Mom’s Fried Catfish with Hot Sauce

steps

1. In a large bowl or zip-top plastic freezer bag, combine buttermilk, worcestershire, hot sauce, granulated garlic, granulated onion, and 1 teaspoon each of the salt and black pepper. Add catfish pieces; cover or seal and refrigerate for 2 to 8 hours.
2. In a shallow dish or pie pan, whisk together cornmeal, cayenne, and remaining salt and black pepper.
3. Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Remove catfish from buttermilk mixture and dredge in cornmeal. Set aside for 5 minutes.
4. Fry catfish in batches, starting with the largest pieces, until golden brown, about 5 to 7 minutes per side. Drain on a paper towel-lined plate. Serve with hot sauce and lemon wedges.

Hot Sauce

Makes ¾ cup

2 teaspoons blended olive oil
1 red Fresno chile, stemmed and coarsely chopped
1 jalapeño chile, stemmed and coarsely chopped
½ small yellow onion, diced
3 garlic cloves
½ cup apple cider vinegar
¼ cup red wine vinegar
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon kosher salt

1. Heat oil in a stockpot over medium heat. Add chiles, onion, and garlic; cook, stirring often, until tender, about 6 to 8 minutes. Add the vinegars and red pepper flakes. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes. Stir in salt and remove from heat. Let stand 20 minutes.
2. Process chile mixture in a blender or food processor until smooth, stopping to scrape down the sides. (Remove the center of the blender top to prevent the mixture from overflowing; be wary of inhaling the pepper vapors).

If you really like Fried Catfish, I’m sure you’ll love Fried Crab too!