76 NEBRASKAland • APRIL 2017
A
greasy fish fry and beer is
awesome, but it's not always
appropriate for a first date
or anniversary dinner.
Looking to impress a special
someone with your catch through
the water? Dress up your catfish, or
any white fish, with this simple, yet
eye-catching meal: a fillet of catfish
gently browned in butter and served
with a cream sauce of bacon, chives
and lemon zest.
Servings: 4
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 20 minutes
Ingredients:
•
4 catfish fillets
•
Milk for soaking fish
•
1
⁄4 cup of all-purpose flour
•
Salt and pepper
•
2 cloves of garlic, minced (or
shallots)
•
2 slices of bacon, chopped
•
2 teaspoons of chopped chives
•
1 cup of heavy whipping cream
•
Zest of 1 lemon, grated
•
2 tablespoons of butter
1. Heat 2 tablespoons of butter in
a large non-stick pan over medium
heat. Place catfish fillets in a wide
dish or bowl and pour milk over fish
to wet. Remove fish and sprinkle
salt and pepper on both sides. Dust
with flour and shake off excess. Cook
catfish in hot butter for 2 minutes
on each side, or until browned and
cooked through. Do not crowd fish in
the pan. Keep cooked catfish warm.
2. In the same pan, render chopped
bacon over medium heat. Remove
bacon and drain on a paper towel.
Pour out most of the grease and
discard (or keep for another use).
Return the bacon bits to the pan
and add garlic. Stir for 30 seconds
to allow garlic to become aromatic,
but do now allow garlic to brown.
Add heavy whipping cream. Bring to
a simmer and allow sauce to thicken,
about 2-4 minutes. Stir in chopped
chives and lemon zest. Add salt and
pepper to taste.
3. Serve fillets with bacon and
chive sauce drizzled on top. Serve
leftover sauce on the side, along
with a light salad
and rice. ■
This recipe
and photograph
originally appeared
on Jenny's Food
for Hunters blog at
foodforhunters.com.
PHOTO
BY
JENNY
NGUYEN
Catfish with Lemon and Bacon Cream Sauce
For when you're tired of tartar sauce, though I know that's impossible – but bacon!
By Jenny Nguyen
