Catfish Louisiana
This dish won me the Best of Show Award at Acadiana Culinary Classic in 1984, This dish has been credited with starting the Renaissance of Cajun Cooking. I consider this distinction to be one of my greatest career achievements.

Ingredients:
2 - 8 oz. catfish fillets
2 cups LouAna Cooking Oil
Batter for Catfish:
2 eggs
one-half cup buttermilk
one-half cup milk
3 cups flour
1 tablespoon Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning
Sauce:
2 tablespoons cooking oil
one quarter cup chopped onion
one quarter cup chopped bell pepper
one quarter cup chopped celery
1 clove minced garlic
1 cup shrimp stock or chicken stock
one quarter cup white wine
one quarter teaspoon Tony Chachere's
Creole Seasoning
one quarter teaspoon paprika
one quarter teaspoon hot sauce
salt to taste
4 tablespoons white roux
(2 tablespoons flour and 2 tablespoons cooking oil blended together)
1 cup cooked peeled shrimp***
1 tablespoon chopped parsley
1 tablespoon chopped green onions
2 cups cooked rice

Directions:
For frying:
1. Heat cooking oil to 350 degrees.*
2. In a bowl beat eggs, milk and buttermilk until thoroughly mixed.
3. Place flour in another bowl. Divide Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning among egg batter and flour.
4. Dredge filet of catfish in flour , then dip in egg batter, and then dredge back in flour.
5. Drop filet in heated oil and fry until golden brown, approximately 4 to 5 minutes or until fish floats.
6. Keep in warm oven while making sauce.
Sauce:
1. Heat 2 tablespoons cooking oil in saucepot. Add onion, celery, bell pepper and sauté for 1 minute.
2. Add garlic and sauté an additional 1 minute.
3. Add stock, white wine, Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning, paprika, hot sauce and salt to taste.
4. Whip in white roux until sauce thickens.** Add cooked shrimp, green onions and parsley.
5. Simmer for additional 1 minute. Top fried catfish with sauce. Serve with rice.
Yields 2 servings.
*If frying more than 2 portions of catfish, remember to allow frying oil to come back up to 350 degrees.
**If sauce thickens to much after adding white roux, thin with small amount of shrimp stock or white wine
***Crabmeat or crawfish may be substituted for shrimp.


Chef Patrick Mould
Louisiana Culinary Enterprises, Inc
http://louisianaschoolofcooking.com
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