Tonight I tried Martha’s Southern Fried Catfish Sandwiches with a side of Turnip Greens from page 184.
Living right off The Gulf of Mexico, I’m lucky to have a lot of fresh fish available. In fact, living in a house that has a canal right in the backyard, we’ve even done some fishing. Jeff and I have a division of labor when it comes to fishing: he catches ’em and I clean and butcher ’em. I don’t have his patience and skill for getting them on the hook and reeling them in and he doesn’t have my poissonerie training that’s left me with a surgeon-like ability to cut the perfect fillet. We have catfish in our canal, but we haven’t caught any yet. Fortunately, their availability makes them very affordable. They’re also always super-fresh and delicious!
When you’re making a fried catfish sandwich you need a great tasting fish to start with. That’s the key to any good seafood meal, ’cause if your fish isn’t fresh there’s no recipe in the world good enough to make a delicious meal. But even if you have a great fish, it’s easy to cook it up the wrong way. Fish can be difficult to get right because they overcook very easily, but you also don’t want them undercooked. I really like frying them up because by the time the crust is a nice golden brown, the fish should be perfectly cooked.
Martha’s fried catfish sandwich was very good. I enjoyed the stewed turnip greens on the side. I also thought the sweet onions right on the sandwich was a nice, flavorful touch. I added a little lemon and sriracha to the mayonnaise just for a little extra kick of flavor.
If you love fresh fish as much as I do you can’t go wrong with Martha’s take on this Southern classic.
