Smoked Catfish Pate

Total Time: 3 hrs 15 mins Preparation Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 3 hrs

Ingredients

• Servings: 4
• 1 cup hot water
• 1 cup kosher salt
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 3 (12 ounce) cans beer (such as budweiser)
• 1 tablespoon fresh coarse ground black pepper
• 6 bay leaves, crumbled
• 4 large catfish fillets, about 3/4 pound each
• to taste olive oil
• 1 tablespoon wood chips
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/2-3/4 cup sour cream
• 2 large shallots, minced
• 2 tablespoons capers, in liquid
• 2 teaspoons caper juice
• 1/4 teaspoon granulated garlic
• tabasco sauce (5 shakes (or more)
• fresh ground pepper (to taste)

Recipe

• 1 brine and smoke catfish according to recipe. while still warm, break fillets into pieces, removing any bones. add cream cheese and mix well. add ½ cup of the sour cream and mix well. add the shallots, capers, caper juice, garlic and tabasco. taste for seasoning, add more sour cream and/or cream cheese at this point if the pate is a little dry or tastes a little salty. adjust tabasco and add freshly ground pepper to taste.
• 2 note: do not add any salt to this dish because the brine and the smoke “saltsâ€? the fish before it is mixed into the pate.
• 3 let chill for at least 3 hours or preferably overnight. taste once more before serving and adjust seasonings if necessary. serve on the cold side of room temperature on homemade melba toast (slice a loaf of french bread in small rounds, lay out on a cookie sheet and bake in a 250ºf oven until golden and the bread is dried out) or your favorite crackers. top with a dollop of sour cream and a bit of caviar if desired.
• 4 serves 4-10 as an appetizer.