Fish Dinner

So, the other day I had some hankerin for some fried catfish. I strolled (drove) up to the local fish market to find that they had no catfish that day so the fish monger suggested tilapia or grouper. So I says, "how bout a little of both!" Alright, I got my fish, but what about a side item... Well my friends, a southern style dish deserves a souther style side so I went with Red Beans and Rice, vegetarian version of course. The fish and beans turned out pretty nice, if you've never fried grouper I would definitely recommend it; D-lecious. Served it all up with some homemade tartar sauce and a side of Jeff's Famous Cole Slaw.

For the Fish

I wasn't real sure what type of breading I wanted to do, so I soaked my fish in a mixture of buttermilk and hotsauce for 20 mins or so, then dredge them in flour that I seasoned with old bay. I also add just a little bit of cornmeal to the mix for some crunch. Pan fried them in a cast iron skillet.

For the Beans

I've been cooking a lot of beans for my vegetarian wife lately, so at xmas I acquired a pressure cooker. I par cooked my presoaked red kidney beans in the pressure cooker (about 5mins)to cut down on the cooking time. In a separate pot I cooked celery, onion, bell pepper, garlic, and a chipotle pepper together. I used the chipotle to add a little smokiness since I wasn't using any ham hock or anything. Then I added my beans with the cooking water and some salt and simmered for 45 mins or so. Served over white rice with some green onion, parsley, and a dash of tobasco.

Tartar Sauce

Mayo, Dijon, Lemon Juice, Relish, Capers, dash of tobasco, salt. Throw some of each in a bowl an stir, Voila! Tartar Sauce!