Catfish a la Road
“You have to wonder about a food that everyone agrees is great, except that sometimes, it tastes like what it is.” –P.J. O’Rourke.
The holiday season for my family means travel time, generally consisting of another bottom-numbing, nightmarish 20-hour road trip from Oklahoma to Pennsylvania. However, our two kids are quite the troopers and we try to make the most out of our nomadic lifestyle, having fun whenever possible. We also treat ourselves to a stop at Cracker Barrel.
This family style restaurant has something for everyone and for my daughter and me; they do a fine fried
catfish. You won’t even need the tartar sauce. However, they will not share their recipe. If their recipe is missing anything, it is a little heat. So, I found this recipe from author, friend, and expert on catfish, Keith “Catfish” Sutton, in an interview by Joe Mosby:
“My favorite recipe came from a Louisiana friend. Pour a bottle of Louisiana hot sauce in a half-gallon of milk. Stir. Soak all the catfish in this mixture for an hour or two before breading in seasoned cornmeal and deep-frying in peanut oil heated to 365 degrees. The fish is done when it flakes easily with a fork. Don’t overcook or it won’t be as good.”
Holidays can be stressful enough. It is wise to stick with the tried-and-true traditional favorite recipes. Or, at least let the pros do their thing in their kitchen. Otherwise, your relatives may not return.
On second thought…
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Andy Whitcomb
Andy is an outdoor writer (http://www.justkeepreeling.com/) and stressed-out Dad has contributed over 380 blogs to takemefishing.org since 2011. Born in Florida, but raised on banks of Oklahoma farm ponds, he now chases pike, smallmouth bass, and steelhead in Pennsylvania. After earning a B.S. in Zoology from OSU, he worked in fish hatcheries and as a fisheries research technician at OSU, Iowa State, and Michigan State.