3 Unique Meals for National Catfish Day on June 25th
The ubiquitous King of the River and the South’s favorite fish has to be the Catfish. While it may look humble (and a little creepy, let’s be honest), the catfish has remained a tried and true Southern delicacy. Who doesn’t have fond memories of Dad coming home with the summer catch and Mom frying up a batch for dinner?
The flavor of the fish is mild and flaky, which makes catfish the perfect canvas for experimenting with new flavors. Plus, catfish is high in vitamin D and has relatively low levels of omega-3 fatty acids and a much higher proportion of omega-6 fatty acids. So, let’s celebrate our bottom-feeding brethren and whip up some National Catfish Day inspired recipes! We know how much you love your fried catfish, but Farmview has a few different ideas - like a baked catfish recipe that will make you forget all about your deep fryer.
And, for the more adventurous palate, try some catfish recipes from around the world! Ever tried Vietnamese Ca Kho To? The recipe is amazingly easy to follow and your mouth will thank you for the experience. Try all of these catfish recipes for National Catfish Day on June 25th, and let us know which one is your favorite.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine the parsley, salt, paprika, thyme, oregano, basil and pepper in a small bowl, and sprinkle over both sides of catfish fillets. Place the fillets in a 9"x13" baking pan that has been coated with non-stick cooking spray.
Add the melted butter, lemon juice and garlic powder to a small bowl. Mix well to combine. Drizzle the butter-lemon-garlic mixture over the fillets. Bake uncovered for 15-20 minutes or until the fish flakes easily.
*Purchase your catfish fillets at Farmview Market. We have some wonderful southern sourced frozen fillets with no preservatives. Inquire about them in the butcher shop.
Whisk in flour and mix thoroughly to remove lumps. Cook on low heat 3-4 minutes, until starts to darken.
Warm the seafood stock and set aside. In a large, heavy, lidded pot, warm up the roux over medium heat, stirring constantly. If you haven't already, add the onion, celery and bell pepper to the roux and cook for about 3-4 minutes or until vegetables have softened. Add the garlic and cook another minute.
Using kitchen shears, chop the tomatoes in the can, and add to the roux and veggies. Add the diced tomatoes. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 30 minutes. Stir in the warmed seafood stock and add the salt, pepper and Cajun seasoning, and bring up to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about one hour, or until nicely reduced and thickened. Taste and adjust seasonings.
Add the fish to the top of the sauce, sprinkle it with a bit of salt and pepper, cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes, or until fish is poached and cooked through. Don't stir!
Once the fish is poached through, carefully ladle the courtbouillon into a deep soup bowl, over steaming rice. Add a nice, mixed garden salad, a wedge of lemon, some fresh, hot French bread and always, hot sauce to pass at the table.
Clean the fish steaks, rinse well and pat dry. Marinade with fish sauce, sugar, pepper, garlic and shallots for about 30 minutes to 1 hour.
In a clay pot, heat about 1 tbsp. of cooking oil on medium high and add the marinated fish. Allow to sear and brown for about 2-3 minutes before searing the opposite side for another few minutes.
In Vietnam, Ca Kho To is often cooked in a brown clay pot to retain heat and help in the caramelizing process, but it isn’t essential. This recipe calls for a Korean stone pot, but any thick pan or dutch oven that retains heat will do just as well.
Add the caramel sauce and just enough coconut juice to the level of the fish steaks. Cover and turn to medium low heat and allow to simmer for about 25 minutes (longer if you want it really soft), checking a few times to make sure that it's not reduced too much.
Add more coconut juice or caramel sauce if needed. The fish will eventually caramelize and brown, as will the sauce which will be a thick, gooey consistency. Taste the sauce and make any final adjustments with fish sauce or sugar. Turn off heat and add additional fresh cracked pepper, green onions, and optional chili pepper.
All you need is sugar and water. Use about 2 tbsp. of sugar and 1/4 cup water and keep at a rolling simmer, stirring until it reduces and becomes dark brown, about 8 minutes. It should be a maple-syrup-like consistency. If too thick, just add more water.
The flavor of the fish is mild and flaky, which makes catfish the perfect canvas for experimenting with new flavors. Plus, catfish is high in vitamin D and has relatively low levels of omega-3 fatty acids and a much higher proportion of omega-6 fatty acids. So, let’s celebrate our bottom-feeding brethren and whip up some National Catfish Day inspired recipes! We know how much you love your fried catfish, but Farmview has a few different ideas - like a baked catfish recipe that will make you forget all about your deep fryer.
And, for the more adventurous palate, try some catfish recipes from around the world! Ever tried Vietnamese Ca Kho To? The recipe is amazingly easy to follow and your mouth will thank you for the experience. Try all of these catfish recipes for National Catfish Day on June 25th, and let us know which one is your favorite.
Baked Catfish
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp. minced fresh parsley
- 1 tsp. salt
- 3/4 tsp. paprika
- 1/2 tsp. dried thyme
- 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp. dried basil
- 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
- 4 whole catfish fillets*
- 2 tbsp. melted butter
- 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
- Juice of one lemon
- Non-stick cooking spray
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine the parsley, salt, paprika, thyme, oregano, basil and pepper in a small bowl, and sprinkle over both sides of catfish fillets. Place the fillets in a 9"x13" baking pan that has been coated with non-stick cooking spray.
Add the melted butter, lemon juice and garlic powder to a small bowl. Mix well to combine. Drizzle the butter-lemon-garlic mixture over the fillets. Bake uncovered for 15-20 minutes or until the fish flakes easily.
*Purchase your catfish fillets at Farmview Market. We have some wonderful southern sourced frozen fillets with no preservatives. Inquire about them in the butcher shop.
Cajun Catfish Courtbouillon
Ingredients
- 4 cups seafood stock
- 2/3 cup roux
- 1 cup onion, chopped
- 1 stalk celery, chopped
- 1 green bell pepper, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 can diced tomatoes with green chilies
- 1 tsp. kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp. freshly cracked black pepper
- 1/4 tsp. cajun seasoning
- 2 -3 pounds catfish, cleaned
- 1 (1 pound 12 ounce) can whole tomatoes
- Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
- Green onion, to garnish
- Fresh parsley, to garnish
- Hot, cooked white or jasmine rice
- Hot pepper sauce, for the table
- Lemon wedges
For the Roux
- 2 oz. equal parts of butter and flour
- Melt the butter.
Whisk in flour and mix thoroughly to remove lumps. Cook on low heat 3-4 minutes, until starts to darken.
Instructions
Warm the seafood stock and set aside. In a large, heavy, lidded pot, warm up the roux over medium heat, stirring constantly. If you haven't already, add the onion, celery and bell pepper to the roux and cook for about 3-4 minutes or until vegetables have softened. Add the garlic and cook another minute.
Using kitchen shears, chop the tomatoes in the can, and add to the roux and veggies. Add the diced tomatoes. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 30 minutes. Stir in the warmed seafood stock and add the salt, pepper and Cajun seasoning, and bring up to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about one hour, or until nicely reduced and thickened. Taste and adjust seasonings.
Add the fish to the top of the sauce, sprinkle it with a bit of salt and pepper, cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes, or until fish is poached and cooked through. Don't stir!
Once the fish is poached through, carefully ladle the courtbouillon into a deep soup bowl, over steaming rice. Add a nice, mixed garden salad, a wedge of lemon, some fresh, hot French bread and always, hot sauce to pass at the table.
Ca Kho To Vietnamese Braised Catfish in Clay Pot
Ingredients
- 1 lb. catfish steaks (bone and skin on)
- 4 tbsp. fish sauce
- 3 tbsp. brown sugar
- 2 tbsp. shallots, minced
- 2 tbsp. garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp. black pepper
- 3 green onions, sliced 1-inch long
- 3 tbsp. caramel sauce
- 1 can young coconut juice
- 1 thai chili, thinly sliced (optional)
- cooking oil
Directions
Clean the fish steaks, rinse well and pat dry. Marinade with fish sauce, sugar, pepper, garlic and shallots for about 30 minutes to 1 hour.
In a clay pot, heat about 1 tbsp. of cooking oil on medium high and add the marinated fish. Allow to sear and brown for about 2-3 minutes before searing the opposite side for another few minutes.
In Vietnam, Ca Kho To is often cooked in a brown clay pot to retain heat and help in the caramelizing process, but it isn’t essential. This recipe calls for a Korean stone pot, but any thick pan or dutch oven that retains heat will do just as well.
Add the caramel sauce and just enough coconut juice to the level of the fish steaks. Cover and turn to medium low heat and allow to simmer for about 25 minutes (longer if you want it really soft), checking a few times to make sure that it's not reduced too much.
Add more coconut juice or caramel sauce if needed. The fish will eventually caramelize and brown, as will the sauce which will be a thick, gooey consistency. Taste the sauce and make any final adjustments with fish sauce or sugar. Turn off heat and add additional fresh cracked pepper, green onions, and optional chili pepper.
For the Caramel Sauce:
All you need is sugar and water. Use about 2 tbsp. of sugar and 1/4 cup water and keep at a rolling simmer, stirring until it reduces and becomes dark brown, about 8 minutes. It should be a maple-syrup-like consistency. If too thick, just add more water.