Few fish taste better than fried catfish, and this sandwich is the perfect recipe for it. Photograph by Christina Holmes / Food and Prop Styling by Roscoe Betsill
In my opinion, there’s no recipe more representative of Cajun cooking than the po’boy. You’ll find fried catfish po’boys at almost any Louisiana deli, but it’s much more satisfying to make your own with the fresh summer cats you catch. Pair this sandwich with a side of sweet-potato fries and a cold Abita Light.
You Will Need
Ingredients
- 6 8-inch catfish fillets
- Beef tallow, lard, or
- peanut oil for frying
- 4 cups corn flour
- 2 Tbsp. kosher salt
- 2 Tbsp. black pepper
- 1 tsp. cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp. paprika
- 4 oz. yellow mustard
- 1 oz. Tabasco
- 6 po’boy-style bread loaves
- 2 tomatoes, sliced thin
- 1 red onion, sliced thin
- Mayonnaise, lettuce,
- and pickle slices, for garnish
Directions
Heat the oil in the fryer to 350 degrees.
Mix all of the dry ingredients together. In a separate bowl, mix the mustard and Tabasco together to make the mustard batter.
Working in batches, lightly coat the fillets in the seasoned corn flour, then submerge the fillets in the mustard batter and leave them there for 15 to 20 minutes. This will really add some depth of flavor to your fried fish. Don’t go longer than 30 minutes, though, or the vinegar will start to “cook” and toughen your fish. The smaller the fish or seafood, the less time it needs in the mustard batter.
Remove the fillets from the batter and place them in the hot oil. Fry for 6 minutes.
Remove the fish from the fryer and set on a wire rack or paper towel. Season with salt and a squeeze of lemon.
Build the sandwiches: Smear the bread with mayonnaise, add a fried fillet, and dress the po’boy with tomato, lettuce, and pickles.