemon wedges if desired.

Southern Fried Fish

Fried fish is one of my favorite foods.  Although I prefer grouper, it is very expensive in this area (even though we live right off the Gulf) and we usually settle for tilapia.  When we are lucky enough to have a great fishing adventure and actually come home with fish, we make fried fish every night until it is all gone.  

We have found that the frozen tilapia that comes in large bags is the best value . . . if it is available in your area.

I make a very simple tartar sauce to go with the fried fish.  Sorry, I don't measure, so taste as you go until it is the right combination for you.  Mix mayonnaise, dill, cayenne pepper, onion powder, dill pickle juice and finely minced dill pickle (optional) . . . chill.  A slightly different variation (especially if low on mayonnaise) is to add some sour cream.  It makes a great topping for baked potato instead of plain sour cream.

Ingredients

Fish fillets
1 cup yellow corn meal
⅓ cup flour
2 teaspoons salt
⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper (amount to taste for heat)
(or you can sprinkle directly on the fish before coating with dry ingredients)
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon onion powder
Cooking oil

Marinade:  milk and hot sauce (amount to taste for heat)



Directions

Add the fish and allow to marinate for a few hours.

Remove the fish and drain.

Coat the fish into mixed dry ingredients.  Shake off excess.

The fish is best deep fried (365 degrees), but may be pan fried (I love to pan fry the fish in some olive oil and butter).

Cook until the fish flakes easily with a fork, about 5 to 6 minutes.

Battered Fish Fillet Roll-Ups

 

Gorton's is one of my favorite quick meal tricks.  I love them baked in the oven . . . I throw in some frozen french fries, make a batch of awesome tartar sauce and voila . . . a quick meal in less than 30 minutes.

There are times we deserve to be lazy in the kitchen!  Gorton's is perfect for those times :)  Go to their website for some awesome recipes using their products . . . this is one of my favorites from the website . . . I have not made it yet, but will be making it soon :)

Product:  Classic Crispy Battered Fillets

Ingredients:

6 Gorton's Classic Crispy Battered Fish Fillets

1-1/2 cup Monterey jack cheese, shredded 

3 cups iceberg lettuce, chopped

6-10" flour tortillas

3/4 cup Ranch dressing

Directions:

1. Prepare Gorton's Classic Crispy Battered Fish Fillets according to package instructions.

2. Place cooked fillet in center of each tortilla and top each one with 1/2 cup lettuce, 1/4 cup cheese and 2 Tbsp Ranch dressing.

3. Roll tortillas up and serve immediately

My variation

Use tartar sauce

instead of ranch dressing

Fish in a Bag Tilapia Recipe . . . Red Lobster

Red Lobster is one of my favorite restaurants!

Personally, I can't visit without ordering their
fried shrimp with a baked potato and house salad.

This recipe is one of my aunt and uncle's favorites
and was no longer on the regular menu
the last time we visited.

However, they were extremely accomodating
and made it special to order for them.

This recipe is for my aunt and uncle!

Ingredients (makes 4 servings):

8 sheets parchment paper

4 servings Vegetable Mix (see recipe below)

12 lemon wheels, each cut into 1/4" pieces

4 thyme springs, approximately 3-5" each

1 tsp. Chef Paul Prudhomme’s Blackened Redfish Magic™

4 8-10 oz. pieces of tilapia, skin off

Vegetable Mix Recipe:

1 medium red onion, cut into half slices

1 medium red pepper, cut into 1-1 1/2" x 1/4" strips

2 stalks of celery, sliced into 1/4" pieces

8 oz. carrot slims

2 tbsp. of McCormick's “It's a Dilly” Seasoning Blend™

2 baking potatoes

2 tsp. kosher salt

1 tsp. black pepper

2 tbsp. fresh thyme, chopped

1 tsp. Chef Paul Prudhomme's Vegetable Magic

Preparation

Vegetables:

Wash all vegetables.

Peel the onion and cut in half.
Slice into 1/4" half moons.

Cut the red pepper into 1-2" long
by 1/4" wide strips.

Trim the celery and cut into 1/4" pieces.

Cut the potatoes in half in the middle and
then into 1/6 ths. Steam potatoes for
approximately 8 to 10 minutes or until tender.

Cool in ice water to stop cooking.

Once cooled, drain well.

Place all vegetables into a mixing bowl.

Add the following to the vegetables:

It's a Dilly seasoning blend, kosher salt,
ground pepper, chopped thyme and
Chef Paul Prudhomme's Vegetable Magic.

Mix well.

Fish:

Make 3 to 4 1/4" slices approximately 1/2" apart.
This will ensure even cooking.

Brush with liquid butter and then
season with kosher salt.

Lightly sprinkle Chef Paul Prudhomme's
Blackened Redfish Magic on the fish.

Layering the Bag:

Brush each piece of parchment paper lightly
with liquid butter (one side only).

Place 1/4 of the vegetable mixture in the
center of one sheet of parchment paper.

Place one piece on top of the vegetable mixture.

Place three lemon wheels across the fish.

Place one large thyme sprig on top.

Repeat with the other three pieces of fish.

Sealing the Bag:

Place one sheet of the buttered parchment paper
on top of one piece of fish.

Crimp the two sheets of parchment paper like a
piecrust until the bottom and the top are completely sealed.

Repeat with the other three pieces of fish.

Cooking:

Place the bags onto a cookie sheet.

Cook in a 450-degree oven for
approximately 12 to 15 minutes.

To check the temperature, insert a probe into
the side of the bag until you have reached
the middle of the fish. The temperature of the fish
should be between 140-150 degrees.

Place the bag onto a plate.

Slice the parchment open right at the table to enjoy!

Source: Red Lobster

Seafood Tomato Alfredo

from Campbell's Kitchen


Ingredients:

1 tbsp. butter
1 medium onion, chopped (about 1/2 cup)
1 can (10 3/4 ounces) Campbell's® Condensed Cream of Mushroom with Roasted Garlic Soup
1/2 cup milk
1 cup diced canned tomato
1 lb. fresh fish fillet (flounder, haddock or halibut), cut into 2-inch pieces
4 cups hot cooked linguine


Directions:

Heat the butter in a 10-inch skillet over medium heat.

Add the onion and cook until it’s tender.

Stir in the soup, milk and tomatoes. Heat to a boil.

Add the fish to the skillet and reduce the heat to low.

Cover and cook for 10 minutes or until the fish flakes easily when tested with a fork.

Serve over linguine.

Serves 4




Make it cheaper . . .

Leave out the fish and make veggie pasta by adding broccoli, cauliflower . . . veggie leftovers would be perfect.

This would also be good with rice . . .

An idea for leftovers of this meal . . . use the sauce with some rice in a frittata!

Pan Fried Fish

This recipe is from the Food Network website for pan fried catfish . . . I saw this episode of Emeril's show the other night and was particularly interested in the crispness of the fish and wanted to try out this technique/recipe for coating the fish.

Personally, I coat the fish with a light dusting of corn meal, garlic powder, red pepper and dill to pan fry my fish, but I thought I would try kicking it up a notch and using Emeril's recipe . . . will include my comments after I have tested it on Tilapia, my favorite fish.


1 1/2 pounds catfish fillets, cut on the diagonal into 1-inch strips
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons Creole mustard
1 tablespoon Essence, recipe follows
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 teaspoons red hot sauce
Vegetable oil, for frying
1 cup flour
2/3 cup cornmeal
1 tablespoon salt


Place the catfish in a non-reactive bowl. In a second bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, mustard, Essence, garlic and hot sauce and pour over the fish. Stir to thoroughly coat, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Preheat 3/4-inch of oil in a large Dutch oven or heavy cast iron skillet to a temperature of 350 degrees F.

Remove the fish from the refrigerator. Combine the flour, cornmeal, and salt in a re-sealable plastic food storage bag and shake to blend. Using a fork, remove the fish fingers, a few pieces at a time, from the marinade, allowing excess marinade to fall from the fish. Transfer the fish to the flour-cornmeal mixture and toss to coat. Transfer to a plate and repeat with the remaining fish.

Fry the fish, in batches if necessary, turning to promote even browning, until golden brown, crispy, and cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a paper-lined plate to rest briefly before serving.