TN Fish Finder - Bullhead PO BOYS Recipe for Catfish

Title:	Bullhead PO BOYS by capeverdean
Type:	Other
Servings:
Difficulty:	Easy
Prep Time:	10 to 12 hours
Cook Time:	20 mins.
Ingredients:	Fresh Catfish French Bread Lettuce Tomatos Pickles Hot Sauce etc
Directions:	This is a simple recipe I use to make New Orleans style "Po Boy" sandwiches using local bullheads I have caught. The prep time I listed is only that long because I included cleaning the fish and treating the fillets. So you could do the same thing with store bought catfish in a much shorter time. Anyway... First I skin and fillet the fish, and the fillets don't get that big with sizes caught up here compared to the bigger cats found down south. So I usually try to have at least a half dozen or more decent sized bullheads. After I fillet them I make sure to rinse them very thoroughly, then I soak them in the fridge in a light salty water for around 6 to 8 hours. About 3 or 4 cups spring water with 2 teaspoons of salt, don't overdo it with the salt. This draws some of the remaining blood out of the meat, and I have noticed it kinda treats the meat and makes the breading stick a lil better. (often I will notice after 2 or 3 hours the water getting very pink, so I will dump that water, rinse the fillets, then add new water/salt for the final few hours). Once this process is done I will make a marinade to soak it in for an hour or 2, this is mostly for the purposes of breading it after. This marinade I use: Half a bottle of beer, could be any beer, but I personally kinda like using something a lil tart like heineken or becks. One egg. a splash of milk. some black pepper and cayenne pepper sprinkled in. Naturally if you have more fish to coat just increase these ingredients a bit. Mix well whipping the egg in with everything, then soak the fillets in this for at least 1 hour (after removing and rinsing from salty water). Warm up some vegetable oil in a large skillet on a medium heat. Obviously you want it hot enough to fry, but not so scorching hot that it burns too fast, so keep the heat reasonable and let it warm slowly if necessary. I usually make the breading myself using a combination of corn meal, cajun seasoning, black pepper, salt, and a dash of additional cayenne pepper. But if you do not wanna deal with this step, you can also buy a similar breading already prepared in most Super Markets, for example I know "Zatarains" sells a similar cajun fish fry for like a buck or 2. So once the breading is done and the fillets marinated, time to start cooking. Put your breading in a large bowl, then roll the marinated fillets both sides in the mixture until well coated all over. With the marinade it should stick well and will not fall off during cooking. Fry each fillet for 3 to 5 mins minutes and then flip and do the opposite side. With a good sized pan you should be able to do several at once. When both sides are crispy and golden brown, put them on a large plate lined with a paper towel and let them sit a few mins so some of the oil drains off. The "Po Boy" part is simple. Get some french bread, I have found that the warm fresh baked loaves of "Parisian" bread they sell in Market Basket works excellent. I cut it into grinder sized pieces. Cut open the bread and add some mayo, then fill it with the catfish fillets, chopped lettuce, tomatoes and pickles. Sprinkle the top with (Red Pepper) hot sauce and ENJOY!
Other Notes:	The pic is not of the sandwiches, but actual finished fillet pieces from Bullheads caught at Whalom Lake this past month. The wife loves the Po Boys, says they every bit as good as the ones we eat when we visit New Orleans. Obviously be aware of the local fish consumption advisories, particularly from the body of water you took the fish from if possible. I make this 2 or 3 times a year which falls well within the general guidelines for most places.
Date Added:	08/16/12 04:06 PM
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