As I perused the freezer, I saw our pack of leftover catfish from my accidental massive over-buy when we made Creamy Blackened Catfish. We also had some corn tortillas, so we decided to make a Mexican Fusion dish with a little midwestern and Bayou flare! To make it happen, we cut our catfish into strips and cooked it in a cast iron pan, rolled it in corn tortillas, topped it with a leek (from our garden) infused bbq sauce, cheesed it, and baked it!
Since even farmed catfish can have a strong earthy flavour, we also pre-soaked it in some milk to try to tone that down. It worked to a pretty good degree, and the remaining earthiness actually complemented the meal really well. That said, if you prefer, you can always use a more mild fish like tilapia.
Time: 30 Minutes (plus 1 hour to soak the fish in milk if you’re doing that)
Ingredients:
- Catfish Fillets
- Corn Tortillas
- A Leek
- BBQ Sauce
- A little Water
- Shredded Cheese of your choice. We used Cheddar and Monterrey jack
Method:
- Slice your fish into strips, and soak in milk for an hour or so (if you’re soaking).
- As your fish preps, cut the top greenery and bottom bulb off your leek, and discard (or use to make stock later). Then, cut the stalk lengthwise, and rinse away any dirt. Slice the stalk into ribbons.
- Heat some butter in a pan, and add your leek ribbons. Cook until they caramelize. Then, transfer them to a blender/food processor/Ninja, and puree with your favourite BBQ sauce.
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F, and line a baking sheet with some foil. Give the foil a quick oil spray.
- Heat a cast iron pan (large enough for your catfish) with some butter in it.
- Remove your catfish from the milk, and pat dry with a paper towel.
- When your pan and butter are hot, carefully place your fish in. Cook for a few minutes on each side until the flesh turns white, and you get some nice browning on the outside. Then, remove, and set aside.
- Take your stack of corn tortillas, and wrap them in a damp paper towel. Microwave for 45-60 seconds so they don’t fall apart as you assemble.
- Working one at a time, grab a tortilla, and roll it around a piece of fish. Then, place on your baking sheet. Continue doing this until you’ve got all of your enchiladas in a line.
- Spread your leek infused BBQ sauce over everything, and top with shredded cheese.
- Bake for 5-7 minutes to melt your cheese and get your BBQ sauce hot.
- Plate, devour, and enjoy!
