Beer Battered Fish & Broccoli Slaw

I mentioned that I was participating in The Food Network Chefs Cooking Challenge (hereafter known as FNCCC) over at I Blame My Mother. The first chef was Aaron McCargo Jr., who looked like Mr Clean to me until I did a Google image search and realized Mr Clean only has one pirate earring instead of two.

I chose Big Daddy's Deep-Fried Catfish and Packin' A Punch Broccoli Slaw.

My thoughts are in italics and parenthesis.

Big Daddy's Deep-Fried Catfish
Courtesy of Aaron McCargo Jr.

Ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup cornmeal
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 tablespoon kosher salt (I honestly don't know if this is a typo, but you don't need more than a teaspoon here, I promise)
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 (12-ounce) bottle amber beer
4 (6-ounce) catfish fillets (I used pangasius, which is a catfish relative)
1 tablespoon salt (see note below)
1 tablespoon cracked black pepper (see note below)
2 tablespoons granulated garlic (see note below)
1 lemon, juiced

Directions

Preheat a deep-fryer to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl, add the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt and cayenne and whisk to combine. Whisk in the beer, being sure to remove any lumps.

Cut the catfish fillets in half lengthwise to make 2 strips. If desired, cut into bite-sized pieces. In a small bowl add the salt, pepper and granulated garlic. Season the fillets with the salt mixture (the amounts listed for seasoning the fish are absolutely insane. Just sprinkle the seasonings on the pieces of fish, I followed the directions but cut the salt in half and it was still way way too salty and I had a lot of seasoning leftover).

Dip each strip in the beer batter and add to the fryer, a few at a time, moving them around so they don't stick. Fry until brown and crispy, about 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from the fryer to a serving platter. Repeat with the remaining fillets and season the fish with lemon juice.

The Verdict: Martijn and I both liked this, but I used way too much salt, even after cutting it down quite a bit which leads me to think that the recipe on the website has typos in the amounts. The batter tasted good though and puffed up nicely, so I'll make it again... but I'll leave out about 85% of the salt!

*****

Packin' A Punch Broccoli Slaw
Courtesy of Aaron McCargo Jr.

Ingredients
1 cup shredded carrots
2 cups shredded broccoli slaw (I can't buy the bags of shredded broccoli slaw, so I just shredded up a stalk which definitely didn't yeild two cups, but still gave it some broccoli flavor)
1 red jalapeno, seeded and minced (I can't even find GREEN jalepenos here, so I used a little chili sauce for heat)
1/2 medium red onion, thinly sliced
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1 lime, zested and juiced
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (I forgot this, it doesn't really need it)

Directions

In a large serving bowl, combine the carrots, broccoli slaw, jalapeno and red onion. Set aside.

In a small saucepan, add the vinegar, lime zest, lime juice, salt, sugar, red pepper flakes and the black pepper (I also added the chili sauce in this step since I didn't have a jalapeno). Bring to a light boil over low heat. Remove from heat and allow to cool for a few minutes.

Add the olive oil to the vinegar mixture (forgot this part, again, I don't think it's necessary), pour over the vegetables and toss together to combine. Refrigerate until serving.

The Verdict: This was an alright twist on a slaw. I liked the bite the broccoli gave it, but I think I'm still on a search for the -perfect- slaw recipe.

Next week we'll be doing a recipe from Aida Mollenkamp. Click the button below for more info on the FNCCC!