catfish with tomato chutney and lemon sauce
HUGH ACHESON... five & ten, athens, ga
Serves 6
Talk about having a tough time in life when you are right out the gate classified as a bottom feeder.
This recipe makes the whiskered little guy shine with the top feeders with beautiful crisp shell, tender flesh
and great spice from the chutney. It’s also an easy dish to accomplish and one that often sparks that age-old comment,
“I never liked catfish before that…”
The chutney is based on a wonderful recipe in Flatbreads and Flavors.
preheat oven to 400.
tomato chutney
This chutney is full flavored and complex but not hot spicy. It’s versatile too so if you have leftovers save it for a nice toasted
brioche sandwich with roast beef and local lettuce (recipe not included but you have the ability).
1 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 tablespoons minced ginger
4 yellow onions, finely minced
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 fresh jalapeños, seeded minced
1 teaspoon mustard seed, toasted
1 teaspoon ground fenugreek seed**
1 teaspoon cumin, toasted and ground
20 Roma tomatoes, coarsely chopped
kosher salt
3 cups packed cilantro, cleaned and coarsely chopped
In a large pot, over medium heat, fry garlic, onion, ginger, and jalapeños in oil for one minute. Add spices and continue cooking
for one more minute. Add tomatoes and a dash of salt and bring to a boil. Cook for 15 minutes or until almost reduced to a coarse paste.
Remove from heat and add chopped cilantro. Reserve what you need and pack up the rest for a nice roast beef sandwich (I promise it’s awesome).
*Panko is available at Japanese grocery stores and markets.
**Ground fenugreek seed is a spice available in specialty grocery stores.
Lemon Sauce
2 cups white wine
2 cups fish stock or clam juice
1 sprig thyme
1 tablespoon cream
1 shallot, finely minced
1⁄4 pound butter
Zest of two lemons
Salt to taste
Juice of two lemons
Combine wine with thyme, shallot, and lemon zest and juice. Reduce over heat by two-thirds. Add fish stock.
Reduce liquid mixture over heat by half. Add cream. Reduce new liquid mixture over heat by half. Whisk in butter slowly.
Season and place saucepan in a large, shallow pan of warm water to keep warm until ready to serve.
catfish
2 pounds catfish fillets (6 pieces about 1 inch thick)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup panko* (Japanese breadcrumbs)
1 tablespoon chile powder (good quality)
Salt and pepper
Mix the panko with chile powder. Season catfish with salt and pepper. Dredge catfish in panko mixture.
Set aside. In a large cast iron skillet heat oil to over medium-high heat. Add catfish and cook three minutes
per side and then finish for two minutes in hot oven. Pool Lemon Sauce on each plate.
Place catfish on top of sauce and spoon one tablespoon of tomato chutney onto each portion. Serve with grits.
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