Blackened Catfish with Dirty Rice

The catfish part of this meal is obviously not vegetarian. The dirty rice, however, is. The amount of cayenne can be adjusted based on personal preferences. We prefer our food a little hotter, so if you like things mild, you may want to cut back on the cayenne below.

Prep. Time: 30 mins.
Cooking Time: 45 mins.


Ingredients:

Blackened Catfish
1 Tbsp Paprika
1/2 Tbsp Sea Salt
1 1/2 tsp Cayenne Pepper
3/4 tsp White Pepper
3/4 tsp Black Pepper
1/2 tsp Thyme
1/2 tsp Oregano
3 Tbsp Vegetable Oil

2 lbs (or 3-4 large fillets) Catfish
2-3 Lemons (optional)

Dirty Rice
1 Tbsp Vegetable Oil
1 small Chopped Onion
1/2 Cup Chopped Celery
1 Green Pepper
1 Clove Garlic Minced
1/2 tsp Cayenne
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Black Pepper
1 tsp Cumin
1/2 tsp Oregano
1 cup Long Grain Rice
2 cups Vegetable or Chicken Broth


Directions:

Dirty Rice
Saute the chopped onion, green pepper, celery and garlic in vegetable oil until the onion becomes translucent, approximately 5 mins.

Add the cayenne, salt, black pepper and cumin and saute an additional 3 mins.

Stir in the rice and cook 5 mins. longer.

Add the stock and bring to a boil.

Reduce heat and simmer until liquid has evaporated, approximately 20 mins.

Blackened Catfish
While the dirty rice is cooking down, you can start on the catfish. Preheat the oven to 350 F.

Mix the paprika, sea salt, cayenne, white pepper, black pepper, thyme and oregano together in a medium size mixing bowl.

Add in 1 Tbsp vegetable oil and mix well.

Heat 2 Tbsp vegetable oil in a large frying pan for approximately 5 minutes on high heat.

Place each catfish fillet in the spice mixture and rub the spices onto the fillet.

Place the coated fillets into the heated frying pan and cook for 4 mins. per side on high heat.

Transfer the blackened fillets into a large Corning ware or casserole dish and cook them in the oven for an additional 15 mins.

Serve garnished with lemon (optional) and with dirty rice as a side.