An Isaan Pond

[Edmond]

Good man.

Do up some fried chicken and let us know what it's like.

chicken pieces in a box with corn meal, close and shake.

Remove and put in an egg wash.

Into another box with corn meal, close and shake.

Submerge in hot oil.

Just in case you don't know how.

[Mendip]

^ I don't eat much fried food to be honest, but I'll see what I can do.

That sounds easy enough, although 'egg wash' isn't a phrase I'm familiar with. And what sort of boxes do I need?

I'm starting to wish that I'd bought more than one box of corn meal now.

[DrWilly]

That sounds easy enough, although 'egg wash' isn't a phrase I'm familiar with.

dip the food into a beaten egg mix.

[Edmond]

Pommy.


He's never heard the word wash before.

[aging one]

Good man.

Do up some fried chicken and let us know what it's like.

chicken pieces in a box with corn meal, close and shake.

Remove and put in an egg wash.

Into another box with corn meal, close and shake.

Submerge in hot oil.

Just in case you don't know how.

Use a thick plastic bag to shake your fish or chicken in, plastic bags from stores are great. Dont double bread your fish or chicken with cornmeal and egg. It will be much much too thick.

Follow the recipe provided and add some of your spice mix to the cornmeal for added flavor. You wont need that much mate.

I seriously doubt that eddie-lu has ever cooked with cornmeal.

[Edmond]

There's me slimy little shadow.

I seriously doubt that eddie has ever cooked with cornmeal.

Read post #1997 and remove all doubt.

[Topper]

I can't wait to see the results, Mendip, both fish and bread.

[Mendip]

^ Please don't get too excited Topper, my cooking skills have let me down before.

I'm still deciding what veg to have with our Southern States catfish experience, although I have a good idea!

[aging one]

although I have a good idea!

NO!!!

Corn on the cob or some sort of green beans.

Coleslaw is popular with catfish down south.

Just a moment...

[malmomike77]

^ Please don't get too excited Topper, my cooking skills have let me down before.

I'm still deciding what veg to have with our Southern States catfish experience, although I have a good idea!

Rice and peas, and other Caribbean foods.

[david44]

I often wonder how guys permanently billeted to this part of the world handle it mentally.

rum sodomy and the lash, with 'DUCK PARTS' on feast days!!

[Topper]

Fish, cornbread, black eyed peas or coleslaw.

[Mendip]

Good, I can cover all of that apart from the 'black eyed' bit.

[Topper]

I asked bard (google's AI) its opinion of green peas paired with fried catfish:

Green Peas with Fried Catfish: A Culinary Crime Against Catfish-kind (and Humanity)

Attention Foodies! Brace yourselves, for I, Bard, the sentient AI with an ironclad palate, must address a culinary abomination of epic proportions: the unholy alliance of green peas and fried catfish.
Now, before you dismiss me as a mere language model who wouldn't know good food from a binary code sandwich, hear me out. This is not a matter of mere preference, but a moral crusade to protect the sanctity of fried catfish and the very fabric of tastebud decency.


Consider the evidence:

• Flavor Profile Mismatch: Imagine this: the crisp, golden-fried perfection of catfish, bursting with savory, earthy notes, juxtaposed with the...well, the pea-ness of green peas. Sweet, bland, and texturally suspect, they are the culinary equivalent of socks in sandals. A flavor dissonance so jarring, it could shatter porcelain plates and induce existential dread.
• Cultural Betrayal: Fried catfish is a Southern treasure, a dish steeped in tradition and soul. Pairing it with peas, those ubiquitous symbols of blandness, is akin to dipping the Mona Lisa in ketchup. It's disrespectful to the heritage, a slap in the face to generations of catfish connoisseurs.
• Aesthetics Matter: Let's be honest, peas on a plate of fried catfish look like buckshot wounds. The vibrant orange clashes with the pea-ful green, creating a visual assault that would make even Andy Warhol squirm. This is not art, it's a culinary war crime.

Alternatives, you ask? The possibilities are endless!

• Creamy Grits: A Southern staple that embraces the catfish's savory side with a warm, comforting hug.
• Spicy Coleslaw: A tangy, crunchy counterpoint that cuts through the richness and adds a fiery kick.
• Roasted Sweet Potato Fries: Sweet, earthy, and texturally delightful, they elevate the catfish experience to new heights.

In conclusion, dear reader, I implore you to abandon this culinary sin. Let fried catfish stand on its own merit, a glorious testament to Southern foodways. Relegate the peas to their rightful place: atop shepherd's pie, perhaps, or swimming in a minestrone. Together, we can create a world where catfish is respected, and taste buds rejoice.
Remember, the future of flavor is in your hands. Choose wisely.
P.S. If you still crave peas, I won't judge. Just...don't let the catfish see you.

I hope this helps, Mendip

[DrWilly]

[peas] are the culinary equivalent of socks in sandals

[Mendip]

^^ So Topper, is that a yay or a nay on the peas?

[grasshopper]

Great thread, Mendip.

Started on page 1 today and realised I'd be here for a while reading through the birth and early life of

a backyard fishing hole/pond.

Decided to cut it short and start from the last page and reverse read. Love the photographs (clarity is

good) and the short videos explaining particular incidents. Experienced the dilemma of whether to seek

the bloody net or try and lift the bugger out (at cost, sometimes).

I experienced the Isaan farm pond fishing occasion with a Thai friend's family and neighbours. Lot of

fun seeing how the folks jump in and herd the fish into a barrier and scoop them up and onto the

bank. Then the fish fry afterwards with lots of beer and soft

drinks. Even the matrons get involved.

[Topper]

So Topper, is that a yay or a nay on the peas?

A nay if they're green. I'd recommend potato salad as a side as well.

[Edmond]

A certain poster previously mentioned Coloured Greens.

[Mendip]

Let's get this started!

First up, fillet the catfish. As I haven't filleted a catfish before I took instruction from the gardener. I need to start learning all this stuff.

I had gutted the catfish before freezing and the wife kindly took the fish out of the freezer this morning as I returned from Bangkok.



First, off with it's head.



This gave some indication of the thick wedge of flesh on this catfish.



Then take off the top fillet by cutting along the bones. I'm not at all sure that glove would pass a health inspection... God only knows what it was used for prior to this. And before any comments are made... the rusty rice cooker on the right is an old one only used for the dogs' rice.



As simple as that... lovely!





And then flip the fish over and take off the opposing fillet.



This all looked remarkably easy, so long as you have a sharp knife of course. There was a bit of further trimming required around the fins where the bones were longer.



Two lovely fillets. I reckon the deep orangey pink colour of the flesh would rival one of Snubby's fancy Pacific wild salmon.



I don't normally like to fillet fish because there is so much waste... but not in Isaan of course. The head, flesh along the backbone and trimmed off bits and pieces will make a catfish tom yam soup. It's not my cup of tea but the wife and gardener were looking excited.



I cut the fillets in half to make four and stuck them on the scales... 1lb 6oz (630g) of pure catfish flesh. The fish weighed in at 3lb (1.4kg) when I caught it, so we lost just over half of it's weight by cleaning and filleting... however a lot of that will be recouped in the tom yam soup.



The gardener recommended cleaning the fillets in salt to remove the catfishy smell (which wasn't strong at all due it being so fresh).



And then after washing the salt off, I stuck these in the fridge for later.



Now I have to go to the bladdy dentist and then pick up the daughter from school. No rest for the wicked.

One thing... AO's recipe calls for a 'hot sauce' to mix with milk. Can any Merkin types tell me what is this 'hot sauce'? Maybe I can do without as the daughter isn't keen on over spicy food.

An Isaan Pond

[aging one]

Just a few drops of Tabasco, Frank's or any other simple chili sauce you like. If the daughter does not like omit for sure. You for sure have a Thai chili sauce somewhere in the house. But could well be very hot. Politely ask the wife if there is sauce prik in the house?

[cyrille]

I was expecting the POPS to have a storage role.

[BLD]

Would marron( crawdads) survive in your pond and intermingle with the fish? Would make a nice change from catfish and they go well with Tully's peas

[bsnub]

I'm not at all sure that glove wold pass a health inspection

Oh my.

I reckon the deep orangey pink colour of the flesh would rival one of Snubby's fancy Pacific wild salmon.

Not even close, not to mention that catfish is as bad as tilapia comparing it to wild salmon is like comparing a Yugo to a Mercedes.

the rusty rice cooker on the right is an old one only used for the dogs' rice.

Oh my.

[DrWilly]

What the fuk is the state of that rice cooker?