Fried catfish with hushpuppies and chipotle dipping sauce
Servings 4
Author Lisa Fain
Ingredients
Ingredients for the catfish:
1poundcatfish fillets, cut into inch-wide strips
1teaspoonkosher salt
1teaspoonblack pepper
1cupyellow cornmeal
2large eggs
1/2cupwhole milk
Oil for frying
Ingredients for the hush puppies:
3/4cupyellow cornmeal
1/3cupall-purpose flour
1/2teaspoonbaking powder
1/4teaspoonbaking soda
1/2teaspoonkosher salt
Oil for frying
1/2cupmilk or buttermilk
1large egg
2teaspoonscanola oil or melted bacon drippings
1jalapeño, seeded and finely diced
1/3cupdiced onions
Ingredients for the chipotle-lime mayonnaise:
2chipotle chiles in adobo sauce, chopped
1teaspoonfreshly squeezed lime juice
1cupmayonnaise
1tablespoonchopped cilantro
Instructions
To prepare the catfish, salt and pepper the fillets with half the salt and pepper. Put the cornmeal on a plate and stir in the remaining salt and pepper. Beat the eggs and milk together in a bowl. Dip the fillets in egg-milk mixture and then dredge in cornmeal, covering both sides.
To make the hush puppy batter, mix together the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk together the milk and egg and stir into the dried mixture until well combined. Add the oil, jalapeño, and onion and stir until well combined.
Line a sheet pan with paper towels. Heat up about 3-inches of oil in an iron skillet or a Dutch oven.
You’ll want to cook the hush puppies first, so they won’t taste fishy. To cook, working in batches, add tablespoon-sized balls of dough in hot oil, until crisp and golden brown (about 2 minutes). Remove with a slotted spoon to the paper-lined sheet.
To cook the fish, place battered fish into hot oil and cook 4 minutes, turning once. Remove with a slotted spoon tot he paper-lined sheet.
To make the chipotle-lime mayonnaise, stir together the chipotle chiles, lime juice, mayonnaise, and cilantro.
Serve the catfish and hush puppies warm with the chipotle-lime mayonnaise.