Catfish Florentine

“Catfish Florentine” is a great dish for Lenten Fridays and anyone who is not eating meat on this day of the week during Lent. Actually, it is fitting for eveyone, any time. Combining catfish and spinach in an entree may seem like an odd pairing, but this dish is delicious. “Catfish Florentine” refers to fried, baked or sautéed catfish fillets which are served on a bed of steamed spinach. The flavors of fresh, tender spinach and “melt-in-your mouth” catfish fish fillets complement each other perfectly. Don’t like spinach? Well, you are missing out. Fresh sautéed spinach will change your mind. It is delicious. Plus, spinach is “winter” season vegetable, so now is a good time to cook with fresh spinach. My recipe is simple and quick to prepare and only requires a few ingredients. Even frying the catfish is easy. Other than catfish and spinach, the other ingredients are probably already in your kitchen. This dish has found its way onto the menus of many upscale seafood restaurants here in Louisiana. — during the entire year, not just Lent. Impress you family and friends with a “gourmet” entree.

Catfish Florentine

My recipe has two parts — the sautéed spinach and the fried catfish fillets. To serve, you simply place the fried catfish on top of the spinach. Easy enough. Many recipes for “Catfish Florentine” add some sort of sauce to the spinach — but that’s really not necessary, in my opinion. The spinach shines in its simplest form.

This recipe is adaptable. Rather than catfish, any other type of firm white fish fillets can be used in the recipe such as redfish, halibut, cod, haddock, mahi mahi and snapper. Rather than breading and frying, the fish fillets can be sautéed, broiled, grilled or baked.

Nutritional Value of Spinach

I love fresh spinach. I prefer it to canned and frozen spinach; there is no comparison. There are many ways to sneak fresh spinach into recipes. Add baby spinach raw to a salad, add it to soups or casseroles or just simply sauté it. Spinach is a cool weather crop. It is one of the leafy green vegetables which I have successfully grown in my backyard Louisiana garden at this time of the year. It is rewarding to pick just what you need for a recipe. If purchasing fresh baby spinach at a store, remember that is perishable; so purchase when you are ready to cook it.

Spinach is one of these vegetables which makes every “powerhouse” list of healthy foods. The dark green leaves give a clue that it is packed with nutrtients. It is rich in Vitamins A, C and K, folic acid, potassium, calcium and iron and fiber. Plus, it contains phytonutrients which prevent against oxidation and protects us from chronic diseases. The carotenoids and lutein in which give a hidden orange tint to spinach leaves are important for eye health.

However, spinach does have two warnings. If you are taking certain blood thinners, such as coumadin, Vitamin K in spinach can intefere with that drug. Eat with caution. Plus, spinach does contain oxalates which is good to know if you are prone to kidney stones. However, don’t let those warnings serve as an excuse for skipping spinach. Most of us can safely eat this vegetable. It can make an important nutritional contribution to our diet.

Sautéed Spinach Recipe

Cooking sautéed spinach is much easier than it appears. My ingredients for the recipe are shown above — spinach, onion, olive oil; salt and pepper for seasonings. Here’s the purchased baby spinach as it came out of the package — triple washed. Of course, it is always a good idea to look over the spinach, rinse and sort it. For these small leaves, I don’t bother with cutting off the stems or chopping it up. However, with large spinach leaves (like the ones from my garden), I’ll remove long stems and chop the leaves into smaller pieces. I got a little carried away with the onion and included the entire onion in the dish (because we like onion). However, that’s alot of onion and in my final recipe I scaled it back a bit.

To sauté the spinach, start out with a very large pot. First, cook the onion in olive oil over medium heat. Then, over low heat, add the spinach leaves, a few at a time. My recipe uses eight ounces of spinach which may seem like alot and will fill up the pot. However, spinach wilts. Stir to coat the spinach with the oil. As the spinach quickly wilts, add more leaves until all the spinach is added to the pot. Cover the pot and let it cook for about 5 minutes over low heat. And I stress — low heat. Give a stir from time to time. No need to add water. The moisture from the spinach is plenty. Then season with salt and a pinch of pepper. Set aside while preparing the fried catfish fillets.

Easy Fried Catfish Recipe

Many varieties of white fish filets will work in this recipe. I like to use catfish filets because they are readily available in South Louisiana. I usually purchase IQF (individually quick frozen) catfish filets which are farm raised. The frozen catfish filets are conveinent to use and have a “melt in your mouth” taste. They are mild in flavor — no “fishy” taste at all. I simply take the filets out of the freezer which I need for the recipe and defrost them in the refrigerator or under running water. Since they are IQF (individually frozen), the frozen filets don’t stick together.

For this recipe, many cooking methods are used — fried, baked, grilled, broiled. I referenced one of my favorite Cajun chefs, Chef John Folse. In addition to chef, Folse is a prolific entrepeneur. He operates restaurants, a catering business, has written cookbooks and hosts a televisioin show on PBS regarding Louisiana cuisine. He is a staunch supporter of Louisiana seafood and has served as culinary “ambassador” from Louisiana in this regard. A culinary school in Nicholls State University owes its beginnings to Folse. Of his many cookbooks, I have two of these books which serve as good references for Cajun recipes.

“The Encycolopedia of Cajun & Creole Cuisine” is thorough reference and is filled with interesting stories, photos and recipes. It’s a good “coffee table” book. “The Evolution of Cajun & Creole Cuisine” is an older cookbook. However, the dictionary of recipes are still relevant today. It includes a dozen or so dishes featuring catfish filets.

Chef Folse presents a basic recipe for breaded and fried catfish. It is simple and easy — I adapted it for my “Catfish Florentine” recipe.

Here are the ingredients:

Notice that there is no cornmeal in this recipe. The catfish filets are breaded in a seasoned flour mixture and not in a cornmeal mix. Cornmeal breadings are commonly used in fried seafood platters in Cajun restaurants. However, flour breadings are also used for many Cajun seafood entrees.

The make the fried catfish, set up to “frying stations.” Combine an egg with the milk and water in one bowl to make an “egg wash”. On another plate, combine the flour and seasonings (salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder and paprika).

To fry the catfish, heat the peanut oil for frying. Since I only planned to fry four catfish filets, I used a small (7″ diameter) heavy cast iron skillet for frying. The cast iron holds the heat well — the oil doesn’t drop in temperature when you add the fish. The frying process is easy using this small skillet. If you plan to fry a large batch of catish, then a large, heavy Dutch oven works well — or a deep fat fryer.

Add peanut oil to a depth of 1/2 inch. Heat the oil to 350 degrees — which is just at smoking. I use peanut oil for deep fat frying. It has a high “smoke point” and a neutral flavor. Other oils such as canola oil can be substituted — but don’t try using olive oil or coconut oil. That would result in a disaster as these oils don’t heat well.

When the oil is hot, dip one fish filet in the egg wash. Then coat with the seasoned flour. Go back into the egg wash again and back to the flour for a second time. Add one or two fillets to the oil which you have ready to go. Fry on the first side for about 3 minutes until golden bfown. Turn over, and fry on the second side. Cooking time will depend on the size of the catfish fillets. It takes a little practice to gauge doneness. However, fish fillets fry quite quickly, don’t burn them.

Remove the fried fillets to a plate lined with paper towel. I have a slotted spoon which I like to use to remove the catfish. That’s it. This is a very easy and simple method for frying fish.

To serve, divide the sautéed spinach among four plates. Add a fried catfish fillet on top of each plate of spinach. And we have “Catfish Forentine.” I love the crunchy crust of the fried filets and “melt in your mouth” flavor of farm-raised catfish. Plus, the spinach complements the dish perfectly.

Now that Mardi Gras is over, the Lenten season is in progress in the Catholic regions of South Louisiana. If you are skipping meat on Lenten Fridays, we’re ready with this great fish dish. If you are not observing Lent, don’t skip this entree — it is great any time of the year.

Enjoy this recipe!

Reference:

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/foods/spinach#vitamins-and-minerals