Mississippi-Style Catfish Strips with Spicy Tartar Sauce
We give catfish a good soaking in seasoned buttermilk before we coat and fry it. It tenderizes and sweetens up the fish, which we serve with our favorite spicy tartar sauce. You’ll find it on our appetizer menu every day and in a sandwich on Fridays.
If you’re making catfish to serve in a sandwich or as a fried fish dinner, you can keep the fillets large instead of cutting them into strips.
Recipe information
Yield
feeds 3 to 4
Ingredients
The Fish
The Sauce
Preparation
Step 1
Slice the catfish into strips 3/4 inch wide by 5 to 6 inches long. Toss in a bowl along with the buttermilk, egg, and 1 1/2 teaspoons of the Creole Seasoning. Cover and refrigerate for several hours.
Step 2
Whip up the tartar sauce by stirring together the mayonnaise, pickles, lemon juice, garlic, Worcestershire, onions, salt, dill, lemon pepper, and Tabasco in a bowl. Cover and refrigerate til ready to use.
Step 3
Set up your dredging and frying station. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Fill a bowl with a mix of cornmeal, 2 tablespoons of Creole Seasoning, and flour. Pour the oil into a skillet. Slide the oil-filled skillet onto a front burner and get it heating over medium heat til hot but not smoking. Next to the stove, line up the cookie sheet, the cornmeal mixture, and the bowl of marinating catfish. Pluck the catfish from the marinade, drop it in the cornmeal mix, and roll it around in the mixture til coated. Then move the coated strips to the parchment-lined pan.
Step 4
Once all the catfish strips are breaded, fry them in the hot oil in batches without crowding the pan. Cook, flipping once, for a total of 4 to 5 minutes, til nicely browned. Drain on paper towels. You might have to cook the fish in 2 or more batches; if you do, keep the fried fish warm in a 140˚ oven while you finish cooking. Have a plate ready, and, as soon as all the pieces are fried, serve with lots of tartar sauce.
