Fried Catfish With a Kick

Ingredients

• 2 cups buttermilk
• 1 large egg
• 1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
• 24 ounces catfish fillets
• 3 teaspoons creole seasoning, divided
• 3 teaspoons creole mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 cup cornflour
• 1/4 cup cornmeal
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 2-3 cups peanut oil

Directions

1. 1

   Cut your catfish fillets into four pieces. You'll want to make sure your catfish fillets are about 4-6oz a piece.

2. 2

   In a mixing bowl add the buttermilk, eggs and Worcestershire sauce. Blend until smooth with a fork or whisk.

3. 3

   Let soak in egg and buttermilk mixture for 25-30 minutes.

4. 4

   Drain all but about 1/2 cup of buttermilk and egg mixture from bowl. Add your creole mustard and half creole seasoning to the fillets and remaining wet mixture. Evenly coat fillets in mixture to ensure mustard and seasoning is evenly distributed.

5. 5

   In seperate bowl mix together the remaining creole seasoning, black pepper, cayenne, onion powder, garlic powder, corn flower, corn meal, and flour.

6. 6

   Or you can use 1 1/4 cups Lousiana fish fry instead of the corn flour and corn meal.

7. 7

   Use a wok or another pot or pan with reasonable room to fry your fish. I would use a cast iron dutch oven or large cast iron frying pan for the best heat distribution. You don't want to crowd your fish too much, so make sure it's big enough or do two batches.

8. 8

   Heat your peanut oil to about 375°F.

9. 9

   Make sure to drain fillets fairly well before coating them in the dry mixture. Pat the extra dry coating off to avoid burnage. Let sit on wire rack for 2 minutes before placing in hot oil.

10. 10

    Make sure the oil is really hot (375F) before placing fish into oil. Once you place your coated fillet pieces into your hot oil, turn the temp down to Med-High. Then after a minute turn to Med. Brown on each side for about 3-4 minutes depending on the size of your fillets. Turn heat back to Med-High when you first turn your fish. Turn back to Med after about a minute. They will be golden brown, but not too brown.

11. 11

    If you need to do two batches due to the size of your pan then turn back up to med-high and get oil back to 375F before adding second batch. Turn back to Med after you've dropped your fish and let them cook for about the first minute.

12. 12

    Place on wire cooling rack for about 2 minutes and serve then immediately.

13. 13

    Goes great with cocktail sauce. French bread with butter and french fries are a yummy yet fattening addition to this dish.

14. 14

    Oh, and don't forget that pint of beer!