Fit Fare

In Baton Rouge, Louisiana, my hometown, Tony’s Seafood, Live Catfish and Deli, is the place to go for fresh catfish. On one end of the market the catfish is swimming in ponds. On the other end it is being cooked up for customers. On a recent trip to Louisiana, my three year old was fascinated with the process. It doesn’t get any fresher than this. If you are lucky, you can find a decent alternative in your local fish market.

Most catfish that is served in Louisiana is fried, sauteed in butter or topped with a calorie-laden dressing. Fortunately, catfish doesn’t really need all that fat to taste good. The food magazine Eating Well recently published a recipe for Catfish Amandine, a lighter version of the sauteed in butter type dish. It’s one of my favorites, but takes a bit of time to get on the table. Most weeknights we are all ready to eat as soon as we come in the door. The recipe I want to share is about as simple as can be. Catfish fillets are seasoned with garlic, cajun spice and lemon juice — then baked in the oven. My family loved it and it was such a healthy way to prepare the fish. My creole okra and tomatoes recipe, whole grain bread slices and a bowl of fresh fruit round out the meal.

Baked Catfish
makes 5 servings

1-1/2 lb catfish fillets
3-4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp cajun seasoning, such as Tony Chachere’s (more or less to taste)
1 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place catfish in an 11×9 inch glass baking dish coated with cooking spray. Top catfish with garlic, cajun seasoning and lemon juice. Bake, uncovered, for 20-25 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork. Garnish with chopped parsley and lemon wedges.