When Jake come home for Spring Break he had two priorities–Javier’s for lunch and then the market to pick up what he needed to make catfish Po’Boys and fried chicken. I did mention he’s currently living in The South, right?
All I can say is you can take Jake out of Southern California, but you can’t take So Cal out of Jake. Only a So Cal kid (currently a Junior at Tulane in New Orleans) would add avocado and arugula to a “catfish” Po’Boy–but, man was it good!
I put quotes on the word “catfish” because our local market didn’t have any catfish. But after a conversation with the fish monger (aka the butcher at Ralph’s) Jake begrudgingly settled on the “rockfish”. I’m not sure I would have known the difference since I’m not much of a catfish connoisseur.
But it didn’t matter because once he pan-fried it and dressed it up with avocado, tomato, arugula and a secret sauce it was so good I didn’t care what kind of fish it was.
And the best part–dinner was ready in about 10 minutes. Talk about simple.
JAKE’S “CATFISH” PO’BOY–SO CAL STYLE
- Fish fillet–catfish, rockfish, snapper or any other light white fish
- a good loaf of French bread
- avocado
- arugula
- tomato
- mayonnaise
- Sriracha
- canola oil
- a bunch of New Orleans spicy seasonings (pictured below)
Jake gets the fish ready.
Here’s what the “catfish” fillets looked like before seasoning.
Jake wasn’t confident I would have the proper spices so he brought the “Slap Ya Mama” with him from New Orleans, but don’t worry, I think any type of Cajun seasoning would work.
He heavily seasoned the fish. By the time he was done, the white fish was pretty red.
Then he rubbed the flour into the fish. I usually mix the seasoning and the flour in a paper bag, then add the fish and give it a good shake to coat the fish. But his way made the fish a lot more flavorful and gave it a light, crispy crust. (I have to admit–his way is better than mine).
Here’s the secret sauce…Sriracha and mayonnaise. What could be easier?
First lightly spread the mayo on the French bread then add the sriracha.
Warm for just a few minutes in a 400 degree oven while you cook the fish. Don’t brown it, just warm it.
It should look like this when you take it out.
Heat canola oil in a non-stick frying pan. When it’s hot, add the fish.
Turn once after it’s lightly browned, about 2-5 minutes depending on how hot your pan is.
Jake demonstrated his spatula skills as he flipped the fish.
Cook for an additional 2-4 minutes until fish is done and remove from the pan. Just cook until it’s golden brown like this.
Place on paper towels to absorb the grease–if you’re counting calories. But at this point, who’s counting?
Get your toppings ready–avocado, arugula and tomato.
And build your Po’ Boy. Fish, tomato, arugula then the avocado.
Season with salt and pepper.
Slice on the diagonal…and take a big bite! I swear you’ll think you’re in New Orleans!
Here it is….ready for its close up!
Hope you like this as much as I did. And if you’re not a fish lover you can always make this with chicken tenders!
Don’t forget–read it first at StuNews.
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Categories: Fish, Main Dishes
Tags: cajun spices, California style Po' Boy sandwich, catfish Po' Boy
