Fried Catfish & Hush Puppies.

Fried Catfish and Hush Puppies
From Chef Martha Foose’s "Screen Doors and Sweet Tea"

HUSH PUPPY BATTER

2 cups self-rising cornmeal
1/2 cup self-rising flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1/2 cup grated onion
1/4 cup finely chopped bell pepper or jalapeno
1 cup buttermilk
1 large egg

CATFISH

8 (6-ounce) U.S. Farm-Raised Catfish fillets, patted dry
2 cups corn flour
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Vegetable oil, for frying

1. MAKE THE HUSH PUPPY BATTER. In a mixing bowl, whisk the cornmeal, flour, salt, and sugar to mix and remove any lumps. In a separate bowl, combine the onion, bell pepper, buttermilk, and egg. Mix the wet ingredients into the dry, stirring well to combine. Let the batter sit for 15 minutes of until after the fish has been fried.

2. COOK THE FISH. Season both the fish and the corn flour liberally with salt and pepper. Place the seasoned corn flour in a bag. Add the fish pieces one by one, and shake until completely covered. Set the coated fish on a wire rack to dry slightly while the oil heats.

3. Set a wire rack over a baking sheet lined with newspaper or paper towels. In a deep pot or fryer, heat at least 4 inches of oils to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Drop the fish filets into the hot oil, being careful not to crowd the pot, and fry until ginger tan, slightly curled, and floating, about 4 minutes (8 to 10 minutes for whole fish). Remove with a skimmer or slotted spoon. Set the fish on the rack to drain while frying the hush puppies.

4. Do not stir the hush puppy batter, which would deflate it. Dip two spoons in the hot oil. Then with one of the coated spoons, scoop up a spoonful of batter and carefully slide the batter into the hot oil, using the other spoon to help guide the hush puppy into the pot. Repeat, dipping the spoons again if the batter begins to stick, until all the batter has been used. Be careful not to overcrowd the pot. Fry the hush puppies until crisp, turning them as needed, until they turn deep reddish brown and begin to float. Remove from the pot and rain on the wire rack before serving.

Notes:
*I am a strong proponent of cottonseed oil for fish frying. It is an excellent medium: It has a high smoke point of 450 degrees Fahrenheit and does not impart as strong a flavor as peanut oil. Dark cottonseed oil straight from the mill is termed "crude" and must be refined further for most culinary uses. Some cotton-land residents swear by it because of the nutty flavor it imparts.
*Never fill a vessel to be used for frying more than two-thirds full. The grease will rise and sputter violently. Mary fires have happened because this rule was overlooked.
*Never, ever, throw water on a grease fire.
*Many an experienced fish-camp cook checks the oil temperature by flicking a Diamond Strike Anywhere Match across the surface of the hot oil. If it lights, the grease is ready.
*Look for corn flour sold boxed or bagged as fish fry, like Zatarain's. It is very finely ground cornmeal.
*Hushpuppies fried after the fish are much more flavorful than those fried before. Mixing the hush puppy batter and letting it rest while the fish is crying bestows the ethereal crispness.
*If desired add 1/2 cup of fresh, in-season corn kernels to the hush puppy batter.