Fried Catfish with Georgia Pecan Sauce

  • From James Villas
  • Yields 4 - 6 Serings

Ingredients

  • Sauce
    • 1/2 cup toasted Georgia pecans, chopped
    • 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter, melted
    • 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
    • 1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
    • Tabasco sauce to taste
  • Catfish
    • 1 cup white cornmeal
    • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
    • 1/4 teaspoon salt
    • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
    • 2 pounds fresh catfish fillets, rinsed and patted dry with paper towels
    • Vegetable oil for frying

Directions

Sauce

To make the sauce, in a bowl combine all the ingredients and stir till well blended.

Catfish

To make the catfish, combine the cornmeal, flour, salt, and pepper on a plate and mix well. Dredge the catfish fillets in the mixture and place on another plate.

In a large cast-iron skillet, heat about 1/4 inch of oil over moderate heat and, in batches if necessary, fry the fillets about 5 minutes on each side or till nicely browned. Drain on paper towels.

To serve, spoon a little sauce over each fillet and serve hot.