It had been, sad to say, more then a little bit since last I had shared with all of you some of my home cooking when, finally, I had posted this delectable dish…
A good amount of the reason behind that had been that me and my Baby had been in the process of moving and the time was just not there (plus it can be a little difficult to cook when everything’s boxed up—lol).
Finally, though, I can say that we’ve begun settling in nicely and our house is quickly becoming a home…
So now that all of our stuff is finding its place and we’re not rushing hither, thither and yon—I can at last set about getting some good ole Chef’ing done in our amazingly beautiful new kitchen….
And so, for what was the very first meal in our new home, I decided to go with a favorite of mine inspired by one of my loves, the city of New Orleans (my first loves being my Baby Nicole and then Cooking, of course).
I just love the various foods to be had down there, especially all of that wonderfully spicy and delicious river fish (most of all, catfish) blackened to perfection and served up with grits or red beans and rice, fried okra or collared greens—truly, I could go on and on about the food to be had in that hauntingly lovely and historic southern city…
Keeping that in mind, I did my best to do that spectacular culinary culture justice with my own take on “Blackened Catfish with Habanero Honeyed Goat Cheese Grits and Roasted Asparagus“
Such a yummy and flavorful dish filled with just the right amount of fiery heat balanced by the luscious cheese and sweetened Rosé wine…
Definitely a meal worth reveling in and savoring every bite of; because it is, oh so, “Definitely Delish“…
“Blackened Catfish with Habanero Honeyed Goat Cheese Grits”
Ingredients:
Catfish Filet (the bigger the better in my opinion)
1/2 Cup Grits
1 1/2 cups Water
1/2 cup light (or heavy) Cream
1 Habanero Chile
8 oz. package Honey Goat Cheese
Pink Himalayan Salt
Fresh Ground Pepper
1 Scallion Chopped
1 teaspoon Fresh Rosemary and Thyme, chopped
1 clove Garlic, minced
Fresh chopped Italian Parsley
Blackened Seasoning (Recipe below)
1-2 tablespoons Sweet Cream Butter
1-2 tablespoons Olive Oil
Directions:
1. Bring Water to a boil in medium saucepan, then add cream and Grits…
2. Stir 5-7 minutes, adding a dash of pink salt—meanwhile heat a large pan or griddle on medium to medium-hi (depending on stove)…
3. Add some minced garlic, rosemary, thyme, pepper and half the habanero to grits halfway through cooking time—then season one side of Catfish with blackened seasoning…
4. Add 1 tablespoon of Butter and Oil to griddle/pan and then place Catfish seasoning side down on to it…
5. Continue cooking Grits, adding a little butter if desired and a touch of scallion and parsley—then remove from heat and mix in desired amount of Goat cheese…
6. As Catfish cooks, season the top with more blackened seasoning and flip about a little over halfway done (around 4-5 minutes)
7. After cooking Catfish for around 4 minutes more, move to plate and garnish with sliced scallions and fresh chopped parsley…
8. Serve with Habanero Honey Goat Cheese Grits garnish with minced habanero pepper, any extra honey goat cheese you might have left (to cool the flames) and a Vegetable if desired (I did roasted Asparagus with thyme, salt and oil)
Wine Pairing:
I paired it with a light but Fruit forward Merlot Rosé by theBaiting Hollow Farm and Vineyard Winery of Long Island; It is delightful, yet slightly milder and somewhat sweeter Rosé and helped to quell the heat from all that wonderful habanero and blackened seasoning…
Blackened Seasoning:
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon sweet paprika
2 1⁄2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon cayenne
3⁄4 teaspoon white pepper
3⁄4 teaspoon black pepper
1⁄2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
1⁄2 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
Directions:
1. Combine all ingredients, mix well and
keep unused portion in air tight container…