Summertime Catfish Creole

Peanut butter and catfish. These were the two staples in our house during the COVID-19 quarantine of 2020. My husband likes peanut butter on both sides of the bread, with jelly in the middle. My daughters prefer their crusts cut off. I like my peanut butter sandwich with mayonnaise and bananas, which is another story entirely.

Now, I know that no one wants to be reminded of the COVID days when we scoured empty shelves and deli coolers at the grocery store or of the painstaking sanitization of cereal boxes and milk cartons. But you likely remember acutely the shortage of many staples, meat in particular. What a bountiful blessing it was to always find the neat red and white boxes of Simmons Catfish from Yazoo City on the freezer shelves of my neighborhood market.

I am brand loyal to Simmons Catfish for many reasons, one being that the two “Simmons sisters” were sisters of my own in the Tau Chapter of Chi Omega at Ole Miss. My total adoration of these fabulous women aside, Simmons is consistently the best quality catfish to come out of Mississippi. The size, flavor, and freshness are always on point, and through a technique called IQF, which prevents the fish from sticking together in icy captivity, one can easily pull out the exact portion needed for a recipe. The beauty of a box of Simmons Catfish is in the knowing--the knowing that you have a secret weapon in your freezer that can feed your family, and the folks next door, three and four times over.

My favorite style of cooking is the approach where you open the pantry and pursue an impromptu culinary jam session. In the case of creole cooking, a box of catfish is like having Dr. John sit in. You know it is going to be good.

Below is my recipe for catfish creole, which includes a generous helping of cherry tomatoes from the summer garden. The fresh tomatoes give this dish a nice, acidic balance. For this recipe, look for Simmon’s “fillet cuts” which are smaller cuts of the fillet and perfect for stews, gumbos, and creoles like this one. If you can’t find fillet cuts, be sure to slice your catfish fillets crosswise before adding them to the creole recipe.

1 lb. Simmons Catfish Fillet Cuts
1 bell pepper, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 T Butter
1 quart cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
1 ½ t oregano
1 ½ t thyme
1 ½ t white pepper
Dash of ground red pepper or red pepper flake, if you like it spicy
Salt & Pepper to taste
Granulated garlic to taste
1 14.5 oz can Petite Diced Tomatoes
1 14.5 oz can Petite Diced “Chili Ready” Tomatoes
1 T worcestershire sauce
2 bay leaves

1 C Rice, prepared according to the recipe below

In a baking dish, cover frozen catfish with water to defrost. Once defrosted (30 min), drain the water and season with salt, pepper, and granulated garlic. It is not necessary to pat dry the catfish for this recipe. Any standard seasoning mix like Tony Chachere’s or my new favorite, Kirkland Brand No-Salt Seasoning, will do.

Melt butter in a dutch oven or heavy pot over medium heat. Add bell pepper, celery, onion, and garlic. Salt and Pepper to taste. Saute until tender.

Add sliced cherry tomatoes to the pot, along with oregano, thyme, white pepper, red pepper. Stir and let simmer for 1-2 minutes, until tomatoes soften. Add the canned tomatoes, along with the Worcestershire and bay leaves. Let simmer on medium heat for 15 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste.

Add catfish and allow to simmer for 20 minutes, until the catfish appears firm and white, or flakes to the touch. You can let this simmer on low for a while, or serve immediately over ¼ cup of rice with crispy bread and butter as a side.

For the rice: I’ve never been able to make decent rice with the traditional stovetop method. This oven-cooked rice turns out perfectly every time.

1 C rice

1 T Butter
1 t Salt
2 C water

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine rice, butter, and salt in a 13x9 baking dish. Bring water to a boil and pour over rice. Stir and cover tightly with foil. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Let sit covered for 5 minutes after removing from the oven. Fluff with a fork and serve.