Fried catfish

Ingredients

Start-to-finish: 9 hours

(1 hour active) Serves 6

1 ½ cups buttermilk

1/4 teaspoon hot sauce

6 (4- to 6-ounce) catfish fillets

1/3 cup plain yellow cornmeal

1/3 cup masa harina (corn flour) or more yellow cornmeal

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 teaspoon ground red pepper

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

Peanut oil

Preparation

Whisk together buttermilk and hot sauce. Place catfish in a single layer in a baking dish; pour buttermilk mixture over fish. Cover and chill 8 hours, turning once. 

Combine cornmeal and next 6 ingredients in a shallow dish.

Let fish stand at room temperature 10 minutes. Remove from buttermilk mixture, allowing excess to drip off. Dredge fish in cornmeal mixture, shaking off excess.

Pour oil to depth of 2 inches into a deep fryer or large, deep cast-iron or heavy-duty skillet. Heat oil to 360 F. Fry fish, in batches, 2 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack on a paper towel-lined jelly roll pan. Keep warm in a 225 F oven until ready to serve.

Serve with coleslaw, chips and baked beans.