Buttermilk Fried Catfish + Hushpuppy Style Grits + Tartar Coleslaw

Buttermilk Fried Catfish + Hushpuppy Grits + Tartar Coleslaw

Fish and grits just might be the new shrimp and grits.

Growing up in the Mississippi Delta, fried catfish quickly became a favorite food of mine. And it’s always served with 3 staple sides: baked beans, hushpuppies, and coleslaw — of course with tartar sauce to dip. Naturally, when I’m missing home and good southern food, my first idea is to mash all of my favorite foods into one bite, thus this fish and grits were born (minus the bean part—even I have my limits). This fried catfish is nothing like the kind I know and love — I leave that to the expert, aka a family friend who I and I’m pretty sure the rest of the Delta has deemed the king of fried catfish. This one is treated like a piece of fried chicken: soaked in buttermilk and dredged in a flour/stoneground cornmeal breading. It’s different, it’s crispier, meatier, the breading is thicker, and it holds its own well against the hearty grits and tartar slaw.

Now, I know grits are corn and hushpuppies are corn so this might seem a little bit redundant… however the hushpuppies I grew up with are sweet-ish and have jalapeño bits and whole corn kernels in them. These grits start by charring up some fresh corn, fresh jalapeño dices, and grated sweet onion. Then the grits are added to the mixture and toasted a little before water is added. They’re finished with a little bit of buttermilk, lots of butter, and salt, and they taste pretty damn close to a hushpuppy if you ask me.

I’m going to be honest - my favorite part of this dish is the coleslaw. Something about this tartar sauce recipe is just addicting to me—and I am not the biggest fan of it in the first place. This one is tangy, a little sweet, herby, and lighter than most thick, goopy tartar sauces. It’s nothing revolutionary but it’s dang good.

Obviously, the best part of shrimp and grits is the saucy gravy that the shrimp is stewed in. Since the catfish is fried, I wanted a sauce to pair with it all to tie the dish together. This sauce starts with bacon rendered off the release the natural fat. The “holy trinity” — celery, onion, green bell pepper (make sure all of these are a very small dice! Or even pureed if you want a less chunky sauce!) — is then added in and caramelized until tender. A little tomato paste and some bone broth (or stock, but bone broth has so much more flavor!) later, and you have yourself a flavorful gravy to go with your fish and grits.

Buttermilk Fried Catfish, Hushpuppy Grits, Tartar Coleslaw

Serves 4 | Prep Time: 1 hour | Cook Time: 1 hour

Buttermilk Fried Catfish

• 4-8 catfish filets, depending on size

• 1 cup medium ground cornmeal

• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

Spices:

• 1 tbs. chili powder

• 2 tsp. each salt, black pepper, paprika, garlic powder, and onion powder

• 1 tsp. cayenne pepper
  

• 1 1/2 cups buttermilk

• Canola oil, for frying

• 2 slices bacon

• 2 tbs. olive oil

• 1/2 large sweet onion, small dice - save the other half for grits

• 2 celery stalks, small dice

• 1 green bell pepper, small dice

• 2 garlic cloves, minced

• 3 tbs. tomato paste

• 1 tbs. Worcestershire sauce

• 2 cups Chicken bone broth or stock

• 2 sprigs each fresh thyme and tarragon - tied with twine into a bundle

• Salt and pepper to taste

Mix the dry spices together. In a dish large enough to fit all the catfish filets, add the buttermilk and half the spice mix. Mix together to combine the spices with the milk and coat the catfish thoroughly — cover/wrap and refrigerate for 1-3 hours.

Mix the other half of the spices with the flour and cornmeal and set aside.

Dice the bacon into small pieces. In a cold braiser/deep skillet/saucepan, add the bacon and 2 tbs. olive oil. Turn the heat on medum-low and render off the bacon until crispy, stirring occasionally — this should take around 10 minutes. Turn the heat up to high, add in the bell pepper, celery, onion, and garlic. Sauté until vegetables are caramelized and golden brown. Add in the tomato paste and Worcestershire sauce and stir to coat. Cook for a couple more minutes and deglaze with the broth. Ad in the herb bundle and bring to a simmer. Simmer covered for 15 minutes, uncover, simmer for 5 minutes uncovered and season with salt/pepper to taste. Set aside until ready to serve.

Make the grits and slaw before frying the catfish.

Bring a wide, deep pot of oil to 375ºF. When you add the catfish the temperature will drop about 25 degrees. While heating, remove the catfish from the buttermilk, shaking off any excess milk, and coating completely in the cornmeal mixture right before frying. Gently drop into the oil and fry until they reach a dark golden brown color, frying in batches to not overcrowd the fish. Remove and place on a rack-lined sheet tray. Sprinkle with salt immediately after taking out of the oil. Serve while hot.

Hushpuppy Grits

• 2 tbs. oil of choice

• 2 ears of corn, fresh

• 1 jalapeño, small dice

• 1/2 sweet onion, grated

• 1 cup white or yellow corn grits

• 3 cups water or stock, lukewarm

• 4 tbs./half a stick of unsalted butter

• 2 tsp. salt

• 1 tsp. black pepper

• 1/4 cup buttermilk or heavy cream

Shave the corn off the cob. Heat a braiser or pot large enough to cook the grits in over high heat. Add the oil, and then add the corn kernels and jalapeño dices to sauté until golden brown and slightly charred. Add in the grated onion and a pinch of salt. Turn the heat down to a medium and let the onion sweat and then lightly caramelize, allowing all the vegetables to get tender. Add in the dry grits and stir to coat everything evenly. Turn the heat back on high and add the water/stock 1 cup at a time, stirring rapidly until the water is absorbed fully before adding more. Turn the grits down to a simmer and let cook 10 minutes or until the grits are cooked through. Finish with buttermilk or heavy cream, butter, and salt/pepper. Add more salt if desired. Keep warm until ready to serve.

Tartar Coleslaw

• 2 egg yolks

• Canola or olive oil

• 1 tbs. capers, finely chopped + 1 tsp. caper juice

• 1 tbs. tarragon, finely chopped

• 1 tsp. Dijon mustard

• 1 tbs. lemon juice

• 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

• A few dashes Tabasco

• 1 tsp. granulated sugar

• Salt and black pepper to taste

• 1 cup of green cabbage, thinly shaved

Whisk the egg yolks together in a large dry mixing bowl. VERY slowly drizzle in the oil while whisking fast, only whisking while the oil is pouring, until a mayo consistency is formed. Fold in the rest of the ingredients. Toss with the thinly shaved cabbage. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

To plate:

Spoon the grits on the plate and make a well in the middle. Spoon some of the slaw in the well. Place the fried fish on top. Spoon the sauce along the outside of the grits.