Fish on Friday

When I was growing up it was common for fish to be served on Friday. For some it was a religious observation but for where we lived it was just a southern thing. Almost everyone I knew had a mom who made fish for supper on Friday. It was always on the menu at school lunch on Friday. It was also a feature of most of the family style restaurants in our part of the world.

We always had fresh fish. Back then we had an 18 acre 'pond' which was really a small lake by other people's standards. It was at the very back of the back field and was fed by a creek. My stepfather kept it stocked with bream (red bellies and yellow bellies), blue gill, crappie, large and small mouthed bass, warmouth, channel catfish, yellow catfish, butter catfish -just to name a few. We spent alot of warm evenings and summer Saturdays fishing. We always had a mess aplenty and far more than we could eat. The extra went into the freezer for those cold winter days when a good fried mess of fish would sooth the soul.

Momma always had a good mix of fish on the table. A few catfish, a few bream mixed in with big pieces of bass filled the platter. She would make homemade slaw, fry some hushpuppies and french fries and call it a meal. There was always homemade tartar and cocktail sauce, malt vinegar and ketchup on the table. We were and still are condiment people. What a meal it was! In the winter grits even showed up on the table. I tell you one thing, nothing is better for breakfast than a mess of fresh catfish and a plate of grits. My kids grew up eating it. I think it is one reason why they are so darn healthy. We'd go down at daylight and catch a mess of catfish, come home and clean 'em and by 8am breakfast was on the table.

In the summer months if there had been a run to Savannah or Beaufort there would be shrimp on the table. Momma boiled the shrimp, iced them down until they were cold. She served a hot baked potato, a tossed salad, saltine crackers and all the shrimp you could peel and eat.

I don't rightly know if you would call it a tradition or a habit but I try to serve fish on Friday to my family. It might be a nice salmon or tuna grilled with lemon and dill. It might be broiled scallops and flounder with butter and garlic. It might be fried fresh fish or shrimp.

Yesterday was Friday and we had fish. Fried ocean perch fillets, shrimp, tossed salad and a baked potato. I made the tossed salad because I forgot to pick up a head of cabbage. I prefer coleslaw to salad with fried fish.

Today's recipe is a couple recipes. Try it. I think you will like it.

Fish Breader
I do NOT batter fry fresh fish. That is just a sin!
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1 cup flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
Cayenne pepper to taste.
Mix well in a ziplock bag.

Lightly salt and pepper the fish, roll them in the breading. Fry in a deep pan of rolling hot oil until golden brown. The left over breader can be kept in the freezer until you want to use it the next time. Usually I mix just enough for what I am cooking. You can make as little or as much as you like just remember equal parts of yellow cornmeal and flour.

Some people use plain cornmeal to roll the fish in but I prefer a less gritty coating on my fish. The flour makes it real nice. You can use the same mixture for any type of fish or shellfish if you plan to deep fry it. You might even still find cooks who use cracker meal. I don't. It is just not to my liking.

Tartar Sauce
1 cup mayonnaise
2 - 4 tbsp dill pickle relish
1 tsp very finely minced onion
1 dash lemon juice
1 dash worcestershire sauce
Mix well. Refrigerate before serving.

Cocktail Sauce1 cup ketchup
2 - 3 tbsp prepared horseradish (not creamed)
1 - 2 tsp Texas Pete
1 dash worcestershire sauce
Mix well. Refrigerate before serving.

Coleslaw1/2 head small cabbage, shredded
1/4 - 1/2 small onion finely chopped
1/2 cup dill pickle relish
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp vinegar
Salt and pepper
Duke's Mayonnaise

Mix the sugar with the vinegar and pour over the cabbage. Mix well. Add pickles, onion, salt and pepper. Mix well. Use the maynnaise sparingly but start out with a good heaping spoonful. If you need more add it. This part is really how creamy you like your slaw. I don't buy those prepared mixes for slaw. I don't think the cabbage tastes the same in comparison to a fresh head you have shredded yourself. Sometimes I add carrot, sometimes I don't. The carrot doesn't really add anything but color.

Hush Puppies
3/4 cup white cornmeal
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup buttermilk or good dark beer
1`whole egg
1 small to medium onion, peeled and finely chopped

Mix all dry ingredients. Add the egg, liquid and onion. Mix well and set aside for a little while to rest -at least 10 minutes. The cornmeal and flour need to soak up all that liquid to make a good tender bread. Drop by a rounded tablespoon full into hot oil. They should float up to the top quickly. Stir them around letting them brown on all sides. Drain on paper towels. Serve hot.

I really miss having a place to go fishing. Where I am now I don't know of any good fishing holes and how odd to think for the first time in my life I would need to purchase a fishing license. There is NO PLACE to buy fresh fish in this county. I am seriously considering becoming the local fishmonger. Grocery store fish cannot compete with a fresh fish you have caught yourself.

What do you serve on Friday? Is there any particular meal you make a habit of serving on certain days?

Sunday dinner is whole nother matter and deserves a post of its own. Which I know I will get around to writing soon.

Bon apetite, ya'll!