Catfish and Grits with Creole Sauce

This year the United States Personal Chef Association (USPCA) annual conference was held in New Orleans, Louisiana. I am always inspired by one particular meal at our conferences, and this year was no different. We were treated to a soul food cooking demo by world-renowned chefs, Frank Brigtsen (Brigtsen's Restaurant) and Leah Chase (Dooky Chase Restaurant). Frank, who has recently opened his second restaurant, Charlie's Place, paid homage to his mother with a Mustard & Cornmeal Fried Catfish with Stone Ground Jalapeno Cheese Grits with Creole Sauce recipe.

We joyfully watched the friendly banter between Frank and Ms. Leah, who have a genuine mutual respect and love for each other. For the benefit of those that are new to Creole cuisine, Frank explained the mirepoix or trinity and professed his love for Paul Prudhomme's seasonings. Ms. Leah, patiently stirring the grits while Frank cooked the catfish, told us about a New Orleans Holy Thursday tradition of eating green gumbo (gumbo z'herbes), and made us laugh about how Barack Obama sat down to a bowl of her gumbo and immediately started pouring in the hot sauce without tasting it first.

Now I can make grits--Frank said so (I'll tell you later about the Chef's Knock Out judged by Mr. Brigtsen, himself)--and I've definitely fried my share of catfish--but after tasting Frank's catfish, I really don't want to make it any other way. The mustard batter and blend of flour and cornmeal is key to the recipe, but the other trick is pan-frying the battered catfish immediately after it has been dredged in the dry mix. Frank explained that when you batter in advance the dry mix becomes wet and the crust won't be crispy.

Mustard & Cornmeal Fried Catfish
with Stone Ground Jalapeno Cheese Grits
& Creole Sauce

Creole Sauce:

3 tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 cups diced green bell peppers
1 1/2 cups diced celery
2 cups diced yellow onions
1 bay leaf
1 tsp dried whole-leaf sweet basil
1/2 tsp dried whole-leaf oregano
1/2 tsp dried whole-leaf thyme
1 tbsp salt
1/4 tsp ground cayenne pepper
1/8 tsp ground black pepper
1/8 tsp ground white pepper
1 tsp minced fresh garlic
6 cups canned whole plum tomatoes (pureed with their juice)
1 tbsp granulated white sugar

1) Heat the olive oil in a pot over high heat. add the bell peppers and celery and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2) Add the onions and bay leaf and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions become soft and clear.
3) Reduce heat to low. Add the sweet basil, oregano, thyme, salt, cayenne, black pepper, white pepper, and garlic.
4) Add tomato puree and sugar. Reduce heat to very low and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Grits:

8 cups milk
4 tsp salt
4 tbsp very finely chopped fresh jalapeno peppers
3 tbsp unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups stone ground grits
4 cups grated sharp Cheddar Cheese

1) In a heavy-duty pot over low heat, add the milk, salt, and jalapenos. Cook just until the milk is scalded.
2) Add the butter and grits and whisk until thoroughly blended. Cook until the grits are thick and tender, whisking occasionally.

Catfish:

4 eggs
1 cup yellow mustard
1 cup Zatarain's Creole mustard
2 cups milk
4 cups all-purpose flour
4 cups yellow corn flour*
4 cups yellow corn meal
about 1 cup Chef Paul Prudhomme's Seafood Magic seasoning
3 1/2 lbs catfish filets, cut into thin strips, about 2 to 2-1/2 ounces each
Vegetable oil for frying

1) In a mixing bowl, add the eggs and whisk until frothy. Add the yellow mustard and Creole mustard and whisk until well blended. Add the milk and whisk until well blended. Set aside.
2) In a separate mixing bowl, add the white flour, corn flour, corn meal, and 3/4 cup of the seafood seasoning. Mix until well blended. Set aside.
3) heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat to 375 degrees. The oil should be about 1/4 inch deep, so that it comes up the sides of the catfish, but not over the top.
4) Season the catfish pieces lightly and evenly on both sides with the seafood seasoning.
5) Dip the catfish pieces into the (wet) mustard batter and then into the (dry) seasoned flour batter. Place the battered fish pieces immediately into the hot oil. Fry until crispy on both sides, turning once, about 2 minutes per side. Place the fried catfish pieces on paper towels to drain.
6) To serve, ladle about 1/2 cup of Creole sauce onto each serving plate. Place about 1/3 cup of grits in the center of each plate. Top with two pieces of fried catfish. Serve immediately.

*if you can't find corn flour, you can substitute masa flour or Zatarain's fish fry.

Note: I only used one cup of cheese when I made the grits and they were still very good.