Catfish with Apple-Fennel Salad and Pickled Pearl Onions

Description

A catfish recipe.

Ingredients

• 4 U.S. farm-raised catfish fillets
• olive oil
• salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Pickled pearl onions

• 1 cup water
• ½ cup rice vinegar
• ⅓ cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons kosher salt
• 1 whole garlic clove
• 1 teaspoon mustard seed
• 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh ginger
• ½ jalapeño pepper, seeded and chopped
• 1 tablespoon grapeseed oil or canola oil
• 1 cup white pearl onions, peeled and cut in half

Apple-fennel salad

• ½ cup diced Red Delicious apples
• ½ cup diced Granny Smith apples
• ½ cup diced fennel bulb
• ½ cup mandarin orange sections, cut in half
• ½ cup golden raisins
• 8 teaspoons chopped fennel fronds (tops of the fennel)

Directions

Pickled pearl onions

1. Mix water, vinegar, sugar, salt, garlic, mustard seed, peppercorns, ginger and jalapeño pepper in a medium saucepan.
2. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until it comes to a simmer and salt and sugar are dissolved. Cool.
3. Heat grape seed or canola oil in a small sauté pan over medium-high heat.
4. Add onions and sauté until lightly caramelized.
5. Add onions to the saucepan with the vinegar mixture.
6. Let stand for 1 hour to pickle.
7. Strain the onions from the pickling juice and place pickling juice in a small saucepan.
8. Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes or until reduced to ½ cup.
9. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Apple-fennel salad

1. Toss diced apples, fennel bulb, orange sections and raisins in a small bowl.
2. Add 6 tablespoons of the reduced pickling juice and 6 teaspoons of the fennel fronds and stir until combined; set aside.

Catfish

1. Prepare a grill or preheat the broiler.
2. Rub catfish fillets with olive oil and season both sides with salt and pepper.
3. oil a grill rack or broiler pan rack.
4. Grill or broil fillets about 4 inches from the heat source for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, or until flakes easily when tested with a fork.
5. Place a small mound of apple-fennel salad on each serving plate.
6. Arrange pickled pearl onions on plates and top with grilled catfish.
7. Spoon remaining 2 tablespoons pickling juice around plates and sprinkle with remaining 2 teaspoons fennel fronds.
8. Drizzle a little olive oil over the plates and serve.