Fish for Compliments

I bought a mess of catfish at Costco and needed to cook 'em up.  I tried a great but simple recipe for grilled filets that yielded crunchy, slightly smoky fish that was da bomb.  It was as tasty as any deep-fried Southern catfish I have ever had, and probably a whole lot healthier, too.

In my experience, Costco has consistently good-quality fish, but I soaked the filets in milk for a few hours to help reduce any "muddy" flavors (catfish are bottom feeders).

This forum on Taste of Home, gives several other alternatives to this problem, including soaking in aciduated water (water spiked with lemon), buttermilk, mustard, or salt water.  I don't know if the milk helped mine, but I do know that my fish didn't have a trace of muddiness.

Start by preheating your grill to medium and making a smoking packet like described here.  Put the packet on the grill's heating element or directly over the coals if using charcoal.

Combine 2 tsp. seasoned salt, 1 tsp. garlic powder, 1 tsp. celery seed, and 1/2 tsp. celery salt.

Remove the fish (I had about 2 lbs.) from the milk, pat the filets dry with paper towels and season on both sides with the seasoning mixture.

Finely crush a sleeve of buttery flavored crackers (I used Townhouse) and melt a stick of butter.

Dip each filet into the butter, then into the cracker crumbs, and lay on a sheet tray.  I line the tray with foil, then after the fish are cooked, I remove the foil and use the tray for the cooked filets.

Spray a grilling sheet with cooking spray so that the filets don't stick.  Lay the fish on and cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes or until fish flakes easily.

Watch carefully so they don't burn.  You can flip them carefully one time, but we didn't, and they were still fine.

Golden brown, flaky, and delicious!

I served the crunchy fish with cheesy creamed spinach, which was a pleasant contrast.

The whole family complimented the chef on this recipe.  It's a keeper!

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Steak Out

I have been using my gas grill a lot these days because it has been so beastly hot.   I have wanted to try this grilled Korean steak recipe from Epicurious.com for awhile now.  I halved the original recipe and used bone-in ribeyes because that is what I had.

This was really juicy and bursting with flavor.  It was great cold the next day, too.  If you would like a vegetarian option, I think this would be fabulous with portobello mushrooms in place of the steak.  The cilantro sauce makes the dish, so don't skip it!

Grilled, Korean-Style Steaks with Spicy Cilantro Sauce

(click here to print)

Marinade for Steak:

3 oz. lite soy sauce

1 1/2 Tbsp. sugar

1/2 Tbsp. sesame oil

2 Tbsp. dry sherry

2 large cloves garlic, minced

1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes

3 one-inch thick bone-in ribeye steaks (about 3 lbs. in total)

Combine the marinade ingredients and pour over the steaks.

Turn to coat each side and let sit at room temperature for about 1 hour.  Meanwhile, make the sauce:

Cilantro Sauce:

1/2 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro

3 Tbsp. vegetable oil

2 Tbsp. lite soy sauce

1/4 to 1/2 tsp. sesame oil

1 large clove garlic, minced

2 tsp. fresh lime juice

hot pepper sauce to taste (ex: Tabasco or Sriracha)

salt to taste

Combine all ingredients and mix thoroughly.

Preheat grill to medium high heat.  Grill steaks on a lightly oiled rack 3 to 4 minutes on each side for medium-rare. Let steaks stand for 5 minutes, then top with some sauce and cut crosswise into 3/4-inch-thick slices.  Serve remaining sauce on the side.

This won't be a rare treat at my house!

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Fired Up for Salsa

We grow our own tomatoes in the summer.  Actually, My Man grows them (jalapenos, too).  We have a pretty impressive yield from only 6 plants.

Last year, we had hundreds of tomatoes, so we shared them with everyone we knew.  In 2009, we had almost no tomatoes because we planted them too late (mid-March, but we got an early heat spell). Lesson learned is that tomatoes will suffer from something called "blossom drop" and not set fruit if the nights are either too warm (in our case) or too cold.  See this article which discusses the optimal temperatures for planting tomatoes.  Another lesson learned from prior years is that we need to pick the tomatoes while they're still a little green or the birds will dive-bomb them and we'll be tomato-less.

Our harvest is coming in strong, and that means we're getting fired up for our smoky, spicy version of homemade salsa.

Fire Roasted Garden Salsa

(click here to print)

6 medium to large tomatoes (about 3 lbs.)
1 large onion, chopped coarsely
4 whole garlic cloves, peeled
2 large or 4-6 small jalapenos (see NOTE)


1/3 cup cilantro, minced
1 Tbsp. vinegar
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste (start with about 1 tsp. salt)
hickory wood chips, water

Soak a handful of hickory (or mesquite) wood chips in water for about 20 minutes.  Drain and place on a square of heavy-duty foil, making a little bundle.

The top should be open.  Put the bundle directly on the coals of your (cold) grill.  Turn the grill to high and allow the chips to begin smoking, about 10 minutes.  The grill sheet that I  cooked the vegetables on was preheating at the same time.

 

In the meantime, toss the tomatoes, onions, garlic, and jalapenos with a little vegetable oil to coat.  Add to the preheated grill sheet. Turn the heat down to medium high, close the cover, and allow the vegetables to cook for 8-10 minutes.  You will see a fair bit of smoke.  Smoke is good.

Turn the vegetables and continue to grill them for another 8-10 minutes.  The tomatoes will start to get soft and the garlic, onions, and jalapenos will be slightly blackened.  A good char helps to promote the smoky flavor you're going for.

Remove the vegetables to a heatproof bowl and set aside until cool enough to handle.  Core and chop the tomatoes, load into a strainer with the other vegetables, and set over the bowl to drain thoroughly.

My tomatoes were very juicy, so you're trying to get rid of some of the extra juice.  Stir it around to help it along.  I do keep some in reserve, though, in case I want to make the salsa thinner later.

Finally, chop your cilantro in your food processor.   Add the cooked tomato mixture, vinegar, salt and pepper and pulse to desired consistency.

 Refrigerate until served.  This tastes best when it's been allowed to stand for several hours.

Serve with...well, you know.

This salsa doesn't last 24 hours at my house!

NOTE:   If you prefer a milder salsa, add fewer jalapenos and cut the jalapenos lengthwise to remove the seeds and ribs.  Our homegrown jalapenos are large and very hot, so I only added two and removed the seeds and ribs.  A word of caution: if you chop the jalapenos with your bare hands, make sure you wash before touching your eyes!  Caliente'!

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One Cool Cat(fish)

It has been SO hot in Texas--triple digit heat already which is somewhat unusual for June.  I'm doing everything I can to keep the house cool, and that means cooking outside, not inside.

I was perusing recipes on one of my favorite recipe websites and was intrigued by this recipe for pan-fried catfish on the grill.  It was crispy on the outside and flaky on the inside!

Skillet-Fried Catfish
Slightly adapted from Allrecipes.com
(click here to print)

1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup cornmeal
1 tsp. onion powder
1 tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. garlic salt
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
4 (8 oz.) catfish fillets or 2 lbs. total
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup vegetable oil

Preheat your gas grill to medium hot heat.  Put 2 Tbsp. butter and  2 Tbsp. oil in EACH of two cast-iron skillets and heat over the flame for 5 to 10 minutes or until the oil is sizzling around the edges.  If you don't have two skillets, you will have to cook the fish in batches.

In a ziptop bag, combine the flour and seasonings.  Season the catfish lightly with Essence or salt and pepper first, then add catfish fillets one at a time to the bag.

Shake to coat each fillet with the seasoned flour and carefully lay the catfish fillets in the skillets.

Put the cover down on the grill and cook for 5-7 minutes per side.  The rule of thumb I use to ensure moist, flaky fillets is 10 minutes total cooking time for each inch of  thickness for fresh fish.

Drain the fish on paper towels and serve with a wedge of lemon and your favorite tartar sauce.

I served mine with grilled vegetable medley.

That's one cool way to make catfish!

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