Oven Fried Catfish & Black-Eyed Pea Salad

Easily one of the tastiest ways to enjoy sturdy fish such as catfish that begs to be cooked in such a way that other more delicate fish may be dried out. In order to oven-fry, it is necessary to marinate the catfish for a while. We used homemade nonfat "buttermilk" made from skimmed milk and some sort of acid such as lemon juice to heighten the seafood flavor as you know lemon accomplishes so effectively. Also included in the marinade was srirachca in order to provide a base of heat to the fish to which the black-eyed pea and cucumber salad would provide a cooling counterbalance. After marinating, just take the fish and roll it in a combination of flour, cornmeal, salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper. You can add any complementary spices or herbs that you see fit depending on what is being cooked and which dishes will be complementing it in order to create a tableside unity.

The catfish was then baked in the oven and ended up crispy due to the coating yet moist and succulent within the corny shell. The corn also paired very nicely with the black-eyed peas in the side salad for which the "recipe" is provided below. To balance the meal even further, we needed a green, and that huge bag of kale was still residing in the refrigerator, only half-full by this point. The kale was sauteed with minced garlic, onions, red pepper flakes, and the star element - crimini mushrooms. None of us around the table could believe how exquisite this combination turned out to be. The earthiness and umami meatiness of the mushrooms nullified any bitterness that may have remained in the flash pan-fried greens and complemented the earthiness of sauteed onions and garlic about which I ranted in my last post. The hot pepper flakes tied the greens to the heat provided in the catfish and its coating, while the green side dish broadened the already expansive array of colors on the table. That is what we attempt to achieve every night: a balance of the essential nutrients through various colors at table along with varied food types represented on each plate. This meal was quite a hit.

Black-Eyed Pea Salad

1 lb black-eyed peas, soaked and fully cooked
1 medium red onion, diced
1 cucumber, diced
1 red pepper, diced
1 bunch parsley, roughly chopped

1 tbsp low fat sour cream
juice of 1 lemon
1 tbsp vinegar
1/2 tsp sugar
lemon zest for garnish, if desired

To assemble, mix the salad ingredients together in a large bowl and add salt and pepper, mix the dressing elements and drizzle over dry ingredients until desired moistness of salad is achieved, insuring that rest time is given to the salad before combining to remove excess water to the bottom of the bowl, slightly diluting the dressing. Chill in the refrigerator for an hour before serving.