I decided this week to spoil myself a little. It's been a stressful week, and nothing de-stresses me like some well cooked seafood (except maybe a good work out). I bought 2lbs of catfish nuggets. While catfish nuggets lack the aesthetic beauty and simplicity that a full fillet has, I usually buy the former due to the cheaper price tag (the fillets were $6.99/lb. nuggets? 3.45/lb. Come on now. It's the same fish). Only one downside I've ever found: sometimes, just sometimes, there are bones. Something to be aware of, not worried about- just check the pieces before you toss them from the prep to cooking.
Anyway, the original thought with catfish, was to fry it. I love love love Andy's seafood seasoning (no, not an exclusive friend-made magic mix- it's a brand name pre-made seasoning! usually found in the seafood dept. of your grocery store.) for coating catfish just before frying it to perfection. Super simple, super tasty. Just for the heck of it, I'll type up that as a recipe:
Perfect Fried Catfish
1 egg, beaten
Andy's seafood seasoning
~1lb catfish
oil for frying
Heat about 1/4" oil in a frying pan until rippling (but not smoking!). Dip the fish in the egg to coat it, then coat in the seafood seasoning. Place the now coated fish in the pan (it will sizzle & may spray), cook until golden brown on each side and cooked all the way through (time depends on size of fish fillet/nugget, so I'm refraining from putting a time here. Catfish will be completely white all the way through, without being dry when cooked correctly).
I did this with about half of the catfish, last night, but I still had a ton left a day later. Now, I grew up in New England, and if there's one thing I learned about food while growing up, it is this: cook and eat your seafood within a day or two of buying it or don't eat it at all! I couldn't let it go to waste, and had been planning to make clam chowder later in the week, so I adapted my plans for the clams and cream and grabbed a few other things from my kitchen. In the end, what I came up with left me with that amazing comfort food feeling.
Seafood Chowder
- ~12 cocktail sausages, cut into thirds
- 2 medium onions, chopped
- 1 T butter
- 1 T peanut oil
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 2 large red potatoes, cut into bite-size pieces
- 2 cups water
- 1 (8 oz) bottle clam juice
- 1/2 tsp each: salt & pepper
- 1/2- 1 lb catfish nuggets, cut into bite-size peices
- 1 lb shrimp
- 2 (6.5 oz) cans chopped clams in clam juice
- 1 cup milk
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1 1/2 c. frozen corn
- seasoned salt
- fresh parsley, chopped
Cook the sausages until browned slightly, then add onions and oil. Cook until the onions are almost transparent and add the garlic and potatoes. Add water, clam juice, salt and pepper. After a few minutes (3-5) add the catfish. Cook for another 5 or so minutes and add the shrimp, milk, 1 cup of the cream and the clams- everything in the can! juice & all! Simmer for 10-15 minutes more, or until the seafood is fully cooked. Add the corn, seasoned salt and parsley to taste, cook for 2 more minutes, and Enjoy!
