Southern Fried Mud Puppies W/jalapeno Ranch Tartar Sauce #rsc

Total Time: 40 mins Preparation Time: 20 mins Cook Time: 20 mins

Ingredients

• 8 skinless catfish fillets, cut up large bite-sized or 3 lbs skinless catfish fillets
• 2 cups flour
• 1 cup seasoned dry bread crumb
• 1 cup cornmeal
• 1 tablespoon hidden valley original ranch dips mix
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon sriracha sauce, can sub favorite hot sauce
• 1 cup heavy mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup greek yogurt
• 1/4-1/3 cup chopped pickled jalapeno pepper, to taste
• 2 teaspoons hidden valley original ranch dip mix
• 2 teaspoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon minced shallot
• 2 teaspoons minced fresh parsley or 1 teaspoon dried parsley
• peanut oil (for frying, about 1 quart)
• 2 lemons, cut into wedges

Recipe

• 1 for the tartar sauce: stir all ingredients well in medium bowl, cover and chill.
• 2 for the catfish: cut catfish into large bite-sized pieces ( 1 1/2 x 1 1/2 inches). in one pie dish, combine flour, breadcrumbs, cornmeal, dip mix, salt, cayenne and pepper. in second pie dish, whisk buttermilk with sriracha sauce. set a cooling rack over one baking sheet. line a second one with newspaper.
• 3 heat oil in deep pot or dutch oven to 375 degrees. adjust flame to keep at correct temperature.
• 4 toss each catfish nugget into the buttermilk mixture with a fork, rest on fork over dish and let excess drip away, toss into flour mixture and coat, tossing with other hand. place onto cooling rack to dry. (double-dip if you prefer more breading.) let all dry and rest for about 5 minutes before frying.
• 5 fry a "test piece" for about 3-5 minutes til golden and fish is done in the middle. (flakes when broken in half.) *write down the time so you know how long to fry the rest. *this depends on what oil you are using, how hot your oil is and how thick your catfish fillets are. every fish varies just a bit. ;) fry about 8-10 pieces at a time *not overcrowding*. place cooked fish onto newspaper-lined baking sheet as you go. (keep warm in low oven if desired.) serve just as is or transfer to a platter. eat hot and enjoy with tartar sauce and lemon wedges!