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Blackened Catfish

Blackened catfish over a smoky tomato-olive Veracruz sauce with crispy potatoes.

Serves 2Prep 15 minCook 30 minDifficulty mediumCuisine Cajun - Southern

gluten-freedairy-freespicymain

−Servings: 2+

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Ingredients

• 2Catfish Fillets
• 114-Ounce Can Whole Peeled Tomatoes
• 2 cloveGarlic
• 2Scallions
• 1 stalkCelery
• 1Yukon Gold Potato
• 3 tbspRice Flour
• 1½Tablespoons Golden Raisins
• 1 ozCastelvetrano Olives
• ¼ tspCrushed Red Pepper Flakes
• 1½Tablespoons Veracruz Spice Blend
• (Smoked Paprika, Ground Oregano, Ground Coriander & Ground Cumin)*

Instructions

1. Wash and dry the fresh produce. Medium dice the potato. Cut off and discard the root ends of the scallions; thinly slice on an angle, separating the white bottoms and green tops. Small dice the celery. Peel and roughly chop the garlic. Using the flat side of your knife, smash the olives; remove and discard the pits. Roughly chop the olives. Gently break apart the raisins. Place the tomatoes in a bowl.
2. In a medium pan (nonstick, if you have one), heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil on medium-high until hot. Add the potato and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, 13 to 15 minutes, or until golden brown and softened. Transfer to a plate and set aside in a warm place. Wipe out the pan.
3. While the potato cooks, in a medium pot, heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil on medium-high until hot. Add the celery, garlic and white bottoms of the scallions; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, 2 to 3 minutes, or until softened and fragrant. Add the olives, raisins and as much of the red pepper flakes as you'd like, depending on how spicy you'd like the dish to be. Cook, stirring occasionally, 30 seconds to 1 minute, or until fragrant. Add the tomatoes and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, 12 to 14 minutes, or until thickened and saucy. Turn off the heat and stir in the cooked potato. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
4. Place the flour and spice blend on a plate; stir to combine. Pat the catfish fillets dry with paper towels; season with salt and pepper on both sides. Thoroughly coat 1 side of each seasoned fillet in the flour-spice blend mixture. Transfer to a separate plate.
5. In the same pan, heat 2 teaspoons of olive oil on medium-high until hot. Add the coated catfish fillets, coated sides down, and cook 3 to 5 minutes on the first side, or until browned. Flip and cook 2 to 3 minutes, or until lightly browned and cooked through. Remove from heat.
6. Divide the sauce between 2 dishes. Top with the cooked catfish fillets. Garnish with the green tops of the scallions. Enjoy!