Catfish & rings

[homesmoke]

Didn't want these to get washed into the gulf, so they got paired with onion rings. Didn't do prep pictures, figured ya"ll know how to skin a cat.

16" Cast iron @ 375 degrees.


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NO catsup got near this meal. Ain't allowed. Seasoned for Louisiana folks. Didn't get plated pictures, finished frying, got the artichokes out, were just about to sit down and eat, and had extra's come in and had to cook for 6 more instead of just us. They wiped out 2 big food saver bags of fish that didn't even have a chance to freeze before they raided. Funny how some folks never show up when your cleaning fish, but can smell em cooking and come a running.

[Richtee]

Catsup? Really? Ugh...

dayumm...I'd love a plate of that right now.

[Fire it up]

Beautiful lookin fried goodness.
What did you use to coat the o-rings?

[IrishChef]

Please share.

[homesmoke]

They really are the best onion ring recipe I've come up with, and I've tried several hundred. Onion ring freak.

Slice big onions about wide as a nickel. Remove the membrane from the inside of the ring. Looks like "onion skin paper". Tedious as hell, but worth it. Sorta like peeling prep for a slab of ribs. Toss into a bowl of ice water.

3 bowl set-up.

Plain flour in 1st bowl. Salt, black & thai pepper ground fresh to taste.

Pancake batter cut thin like house paint in 2nd bowl. Season as well.

1/2 sesame seeds & 1/2 bread crumbs in 3rd. bowl. Season this as well.

Take rings from ice water and dredge through flour, into pancake batter, and finally dredge through sesame seeds and bread crumbs. Separate and lay out onto tray with parchment paper. Can be made ahead, and refrigerated until needed.

My grandsons favorite food group.

[Richtee]

I love a good ring too. I DON'T love having the damned thing pull out of the breading and slap me in the chin. How do you stop that... short of injection molding shopped onion?

[IrishChef]

They really are the best onion ring recipe I've come up with, and I've tried several hundred. Onion ring freak.

Slice big onions about wide as a nickel. Remove the membrane from the inside of the ring. Looks like "onion skin paper". Tedious as hell, but worth it. Sorta like peeling prep for a slab of ribs. Toss into a bowl of ice water.
I heard a lot of things, but never that one. I gotta try it.
3 bowl set-up.

Plain flour in 1st bowl. Salt, black & thai pepper ground fresh to taste.

Pancake batter cut thin like house paint in 2nd bowl. Season as well.
Used to use that in college for fish.
1/2 sesame seeds & 1/2 bread crumbs in 3rd. bowl. Season this as well.
Not big on sesame seeds, but potato flakes on the otherhand....
Take rings from ice water and dredge through flour, into pancake batter, and finally dredge through sesame seeds and bread crumbs. Separate and lay out onto tray with parchment paper. Can be made ahead, and refrigerated until needed.

My grandsons favorite food group.

Thanks for the inspiration.

[homesmoke]

Thought I hit the quote-reply for Richtee, but apparently didn't.

Membrane removal helps tremendously with that. Un-removed membrane prevents whatever you use as a coating/batter from sticking to the meat of the onion. Over cooking also shrinks the onion away from the coating as well. Clean bite through on these.

I use a basket on rings, as usually around 90 seconds @ 375 is plenty. Goes too fast to fish em out individually, without overcooking. Quite a bit of hold-over cooking happening, while they are out on the cooling rack.

[Que-ball]

Thanks for the tips! This is going on my list for sure!

[Richtee]

Thought I hit the quote-reply for Richtee, but apparently didn't.

Got it anyway.

AND...now that you mention it... it DOES seem to be the paper-thin membrane that causes this... it hangs in a thin layer off the edge of the onion itself. Hmmm...

OK. I'm on it and THANK YOU HS!

"If ya ain't learning, yer dead" My Hunky side grandpa. GRHS.

[mulepackin]

I wouldn't know the first thing about skinning a catfish! I'm damn sure I could put a dent in a mess of em cooked up like you got there. Don't get any good, fresh ones up here. It's always tasted like mud. I love a good ring too. These sound fantastic. Used to be a burger joint here that had the best I've ever eaten. They went out of business about 5 years ago, now there is a Sonic there (yuck). After they closed, I learned that all they used was Krusteaz Bake and Fry Mix. I still think it was their oil though.

[Meat Hunter]

Yeah, I take a plate of that.

Thanks for the O ring recipe. Must try it.

And Mule, you don't know how to skin a catfish? Please turn in your mancard.

[Squirrel]

thanks for the onion ring tips! can't wait to make some now, so here's some

[Richtee]

And Mule, you don't know how to skin a catfish? Please turn in your mancard.

Uh ooo... neither do I

[IrishChef]

I wouldn't know the first thing about skinning a catfish! I'm damn sure I could put a dent in a mess of em cooked up like you got there. Don't get any good, fresh ones up here. It's always tasted like mud. I love a good ring too. These sound fantastic. Used to be a burger joint here that had the best I've ever eaten. They went out of business about 5 years ago, now there is a Sonic there (yuck). After they closed, I learned that all they used was Krusteaz Bake and Fry Mix. I still think it was their oil though.

I bet they used lard.