Catfishin'

I like catfishing. Lately, however, the closest I've gotten to a catfish has been Jen's awesome blackened catfish filets (bought at Albertson's and prepared at home--recipe below) or the dead fish that've come ashore at Burn Lake in Las Cruces, NM. On Saturday, Jen and I spent nearly three hours fishing Burn Lake with a nibble or two but no bites. There were plenty of fish out there--every minute or so one would make a splash and a fish even landed on my line after I had cast about ten yards beyond it--but after three hours I reeled in a plastic bag, dirt, and weeds. But no fish.

Back in California, I often fished at night for channel cat at Dixon Lake in Escondido and caught quite a few with stink bait, cut shad, and deli meat. Back then I never ate the fish I caught: I waited until Juanita served up her baked catfish with cornmeal. Should Jen and I ever land a catfish out here at Burn Lake or Caballo Lake, we probably won't eat it either. Which makes the whole catfishing enterprise sound pretty useless. Until I consider what I could be doing if I wasn't fishing: cleaning house, prepping for a conference, or grading papers.

I'll keep the reel and line ready.

Blackened Catfish
(from Lucy Zaunbrecher's Classic Cajun Culture & Cooking)
2 pounds catfish filets
1 stick butter or
1/4 cup oil
blackened catfish seasoning (below)

Heat a heavy, large skillet; melt butter or oil. Dredge filets through seasoning and coat well. Lay the filets in heated skillet and brown on both sides (Jen says 4 mins. on each side). Serve hot.

Catfish Seasoning
1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon onion powder (optional)
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne