There is such a thing as incredibly fresh, wild, local and sustainable fish (The latter two are not always the same thing-but that’s another post).
Not everyone has access to this commodity, so I consider myself lucky to have scored all of the above mentioned fishy criteria in one landing.
How’d that happen?
I follow Wild Ocean Seafood Market, @WOSeafood, on Twitter and ‘Like” their Facebook page, too.
More importantly, Cinthia Sandoval, marketing manager from Wild Ocean Seafood Market in Titusville, brings fresh fish and shrimp from the East coast to the Orlando Farmer’s Market scene every Monday and Thursday evening.
She gets a Facebook double-like for that alone.
Double like because this week she was offering fresh catfish.
Elvis loves catfish. Especially pecan-crusted catfish.
Need I say more? Well, OK here’s the easiest recipe, ever.
Ready?
Fresh Channel Catfish fillets St John’s River, Florida
Ingredients List
2 skin off catfish fillets (these were 8-12 oz avg)
1/2 cup flour
1 1/2 cup pecan halves, chopped finely
1 medium egg, whites only
Sea salt and black pepper to season
2 Tablespoons Canola oil
Kitchen Tools
10-12″ skillet
Fillet knife
Mortar & pestle (to grind the sea salt to fine)
Tongs
Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Rinse and pat dry the catfish fillets, season with salt and pepper and return to refrigerator while you chop the nuts and set up the prep station.
Heat oil in skillet on medium high heat until it shimmers. Usually four-five minutes.
Chop the nuts in a grinder, food processor or old school, by hand with a chef’s knife, on a cutting board (that’s my fav-it’s a stress-buster and I control the size.)
Remove the fish from the refrigerator and dry again.
In this order, place fish in flour, egg wash, nuts and then skillet.
Cook for two-three minutes per side, then finish cooking the fish in the preheated oven for a total of ten minutes per inch.
Serve immediately.
I served this Pecan-crusted catfish with a little bit of thinly sliced canteloupe and a small Caprese salad.
What would you like to pair your pecan-crusted catfish with?
