Catfish and Cava: a reminiscent recipe

Crispy Catfish and Black Eyed Peas, Bacon and Caramelized Onion Relish with fried Collard Greens and Freixenet Cordon Negro Cava: 5/5

For a week out of every summer, when I was younger, my parents would ship my brother and I out to my grandpa’s. We wouldn’t stay at my grandpa’s house, but instead, down by the Rock River where he parked a camper and pontoon for the summer months.

The highlight of the week would come on Saturday, when my parents would return, for one last meal before we would return to civilization. Like collected trophies, my brother and I would show off the catfish we had captured during our stay, swimming in the pontoon’s live well. Grandpa would grab his gutting knife, collect the fish, and one by one, prepare them for dinner. A large vat of oil would be brought up to temperature and the skinned, gutted, and filleted fish would be dredged in flour and spices and thrown into the grease bath. Everyone would feast like kings, except my mother and I who did not really care for the flavor of Rock River catfish.

I hadn’t had fried catfish for probably a good 10 years, always being reminded of the flavor of dirty river water when presented with the option. But that all changed last night. For the past couple of months Michael has been trying to get me to let him make fried fish. Just a reminder, Michael and I live in a one bedroom, 700 square foot apartment, with windows that only prop open a few inches. So frying fish in the house would permeate every crevasse of our small living space. But craving some southern style food, I finally caved in last night.

I found this recipe online from Emeril. Now I was shocked too. What is a big Italian guy, known for his italian cooking, doing cooking southern food? But looking over the recipe, it was everything Michael wanted: fried catfish, black eyed peas, and collard greens. http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/crispy-catfish-black-eyed-peas-bacon-caramelized-onion-relish-fried-collard-greens-recipe/index.html

To round out the meal we also decided to make some corn bread, but not just any corn bread, Paula Deen’s Layered Mexican Corn Bread, with jalapenos, onion, cheese, and creamed corn. http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/layered-mexican-cornbread-recipe/index.html

With a little bit of Emeril and a helping of Paula, I set out for my first adventure into frying. Immediately our apartment was filled with the smoky smell of fried bacon, followed by sweet caramelizing onions, and then the catfish. Oh, the catfish, seasoned with Creole spices, and then submerged into a hot tub of oil, sending sizzles and pops of grease into the air. When the corn bread came out of the oven, another layer of sweet onion and melted cheese was added to the nostril party.

Finally came the greens, neither Michael or myself, had ever heard of deep frying collard greens. The traditional preparation is to sautee them with some pork fat and onions, but I was dead set on following the recipe, so I grabbed a handful and moved towards the oil. Have you ever put cold water into hot oil? Well it makes a very loud popping noise, the same happens with the greens. Luckily I had tested a single green earlier, to see if my oil was hot, and I was aware of what was going to happen. So when it came time to fry the greens, I grabbed my splatter screen in one hand, and my fist full of greens in the other, and in one fluid motion, dropped the greens and covered with the screen.

When it came time for plating in tasting, the smell in the kitchen was almost too delicious to bare. I grabbed my fish from the paper towels, scooped some black eyed peas, grabbed my crisp bacon from the microwave, and sprinkled the fried greens onto the plate.

According to Marnie Old, from He Said Beer She Said Wine, fried food goes well with some bubbly. Just like beer, bubbly works to keep the palate clean, and brings out the flavor in heavy and salty foods. I chose a bottle of Freixenet Cordon Negro Cava, which according to the label, would have strong notes of citrus and apple. Upon pouring a glass, my nose was tickled from the effervescence, but immediately overcome with a strong green apple flavor.

As Michael came to the table with the cornbread, we studied each element of the dish, our mouths beginning to salivate. I made a toast with the bubbly, and we each took a sip. With a light body, but a lingering dryness, the Cava had a airiness that would cut through the greasiness of the fish. The fruitiness in the smell, did not carry over into the taste, but instead was replaced with a sweet tart flavor.

Sinking our forks into the fish, the crispy outside broke underneath the weight of our prongs. Tender and succulent, I chewed the fish with a reminiscence of childhood. Each bite was as fresh and new as the first, thanks to the bubbly ability of the Cava. The crispy greens were almost like potato chips, adding that extra crunch needed with such smooth and fatty flavors. The corn bread was a party in my mouth, little flavor pockets of onion and jalapenos with and exaggerated corn flavor. The black eyed peas grounded out the dish with their smoky earthiness.

In a matter of minutes I was looking down to an empty plate and an empty glass. While I chose another piece of corn bread, Michael chose another helping of everything else. Feeling the bubbles rise to my head, I poured another two glasses of Cava and sunk into culinary bliss. Another Perfect Pair.