Crab-Stuffed Catfish Fillets With Cajun Remoulade

Living on Wolf Creek Lake in East Texas my grandmother, a sizable woman with fiery red hair, freckles and the bluest eyes and my grandfather a tall thin man with one glass eye would pass the hours fishing.  More often than not we would drive over for the day and there would be not one, but numerous strings cast into the water just waiting for the line to have a tug.  When it did they would reel in some of the biggest catfish I had ever seen.  Some of which where just right down scary.  One of the gifts my grandparents gave me was the memories about those catfish.

Crab-Stuffed Catfish Fillets

1/2 cup butter

3 celery ribs, diced

1 small onion, diced

1 small green bell pepper, diced

1 Tablespoon minced garlic

1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice

2 teaspoons cajun seasoning

1/8 teaspoon hot sauce

1/2 pound fresh lump crabmeat, drained

1 cup panko (japanese breadcrumbs)

6 (7ounce) fresh catfish fillets

1 Tablespoon olive oil

vegetable cooking spray

Table salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Cajun Remoulade

Saute' until tender, celery, onion, green bell pepper and garlic over medium high heat.  About 6 minutes.   Mix in lemon juice, cajun seasoning, and hot sauce. and cook for 1 minutes.   Gently stir in breadcrumbs and lump crabmeat.  If desired, stir in additional cajun seasoning and hot sauce.  Remove from heat and cool completely.

Preheat oven to 425'.  I made a slit down the middle of the catfish, then tucked both end under, then mounding the crab stuffing in the slit.  Brush fillets with olive oil; sprinkle with paprika and desired amount of salt and pepper.  Place a wire rack that is line with parchment paper on a jelly-roll pan.  Bake at 425' for 20-25 minutes or until fish flakes with a fork. I put these together the day before and refrigerated them.  Let sit at room temp. for about 30 minutes prior to baking.   Serve with Cajun Remoulade.

Adapted from:http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/crab-stuffed-catfish-fillets-50400000134843/

Cajun Remoulade

1/2 cup dill pickle relish, drained

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/4 cup diced yellow onion

1/4 cup diced celery

1/4 cup diced red bell pepper

1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

3 Tablespoons ketchup

3 Tablespoons yellow mustard

2 Tablespoons minced garlic

2 Tablespoons Creole mustard

2 Tablespoons prepared horseradish

2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice

3 dashes hot sauce

Table salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Process all ingredients in a food  processor and blend until finely chopped.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.  Will keep in airtight container up to 3 days.