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Catfish Tacos With Charred Corn

catfishtacos
Jennifer Justus•

Renowned Southern food writer, blogger and cookbook author Jennifer Justus has a new book out, approved by the likes of Sean Brock and John T. Edge, that will send you running for the Music City's vast bounty of delicious cuisine. Craving catfish? So is the rest of Nashville, so fire up the fryer and break out the tortillas!

Bailey Spaulding, brewmaster and cofounder of Jackalope Brewing Company, and her fiancé, chef Luke Williams, often cook together at home to make dishes like this one. Pair Williams's recipe for tacos with Spaulding's Jackalope Bearwalker, a maple brown ale.

Reprinted with permission from Nashville Eats

Catfish Tacos With Charred Corn
No Ratings
Fill 202 Print
Prep Time
40
minutes
Cook Time
30
minutes
Servings
4
to 8
catfishtacos
Total time: 1 hour, 10 minutes
Ingredients
  • 2 pounds catfish fillets
  • kosher salt and black pepper
  • 2 cups cornmeal
  • 2 cups grape-seed oil
  • 16 (6-inch) corn tortillas
  • 4 ears corn
  • grape-seed oil
  • kosher salt and black pepper
  • 5 banana peppers
  • 1 white onion
  • 1 red or green jalapeño
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 2 tablespoons ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon hot sauce, or more if desired
  • kosher salt and black pepper
  • 2 large egg yolks
  • 1 cup grape-seed oil
  • 3 tablespoons lemon juice
  • Zest of 1 large lemon
  • kosher salt and black pepper
Directions
  1. :::fish tacos:::
  2. Preheat the oven to 300°F.
  3. Place the fish strips on a clean plate or cookie sheet. Season them generously with salt and pepper — we are not seasoning the cornmeal, so this allows for even seasoning of each piece of fish.
  4. In a large bowl, toss a few pieces of fish at a time with the cornmeal to coat them thoroughly. Repeat until all the fish is coated.
  5. In a large cast-iron skillet, heat the oil on medium-high until it is hot, but not smoking — somewhere around 325 to 350°F.
  6. Once the oil has reached this temperature, carefully place your strips of catfish into the pan and allow them to cook till they are golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Transfer them to a paper-towel-lined plate as they are done.
  7. Wrap your tortillas in aluminum foil and place them in the oven for 7 to 10 minutes to warm.
  8. :::charred corn:::
  9. To char the corn, you can use either a grill or a hot skillet. For the grill, lightly coat the ears of corn in oil, salt, and pepper and char them over a hot grill until the kernels are beginning to blacken, but be careful not to let them burn.
  10. If you’re using a skillet, cut the corn off the cob and toss it with salt and pepper. Add ¼ inch (6 mm) oil to the skillet and put it over high heat. When the oil just begins to smoke, add the corn and sauté until the kernels begin to color, taking care not to burn them.
  11. :::salsa:::
  12. In a medium bowl, combine all the salsa ingredients. Taste and add more salt, pepper, or hot sauce to your preference.
  13. :::lemon aioli:::
  14. In a blender or food processor or with an electric hand mixer, blend together the yolks. As the machine runs, slowly drizzle in the oil until combined. Then drizzle in your lemon juice and zest until smooth. Taste and season with salt, pepper, or lemon juice if needed.
  15. :::assembly:::
  16. Top two warmed tortillas with two pieces of fish down the middle. Add some salsa and charred corn. Finish with the lemon aioli. Repeat with the remaining ingredients.
 
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