Fried Catfish and Hushpuppies - adapted from Creole Gumbo and all that Jazz
To kick off this experiment in cooking, I thought I'd start local - very local. Angela went down to the Westbank seafood market in Westwego, where fisherman take the seafood straight from the boat to the market for sale. Now that's fresh. In Creole Gumbo and all that Jazz, Howard Mitcham talks about the ancient art of hand-fishing, or what folks today call noodling. That's when you find a catfish hole, stick your hand way down in there, and hope like hell that you don't pull up a snapping turtle or poisonous snake. Mitcham points out that his kin never worried about deadly snake attacks because, "snakes don't bite under water". This sounds like a theory for Myth Busters, not me. Mitcham also made reference to the origin of the name Hushpuppy - food originally thrown aside to the dog to essentially shut it up. The side dish definitely shut me up.
I cleaned the cuts, seasoned them, and coated them with corn meal. I brought cooking oil to 375 degrees and dropped in the fish. SIMPLE!
The hush puppies were only slightly more complicated. Mixed green onions, onions, seasonings, egg, cornmeal, and buttermilk. All that was spooned into the 375 degree oil. A point of dispute remains as to whether or not the hush puppies should be rolled, in the cornmeal, into balls or simply spoon dropped as-is. Watch the video to hear the verdict!
Music by Sleigh Bells from SXSW
What the Couyon Learned Today: snakes don't bite underwater (supposedly); how to use a thermometer to keep oil at/near 375 degrees; deep fried things should "float" - not touch the bottom of the pan you're frying them in; hushpuppies are better when spoon dropped into hot oil - no need for rolling in cornmeal (I wanted them to look like Ralph & Kacoos hushpuppies SO BADLY, but trust me folks - spoondropped is better!)
Taylor ... Get a Fry-Daddy deep fryer. It's small and has a cover so you can use the oil over. It fits easily in the 'fridge to keep the oil OK. Drop the stuff in and when it floats, it's done. That's how I usually fry things, and I haven't missed yet. I bought one years ago, and it still works fine. It does take awhile to cool down; so, be careful. Looking good!!!
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