"southern cooking" news and stories

Part cat, part fish, all good

by Kara Sirmans, Posted Aug 28th 2007 @ 12:45PM

You've seen it laying about at the fish counter in the grocery store -- don't pretend you haven't. But while you were busy averting your gaze, you've been missing one of the holy of holies of southern cooking: catfish.

August is National Catfish Month and if you've turned up your nose at this surprisingly healthy (and easy to get fresh) fish, you're just being -- as my sorta-Southern mama would say -- uppity. Fried catfish is nearly as iconic as hush pups, sweet tea and pulled pork. Now the Catfish Institute is trying to dust off its second-class seafood image and go national. Fittingly enough, Iron Chef Cat Cora has signed on as its celebrity chef spokesperson. I haven't made any of her recipes but coconut catfish can never be a bad thing.

Catfish has long been a secret weapon in my cooking arsenal. I stopped telling people which fish they were eating until after the initial "Really?!" This is usually followed by a request for the recipe. My version (cobbled together from various sources) starts by marinating it in beer (Dixie would be appropriate, don't you think?) for 30 minutes, dredge in flour, cracker or cornmeal spiked with Zatarain's or another seafood seasoning mix, lay fillets in a medium-hot greased pan top-down, flip about 3-4 minutes (depending on the size of your fillet). You end up with a lightly zingy crust that melts into a firm white fish that has just a little bit of tang from behind the bar. Dress it up with cheese grits and cucumber salad or down with corn sticks and fried okra. Guess which I suggest? For hardcore fans, this recipe from Soul Food and Southern Cooking is a good place to start.

Filed under: Ingredients

Chicken Fried Chicken?

COMMENTS 7

by Erich Kuersten, Posted Jun 15th 2006 @ 6:01PM

What Fried How?

"I could really go for some chicken fried chicken right now."

"Huh?"

"You know! Chicken fried chicken."

I recently had this exchange exact with Hannah Pandolph, a Texan friend of mine. You can guess who said the incredulous "huh?" Even us Yankees love and indulge in fried chicken, but chicken fried chicken? How is a chicken fried any way other than in the manner of a chicken?

"There's also chicken friend steak," Hannah piped.

Filed under: Ingredients

Southern food author Edna Lewis dies

COMMENTS 1

by Nick Vagnoni, Posted Feb 14th 2006 @ 6:05PM

Edna Lewis, author of highly regarded cookbooks on Southern cuisine, recently died at the age of 89. In her time, Lewis penned such titles as The Taste of Country Cooking and The Gift of Southern Cooking. The latter was co-authored with her friend, and later, caretaker, Scott Peacock. Today's New York Times has an obituary by food writers Eric Asimov and Kim Severson. The Southern Foodways Alliance also has links to several other articles about Lewis.

Filed under: Newspapers, Ingredients

Southern Fried Eggs "Benedict"

COMMENTS 6

by Sarah J. Gim, Posted Jan 29th 2006 @ 11:05AM

southern fried eggs benedict

My weekend breakfast life has gone through phases. For a very long time, all I ever ate on lazy Saturday and Sunday mornings was waffles. I didn't have a waffle maker, so going out for brunch and getting thin crisp waffles drowning in maple syrup, or thick chewy Belgian waffles topped with fruit was a treat. Then I went through several years of pancakes - all kinds, but thick, light and fluffy were my favorite. Of course, eggs play a role almost every day, but for big breakfasts, I was always an omelette girl, and even went through the "egg-whites only" period.

However, I've never gotten into Eggs Benedict of any sort, though other people go bonkers for them. I don't mind them. I don't think they taste bad. I just never order them myself, and only three or four times in my life have I actually made them (and it seems always to be around a holiday). I think the super runny yolk freaks me out a little.

But these are a twist on the traditional Eggs Benedict. People have made Benedicts with crabcakes, with spinach, smoked salmon, but this is a southern fried version that, if you really read into it, isn't a Benedict at all. It's a fried egg on sausage instead of Canadian bacon, biscuit instead of English muffin (the one pictured is not a biscuit - use your imagination), and drowning in gravy instead of Hollandaise.

Yes, it does sound a bit like a Sausage Biscuit from McClownburger, but this one is on a plate. And since you have to eat it with a fork, you can serve it for brunch, daaah-ling.

Filed under: Raves & Reviews, Ingredients, How To, Methods