Blue Catfish Escabeche
Author: Congressional Seafood
Ingredients
- 1 lb sea blue catfish fillets cut into 2” wide pieces
- ¼ cup corn flour
- Vegetable oil for frying
- 1 small red bell pepper sliced thin
- 1 sweet onion peeled, halved and thinly sliced
- Zest of 1 Meyer lemon
- Pat the blue catfish dry ¼ cup Meyer lemon juice
- ¼ cup rice vinegar
- 2 Tbsp sugar
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme stems removed
- 3 bay leaves
- Salt & freshly ground pepper to taste
Instructions
- Pat the fish dry with paper towels, then season.
- Put the flour in a shallow bowl and dust all of each filet with the flour.
- In a heavy bottomed pot, add 1” of vegetable oil and heat until the oil reaches 360 degrees F.
- Prepare wire rack by lining with 2 sheets of paper towels.
- Fry the catfish in batches and drain on the paper towel lined rack.
- Add the bell pepper, onions, lemon zest and juice, vinegar, sugar, bay and thyme to a bowl and stir to combine.
- Salt and pepper to taste.
- Place the warm fried fish in a shallow non-reactive container such as a glass baking dish and pour the vegetables and marinade over the top of the fish, making sure to cover it evenly with the onion and bell pepper mixture.
- Refrigerate overnight and serve at room temperature with a salad or crusty bread.
