Don't Tell Fish Stories

Don't tell fish stories where the people know you; but particularly, don't tell them where they know the fish. Mark Twain

I know what you are expecting.   You’re thinking I’m about to bore you with another green bean casserole recipe or sweet potato soufflé.  And, I thought about it.  It’s Thanksgiving week, that’s what I should be doing! However, whatever I make, I’d probably have to turn around and have it again in a few days…there can be too much of a good thing.  So, all things considered I tried to figure out what I was going to make.   Talk about pressure; how do you follow the star of a show (Thanksgiving turkey) and something called a 6-Layer Dreamy Chocolate Mousse Cake?!?! You can’t!  (Ugh, my face is breaking out just thinking about this!) So, I’m going to switch gears and make something on the other end of the spectrum.  I’m going to try to give you a recipe that you could make on any given week night; a quickie, if you may, or at least that’s what we’ll soon find out.

Now that we have that settled, what to make? This decision shouldn’t be as hard as I’m making it, but to know that what I cook will need to satisfy others makes it tough!  I’m used to cooking for Stephen and myself and maybe my sister.  No one judges it, if it’s not good, no big deal.  But now I want to give you something that you can try to re-create ;) and maybe take out all the guesswork.  A “go-to” recipe that will be something different, but something that you know will be tasty and a time saver. 

All that being said I have been craving something I saw on the Food Network a few weekends ago.  It’s a recipe that Claire Robinson (her show is about making things with only 5 ingredients) was making.  Her version is a Catfish Po’Boy; mine may have a little variation.  I bought my ingredients last Friday, and it’s Monday so if I had bought fresh catfish, they wouldn’t be very fresh anymore.  Therefore, I will be making mine with frozen tilapia (no frozen catfish- thanks, wal-mart).  I’ll let you know if that was a good decision or bad.  {Announcement: Fresh fish is always the best choice if you want the best possible sandwich; however, we’re going to test my version}

Step 1- Pour yourself a glass a wine.  (Sorry, Anna!)

Ok, ok, seriously- let’s get cooking!

First, I made my remoulade sauce.  I took Sandra Lee’s recipe, and remixed it a little.  I seriously don’t think I’ve ever made a recipe exact before (unless it was baking, but we’ll save that for another day).  This is my version:

Remoulade Sauce:

·         1 ¼ cup of mayonnaise

·         Seafood seasoning: calls for 1 teaspoon, I used probably about 2 teaspoons of Cajun seasoning

·         ½ teaspoon garlic powder

·         A little over half of a lemon

·         Salt and pepper

Mix up, and store in the refrigerator.

*** The original recipe calls for 1 Tbsp capers, 1 scallion finely chopped, and crushed garlic.  Try Sandra’s way if you want!

***Time Saver: Make this the night or day before!

Now for my fishies:  I put them in the refrigerator yesterday morning for them to slowly thaw.   When I got home, I took them out of the package, rinsed them off, and patted dry with paper towel.  Then, I mixed up my flour.  Again, original recipe calls for corn flour, but I overlooked that and went with what I have on hand, good ole all purpose flour.  I eyeballed probably a cup and half (or so) of flour and put in about 2 Tbsp (or so) of Cajun seasoning, salt, and pepper to help add some flavor.   Then I poured some canola oil into a pan and waited for it to heat up.   Claire says to heat oil up to 365⁰, but who really has a thermometer?  Correct me if I’m wrong, but that seems like a wasteful kitchen gadget that would just take up room that I don’t have!  So, my tip is to insert a wooden kitchen spoon into the oil (stick side) and if it bubbles, you’re good to go!

Pat the fish dry one more time and put it in your flour; coat both sides.  Slowly lower patty into oil away from you.  If you actually had fresh catfish fillets it’d probably take the original 5 minutes or so that Claire suggests.  With my tilapia it took only about a minute or two on each side.  Be sure not to overcook, but also be sure they aren’t still pink!  I only cooked two at a time; you don’t want to overcrowd your pan.  After you take the fish out, give your oil a minute or two to heat back up.  You don’t want your oil getting cold; your fish will take longer and won’t have a crunchy crust.

Drain on a paper towel, dash it with a little salt, and a splash of lemon juice.  You’re done!  

Lastly assemble your sandwich.  I heavily applied remoulade sauce, a little lettuce, splash of lemon juice, (maybe a little onion if you’re into that sort of thing) some hot sauce, and the fish.  DELISH!

{This was an extremely easy dish to prepare that didn’t take long at all especially if you made the sauce ahead of time.  Give it a try, and let us know what you think!}

Have a Safe and Happy Thanksgiving!! Best of luck with all your dishes!

Note from Andie-

OMGoodness!!!  This po'boy was seriously SO good.  And the best part--it was quick and easy to make.  The remoulade sauce really made this recipe to me.  I will definitely be preparing this sauce the same exact way Kirby did and keep it on hand at all times!!

*Added Bonus*

Because it is Thanksgiving week, I thought I’d share these hotlines that will be open on Thanksgiving Day just in case you do have some kind of food crisis!  Also, check under Recipes for the latest Thanksgiving recipe! 

Helpful Hotlines- realsimple.com

U.S. Department of Agriculture Meat and Poultry Hotline: 888-674-6854. Food-safety specialists answer all questions related to food preparation and storage from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. eastern standard time (EST) Monday through Friday all year long and from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day. The hotline is closed on all other Federal government holidays.

Butterball Turkey-Talk Line: 800-288-8372. A team of home economists and nutritionists is there to answer bird-related questions from November 1 to December 31 from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Weekday hours are extended, to 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., from November 1 to November 24. Hours on Thanksgiving Day are from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., and on December 24 and 25 from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Or log on to Facebook.com/Butterball for live, one-hour chats with the pros every Wednesday throughout the month of November.

The Crisco Pie Hotline: 877-367-7438. Get advice from two National Pie Championship winners, among other pie pros, from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. EST. Hours are extended, to 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., from November 15 to November 24 and from December 13 to December 23.