Recipe: Simple, Catch & Cook Spicy Fish Fingers with Lime

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When it comes to fish, a little bit of heat can work wonders, especially on fish that may have a slight muddiness or less transparency to the taste buds. For example, bigger catfish and species like drum and white bass. But spice can add wonders to more typically eaten gamefish like crappie, bluegill, and walleye, too. Heck, add pike to that list, or whatever we caught on a specific day considering the cost of groceries in today’s inflated economy. I do draw the line at carp, sucker, and Buffalo, unless we’re talking smoking, but I am even reconsidering my prejudice in the nuisance fish realm.

While I’ve experimented with my own spice combinations and still go back to soaking panfish fillets in Frank’s Red Hot sauce and then coating in doctored corn meal, I’ve found this ready-to-go Catch and Cook Spicy Fish & Game Coating Mix top-notch for making a quick, tasty, and easy meal. It’s ready to go right out of the bag and with the perfect amount of heat.

Ingredients List

• (1) Bag Catch & Cook Spicy Fish & Game Coating Mix
• (1) beer (or water, milk, or egg combination)
• 2 pounds of fish
• Mayonnaise
• Sour Cream
• Cilantro
• Pickles (or raw cucumber)
• Lime
• Canola Oil

Recipe

Prepare your fish by cutting into finger-like strips and rinse in cold water. Dowse each finger into something wet—either water, milk, egg wash, or beer—on my case, just beer so I get more of the coating and fish, less of an egg-y crust.

Then roll each finger in the dry ingredient—a bowl or Zip-Lok bag of Catch & Cook Spicy Fish & Game Coating Mix and set aside. If you want a really thick and crunchy coating, repeat the process by dunking the single-coated fingers in beer again and drop in the dry mix a second time. But for this recipe, I chose to coat once, not twice.

Heat canola oil in a cast iron pan, electric fryer, Dutch oven, or deep fryer until the oil reads 360 degrees on a thermometer. I’ve found this setting on my deep fryer produces fish that turn out golden brown, not too dark.

Place 8 to 10 pieces of fish in the oil at a time, monitoring doneness by the color achieved—in the case of the Catch and Cook coating, a darker reddish brown. Transfer to a newspaper or paper towel plate or baking pan and keep warm in the oven at 200 degrees. Repeat process until all fish is fried.

Cilantro, Lime and Chipotle Tartar Sauce

Combine 2/3-cup mayonnaise with 2/3-cup sour cream and stir together. Mince pickle or cucumber and cilantro and place in the mix. Add juice of one lime. Stir. Coat with a dusting of Catch and Cook All Terrain Chipotle for added zing.

Serving Tips

Serve on a plate with cut-up lime and cilantro. Squeeze lime over fried fish fingers; grab one with a few sprigs of cilantro, dip into sauce and enjoy! Best served with cold beer!

Warning: Don’t eat too many right out of the fryer before serving, though—be patient!

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