Catfish dinners are not only for South Americans. Catfish is a great choice for family meals or fine dining. It has a mild, sweet taste, simple preparation, and an impressive nutritional profile.
From New England to the Pacific to the South, catfish tastes great deep-fried, broiled, baked, grilled, blackened, sautéed or stir-fried. U.S. Farm Raised Catfish is always available and makes a healthy addition in almost all recipes.
This recipe is by Cat Cora, the star of Food Network’s “Iron Chef America”This is:
Cat Cora’s Catfish Scaloppini With Vine-Ripened Tomatoes
4 slices vine-ripened tomatoes
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black Pepper
Vinegar for red wine
2 (4-ounces) U.S. Farm Raised Catfish filets, lightly beaten into scaloppini
Breading: 1 cup flour, 2 eggs beat with 1 tablespoon of water; 2 cups panko breadcrumbs
3 tablespoons olive oils
2 tablespoons butter
6-8 cloves garlic, sliced
6 fresh basil leaves
1 cup fresh lemon juice
Place the tomatoes on a heat-proof platter. Sprinkle with salt & pepper. Use red wine vinegar to drizzle.
The filets can be rolled through the flour. Dip them in the egg wash, then coat with bread crumbs.
Heat the olive oil in a 12-inch sauté pan over medium-high heat. Place the scaloppini into the hot oil. Brown each side. The browned catfish can be removed and placed over the tomatoes. Season with salt. To keep the platter warm, heat the oven to low.
Discard any excess oil from the sauté pan. Place the butter into the pan. Allow the butter to melt. Then, brown the butter lightly. Add the garlic and basil leaves immediately to the butter and stir them around in the pan so that they don’t burn.
When the basil becomes crispy and the garlic begins to soften, add the lemon zest and continue mixing the ingredients until you are satisfied. The pan should be taken off the heat. The tomato platter and catfish should be taken out of the oven. Serve the fish with the sauce.
You can find more U.S. Farm Raised Catfish Recipes at www.catfish.org www.UScatfish.com.
