Cornmeal Catfish with Corn Relish

I like catfish. I mean, I really like catfish. My neighbor and I used to catch them in the California Delta off of Frank’s Tract and bring them home all cleaned and skinned. His wife and my own didn’t care for them which was just fine by us. We would fry them after a dredging of cornmeal – nothing better. Today, farm bred, fresh, frozen, even not very fresh, whole or fillets – I still love them.

INGREDIENTS
Relish
1    tablespoon olive oil
1    red bell pepper, finely diced ¼ inch
1    jalapeno pepper, seeded, de-veined, finely diced ¼ inch
2    cloves garlic, minced
1   cup corn kernels, fresh or frozen, thawed
1    cup chopped fresh tomatoes (or canned, diced)
3    green onions, chopped fine
1    tablespoon lime juice

Catfish
1    egg
½   cup milk
½   cup super fine corn meal *
3    tablespoons olive oil
4    catfish fillets, 7 to 8 inches long

METHOD

In a sauce pan with the heat at medium, add the bell pepper and jalapeno.. Cook the vegetables for about 5 to 6 minutes until softened and add the garlic. Cook for 1 minute and add the corn, tomatoes and green onions. Continue cooking for 7 minutes and add the lime juice. Stir in, remove from the heat and, when the catfish is done, serve a large spoonful of the salsa with each catfish fillet

For the catfish, whisk together the egg and the milk and place into a flat bowl. Put the fine cornmeal onto a flat plate. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add the olive oil. When the oil is very hot, put each of the catfish fillets into the egg-milk mix and turn to coat both sides. Let the excess drip off, dredge them in the cornmeal on both sides and put into the hot skillet.

Cook the fillets about 3 to 4 minutes per side until the cornmeal becomes golden and then remove them to a serving plate or individual plates and add the relish

NOTE: Use extra fine cornmeal as is used to make masa in Mexican cooking. A brand named PAN might be found in regular supermarkets or find a Mexican market.