Monday, August 3, 2009

FRIDAY FISH FRY

My favorite dish is a good old fashion CATFISH DINNER.
When we were kids my Dad would have a Friday fish
fry once or twice a month and invite our family over
for dinner. We would play broad games and the older
people would play cards. My Mother would make the
sides and my Grandma would bring her delicious
123 pound cake. My Dad could fry up the best Catfish
you have ever had. Our family and friends never
missed a chance to come over for his famous fish
fry’s. My Dad love’s to tell story, one of them was
about Catfish. Catfish was once considered the
food of the poor and folks turned their nose up
at this fish, he would say if you turned up your
nose at my Catfish you were just being uppity”
because his Catfish is toe tapping and mouthwatering
good. One of the characteristics of Catfish that I enjoy,
is it does not have a fishy smell or taste, it has a mild
sweet taste. For the best down home dinner on the
West Coast; try my Dad’s famous mouthwatering Fried
Catfish serviced with my Mom’s hush puppies and coleslaw
Top off with a sliced of my Grandma ‘s pound cake.

Saturday, August 1, 2009

WHAT'S COOKIN' IN AUGUST

The month of August was designated as National Catfish Month by Congress in the late 1980s, so how about some Catfish recipes. Catfish was once considered the "food of the Poor," Fried catfish is nearly an iconic as hush pups, sweet tea and pork.
If you've turned up your nose at this surprisingly healthy (and easy to get fresh) fish, you're just being -- as my mama would say -- uppity. Rural fish lovers, especially in the southern states, dote on the sweet flavor of catfish,it is the most widely eaten American fish. U.S. Farm-Raised Catfish is the No. 1 farm-raised fish in America. More catfish is produced in the United States on a yearly basis than all other farmed fish combined.
In a time when Americans are more and more concerned with the origins of their food, U.S. Farm-Raised Catfish has become one of the safest choices in seafood, because the fish are raised in freshwater ponds and fed a strict diet of wholesome grains.
Catfish can be used in any recipe calling for a non-oily white fish, but most southerners prefer it dredged in cornmeal and fried. This month I will share my father's mouth watering fried Catfish recipes and other family favorite from soup to grill Catfish.