Cornmeal-Crusted Catfish with Silky Red Bean Sauce

Name: Cornmeal-Crusted Catfish with Silky Red Bean Sauce
Yield: makes 4 servings
Ingredients: 4 fillets of catfish, 5 or 6 ounces each; Salt; 1/2 cup cornmeal; 1/2 cup flour; 1/2 teaspoon each of ground cumin and coriander; 2 tablespoons cooking oil or clarified butter; Silky Red Bean Sauce; Lime wedges, cilantro, scallions, or a fresh tomato-corn salsa, as garnish; 1/2 pound red beans, soaked overnight or “quick soaked,” or 1 (15 1/2-ounce) can red beans, drained; Bouquet Garni (p. 145) made with bay leaf, cilantro stems, and 1-inch piece of cinnamon stick; 2 tablespoons olive oil; 1 small onion, chopped; 1 small poblano pepper, stemmed, seeded, and chopped; 2 garlic cloves, minced; 1 cup tomato puree, made from fresh or canned tomatoes; 1 chipotle chile canned in adobo sauce, split lengthwise and seeded; 1 teaspoon chile powder; Salt and pepper; 1/2 bunch cilantro, cleaned and roughly chopped; Juice of 1/2 lime (about 2 tablespoons)

December 14, 2011

One day while cooking a pot of red beans, I noticed that the juice had a beautiful, silky sheen. It occurred to me that the beans might make a good sauce if pureed really smoothly with their cooking liquid. An idea was born—really: that’s all it takes! I played around with seasonings and decided I liked the warm hint of cinnamon married with the spicy flavors of poblano and chipotle. Adding fresh lime juice at the end of the process brightens up the earthiness of the puree. The light coating of cornmeal gives the fish a nice crunch to contrast with the creamy sauce (which, incidentally, is wonderful with grilled fish of any kind—trout, redfish, or snapper are particularly good). A side of Green Rice (p. 309) is a perfect accompaniment.

Recipe notes

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