CATFISH JOHN SAUCY SOUP is my make-up name for this Catfish Soup/Sauce that makes good of a poor-man's fish....only Cajun 'Clear'-Water Fish Recipe I know....

CATFISH JOHN SAUCY SOUP

is my effort, not unheard of, to make Catfish, which is the Cajun 'fresh'-water fish for cookin', palatable for me to eat. I am NOT fond of Catfish, but then, it is no longer like it was when I was a kid. Bottom-feeder Fish is more muddy-tasting to me now than it was back in those oldy-days, I swear it....and Farm Catfish just plain taste horrible to me. period. so, anyways, if you have some real fresh Catfish, cook this, and you will like it for certain....

Directions:

Make your Roux, dark brown, with one cup of flour with one cup of vegetable oil, and then stir in two cups on onions and two cups of celery and one cup of red or green bell pepper, all chopped fine - make it in a big cast iron or heavy five quart pot. This is one of those rare Cajun dishes that uses tomatoes, so add a cup or two of diced tomatoes and 1/2 cup of ketchup - stir in - now add two and 1/2 quarts of fish stock, or same amount of water with one chicken bullion cube and one vegetable bullion cube and a half cup of coffee in it - I do the bullion one, to cut the fish taste down to size a bit....add this liquid a ladle-full at a time, stirring it in...then stir in about two ounces of lemon juice, put three bay leaves in, and stir in some dried thyme and some dried dill and some no-iodine salt and ground black pepper. simmer all of this for around forty minutes. add in a cup of chopped green onions..now, add three or less pounds of washed catfish fillets, cut into cubes. Simmer only five or six minutes more...turn simmer down real low to start to thicken, which you can do with a 'cold roux' or file' or just cook down a bit more, if you want it to be a thick sauce. if you want it to be a soup, then leave it a bit 'soupy', or add cooked rice right to it. If it's like a sauce, then it's sort-of an ettouffee, and you can spoon it over the rice, or serve cooked (long-grained) rice, on the side, like you do with a gumbo... this all tastes as good as catfish is going to get, if you ask me!!


Here's a Poem for the Poor Catfish....

Swimmin' with whiskers outreachin'
In the dark 'clear' waters of this river
Along the stones and muddy bottoms
Where lots'a plants and muck are growin'
Dark and slick his body slithers
Full of Life and Mean and Crafty
Ain't got no purchase on the Light
No place in the brighter world -
Puts on white flesh that tastes right fine
When your Family's hungry, though...
So I won't be puttin' him down
No ways, No...just pass the Soup
I'm eatin' homey, eatin' good -
Dat Catfish tastes just like he should....