Ragin' Peppered Catfish

QBabe

I'm working on a couple of recipes for the upcoming Florida Fest and decided I wanted to do a smoked catfish dip for the Meet and Greet on Friday night.[p][p]Smoked them direct on a raised grid for about 1 1/2 hrs at 250° with a little apple wood. They turned turned out great and after we had our fill on Saturday night for dinner we should still have enough left for the dip...![p]Tonia
:~)

[ul][li]Florida Fest 2004 - March 12th and 13th[/ul]

Shelby

QBabe,
Those look some tasty. Has me hungry already. Good idea with tomorrow being Ash Wednesday.[p]How did you prep them? I usually wash, pat dry; season with garlic, Tony C's and spray a little lemon juice on, then lay in a shallow pan and pour melted butter over them and put in the fridge for an hour or so, allowing the butter to harden.

QBabe

Shelby,[p]I rubbed them with olive oil first, then sprinkled moderately with DizzyPig's Raging River rub, then sprinkled heavily with a second rub that was a combination of coarse ground peppers (black, white, szechuan, lemon), kosher salt, cayenne, and onion powder. Wrapped in saran wrap and let sit in the fridge for about 4 hrs.[p]They really turned out very tasty! I've done the pepper rub alone before, but I think the addition of the Raging River rub really gave them a nice boost. I was a little worried about letting them go 1-2 hours, but I wanted a smoked fish, not a grilled one, so even though my instincts said hot and fast, I thought I'd see how they did in the 250° range for a longer time....glad I did 'cause they turned out wonderfully![p]Tonia
:~)

Unknown

QBabe, that's the best looking dang fish I ever seen. You wouldn't leave out the recipe for the dip, "would you"??? Come on give it up...

QBabe

Hi Chet,[p]Smoked Catfish Dip[p]8 oz smoked catfish
4 oz cream cheese, softened
2 tbsp butter, softened
1 1/2 tbsp half and half
1 tbsp onion, minced
1 tbsp water chestnuts, minced
1 1/2 tsp brandy
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
1/2 to 1 tsp Raging River rub
1/2 tsp worchestershire
1/2 tsp Tabasco or Louisiana Hot Sauce (or your favorite)
Salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste[p]Flake the catfish and put into a small bowl. Add the remaining ingrediants. Mix together by hand until well blended. You can use a food processor, but the dip will be more homogenous than if you do it by hand. Just depends on your preference. Serve with sliced cucumbers, celery sticks, crackers, or bread.[p]Tonia
:~)[p]

Banker John

QBabe,
MMMMmmmmm! Looks great Qbabe. For a special falvor, try grapefruit wood for smoke. You don't have to dry the wood, just cut from a tree and go. You will be suprised - well, maybe not.[p]Banker John

QBabe

Banker John,[p]Don't have any grapefruit here near me, but my Mom, who's a bit further south, has tangelo trees...maybe I can get her to save me some of the wood if it comes down or they do any trimming....[p]Thanks, sounds great!
Tonia