Oven-fried catfish
Ingredients:
8 catfish fillets, patted dry with paper towels
2 tsps. Frank Davis Seafood Seasoning
2 cups Panko bread crumbs (or breadcrumb/oatmeal mix)
? tsp. kosher or sea salt
? tsp. coarse ground black pepper
? tsp. garlic powder
? tsp. ground cayenne pepper
2 single containers of EggBeaters, 4-ounce size
2 Tbsp. water
1 can Pam cooking spray
1 bunch green onion, twirled
? cup finely chopped Italian parsley
First thing you do is find your baking rack-the fillets need to be placed on a rack when they're baked so that the heat can circulate all the way around them.
Once you've found it, spray it liberally back and front with the Pam. Now set it aside for a while atop a sheet pan that you line with heavy duty aluminum foil.
At this point, you're ready to prep your fish.
But before you begin, preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Now lay out the fillets on the countertop on a large sheet of freezer wrap and sprinkle them evenly with the seafood seasoning.
Then, in a deep bowl, combine the bread crumbs (or the breadcrumb/oatmeal mixture), salt, black pepper, garlic powder, and cayenne until fully blended.
Next, place the EggBeaters and the 2 tablespoons of water in a shallow glass pan, blend everything together lightly, and thoroughly dip the fillets in the mix.
Then immediately thereafter, dredge them in the crumb mixture.
All that's left to do is to arrange the breaded fillets on the wire rack (but be careful not to overlap them).
Before you do, however, lightly coat each fillet evenly on both sides with the cooking spray-it's the finishing touch and the secret to turning out crispy catfish!
Finally, bake them at 375 for 25 to 30 minutes or until the fish is golden brown and crusty.
I like 'em dished up right from the oven and crowned it with a serving of the spicy citrus cream.
The green onion twirls and the minced Italian parsley are the garnish. (By the way, all you need to serve with this is a bowl of spicy green beans and some Red Hot Potatoes.)
Spicy Citrus Cream topping
1 8oz container light sour cream
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
1 Tbsp. minced green onions
? tsp. lemon zest
? tsp. lime zest
1 tsp. Frank Davis Garlic Cayenne Sauce
2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
? tsp. Frank Davis Sprinkling Spice This is a snap! Just stir all the ingredients together until they are uniformly blended and silky smooth. Then cover the mixture and chill it until you're ready to eat. ----------------Chef's Notes:
If you don't have any of my seafood seasoning, you can order some on-line at www.frankdavis.com, or simply substitute your favorite seasoned salt or all purpose Cajun spice. Panko Bread Crumbs is an extremely light and fluffy Oriental coating that is often used in Japanese cooking. Is texture is extremely crunchy and ideal for oven fried entrees. To get oatmeal to the right texture to produce a crunchy coating, pulse it in the food processor for about 45-60 seconds. Then combine it with the bread crumbs and toss everything together until fully blended. By the way, I suggest you make a big batch 'cuz it keeps well in a plastic zipper bag in the freezer. Incidentally, just for the record each container of EggBeaters is equivalent to 2 whole eggs (in case you don't have EggBeaters on hand and you need to substitute egg whites from scratch).
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