Southern Fried Catfish

Almost all southern recipes are what is typically called soul food. My dad was a great cook, he often cooked for his soldiers while in the war in Vietnam. He loved cooking for crowds and I remember during the catfish tournaments he would help with frying all the catfish at the fish fry's. They would serve this along with huge pots of creamed corn- which I as a child helped to shuck fresh from the owners farm that day. Lots of watermellon and coleslaw, cucmber salads and all the summer picnic foods- WOW the memories that brings back.

• Ready In: 20 mins
• Serves: 2-4

Ingredients

• 1 1⁄2 lbs  catfish (fillets)
•  salt
•  pepper
• 2  eggs, beaten
• 1⁄2 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1  teaspoon garlic powder
• 1⁄4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

• dredge

• 1⁄2 cup flour
• 1⁄2 cup cornmeal
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄2 teaspoon pepper
• 1⁄2 teaspoon onion powder
•  peanut oil (for frying)
•  hot sauce or   tartar sauce, for serving

Directions

1. wash and drain well fillets.
2. season fillets with salt and pepper.
3. mix eggs with lemon juice, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper.
4. in a recatngluar type dish for dredging mix flour, cornmeal, salt, pepper.
5. dip fillet in egg then flour making sure to get a really good coating on the fish, pat the flour in to get a good seal- if desired do it twice to get a heavy coating on.
6. we use a long cast iron frying pan that covers two burners on the stove to fry but you can fry outside or in a deep fryer using peanut oil which withstands higher heats. heat your oil very hot.
7. fry a few fillets at a tme until golden brown and let drain on paper towels or brown paper bags.
8. serve with tartarsauce, lemon juice and hot sauce if sesired.