Nebraskaland

18 Nebraskaland • July 2026 In the Field Catfish, Greens and Cheesy Grits By Jenny Nguyen-Wheatley Freshly caught catfish is a summer treat. Coat it in cornmeal to fry and then add tender greens and creamy grits on the side, and that's a great meal. I can never make collard greens and grits as well as Southern cooks. A trip down to Savannah, Georgia, last fall taught me that — who knew grits can taste so transcendent. I also realized how difficult it was to find quality stone-ground grits at grocery stores near me, where the only options are typically Quaker Oats. So, I used Quaker Oat's Quick 5-Minute Grits when writing this recipe. I recently found delicious dried hominy grits from the Miller Dohrmann Farm in Omaha. If you go this route, adjust the cooking time and method accordingly. Bacon, not traditional ham hocks, are in my collard greens recipe. Perhaps it's sacrilege. But it's also a lot less fussy than simmering ham hocks for a long time. Servings: 4 Prep/Cooking Time: 1 hour and 15 minutes Ingredients • 4 catfish fillets • 1 10 oz. of Louisiana Fish Fry Breading • 1 pint of buttermilk • Frying oil • Hot sauce • Lemon wedges Collard Greens • 2 large bunches of collard greens • 1 onion, chopped • 4 slices of thick-cut bacon, chopped • 1 tbsp. of olive oil • 3 cloves of garlic, minced • ¼ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes • 2 cups of chicken stock • ¼ tsp. white sugar, plus extra • 1 tsp. white wine vinegar • Salt Cheesy Grits • 1 cup of 5-minute quick grits • 4 cups of water • Shredded cheddar cheese, to taste • Salt 1. Pull stems off collard greens and triple rinse leaves to remove dirt and grit. Roughly chop the leaves. Allow to drip dry in a colander. 2. Trim off dark or red areas on catfish fillets. Place fish in a zip-close bag and submerge with buttermilk. Keep cold in the refrigerator. 3. To make the collard greens: In a large, deep skillet or medium pot, add chopped onion and bacon and cook over medium to medium-low heat until translucent and rendered, stirring frequently. Then add garlic and pepper flakes and sauté for 30 seconds. Add chopped collard greens to the pot. If your pot or skillet isn't big enough, add the greens in stages as they wilt, and increase heat as needed. Add chicken stock, cover and simmer for 45 minutes to 1 hour until tender, stirring occasionally. Finally, stir in sugar and vinegar to help counter the bitterness of the greens — add more sugar if needed. Season with salt. Keep warm. 4. To make grits: Boil 4 cups of water in a saucepan. Gradually stir in grits and simmer until tender, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Take off heat and stir in cheese to melt. Season to taste with salt. Keep warm. If needed, reheat on low with a splash of water to loosen grits. 5. Heat frying oil to 350°-375° Fahrenheit. Rinse off buttermilk from the catfish and coat with the fish fry breading. When the oil reaches temperature, fry breaded fish until golden and crispy on both sides. Serve catfish immediately with collard greens, grits, hot sauce and lemon wedges.

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