Catfish Dilly Days

When I was a young girl my Grannie always took my little brother and me to Piccadilly. No, not the major street in London, but the chain of cafeteria style restaurants found primarily in the South. It was my favorite place to dine with her and I got the same exact meal every time - The Catfish Dilly with macaroni and cheese, French fries, and the soft roll. Very balanced, right?

Later in life, even after Grannie had passed I found another partner to dine at Piccadilly with on a regular basis. After college, my old college roommate and I were in Grad school at different Universities and we wanted to find a way to keep in touch and stay current on each others lives. Lauren and I met every Tuesday at Piccadilly for lunch. Even though several years had passed and my palate had definitely matured, I still got the same meal from my childhood - The Catfish Dilly with macaroni and cheese, French fries, and a soft roll. What can I say? I like nostalgia, or maybe I just LOVE catfish. This recipe had a very similar crust to the Piccadilly catfish and I couldn't help but think of all the special meals I had at the caloric cafeteria with those two special people in my life.

Cornmeal Crusted Fried Catfish
Adapted from Cooking Light April 2010

Ingredients:

Catfish:

• 8 cups peanut oil
• 6 (6-ounce) catfish fillets
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
  
• 9 ounces all-purpose flour, divided (about 2 cups)
• 1 1/4 cups cornmeal
• 1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
  
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cups buttermilk
• 2 large eggs

Preparation

1. To prepare catfish, clip a candy/fry thermometer to a Dutch oven; add oil to pan. Heat oil to 385°.

2. Sprinkle fillets evenly with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Place 4.5 ounces (1 cup) flour in a shallow dish. Combine remaining 4.5 ounces (1 cup) flour, cornmeal, cayenne and black pepper in a shallow dish. Combine 2 cups buttermilk and 2 eggs in a shallow dish. Dredge fillets in flour;

dip in buttermilk mixture.

Dredge in cornmeal mixture; shake off excess breading.

Place 2 fillets in hot oil; cook 5 minutes or until done, turning occasionally.

Make sure oil temperature does not drop below 375°. Remove fillets from pan using a slotted spoon or spider; drain on paper towels. Return oil temperature to 385°. Repeat procedure twice with remaining fillets.

3. Serve filets hot with lemon wedges.

Click Here for My Adapted Printable Recipe