½ cup yellow cornmeal
½ cup finely chopped pecans
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Tabasco sauce to taste
6 catfish fillets (about 6 ounces each)
6 tablespoons peanut oil
On a large plate, combine cornmeal, pecans, salt and pepper, and Tabasco, and mix till well blended.
Dredge catfish in mixture to coat well and place on another large plate.
In a large cast-iron skillet, heat 3 tablespoons of oil over moderately high heat, add 3 of the fillets, and fry till golden brown, about 4 minutes on each side.
Drain on paper towels, place on a heated serving platter, and cover with foil to keep hot while frying remaining 3 fillets in remaining 3 tablespoons oil.
Serve immediately.
print it
Split-rail fences don’t shout “keep out.” They lean, they shift, they invite. And in western North Carolina, they remind us that some lines are meant to hold, not harden.
Each May, spring climbs nearly 3,000 feet to the seat of Alleghany County. Here, as the rhododendrons blush, a beloved mountain town welcomes visitors with its food, art, and flourish of color and creativity.
Brief but delicious, soft-shell crab season is cherished by diners as well as the folks who work around the clock to put these native pinchers on our plates.
When it comes to poultry, the best is raised close to home.
