Cajun Catfish with Shrimp Creole Sauce over Butternut Squash Rice

 
Excite your pallet with the fiery spices of cayenne pepper and Cajun seasoning, the tang of apple cider vinegar and lemon, and the creaminess of a full-fat coconut milk.  Relish the combination of flavors found in my Cajun Catfish with Shrimp Creole Sauce.  The earthy nut flavor the butternut squash offers is the bonding component that marries all of the other flavors together to make this a beautifully crafted meal for your family and friends.

This dish requires a little planning ahead but it is so worth it!  I usually like to let my catfish soak in the mustard-egg bath overnight but have found myself too impatient a time or two and only soaked it for a couple of hours.  Obviously, the longer it marinades, the better it is.  You will not ruin the dish, though, if you only have an hour or 2 before go time.



Cajun Catfish with Creole Cream Sauce over Butternut Squash Rice
Written by Rebecca Lane
Makes 4 Servings

Ingredients:

• 4 Catfish Fillets
• 2 eggs
• 1 TBSP Mustard
• 1/2 cup Almond Flour
• 1 tsp Cayenne
• 1 tsp Sea Salt
• 1 tsp Black Pepper
• 4 TBSP Grass-Fed Butter or Ghee; divided
• 2 Cloves Garlic, minced
• 1/2 Shallot, minced
• 1/4 cup Country Ham
• 1 1/2 TBSP Apple Cider Vinegar
• 2 tsp Fresh Lemon Juice
• 2 cups full-fat Coconut Milk
• 1 TBSP + 2 tsp Cajun Seasoning (I use Tony's); divided
• 1 lb medium Shrimp
• 1 Butternut Squash

Here's what ya do:

1. In a small bowl, whisk eggs, mustard and 1 TBSP cajun seasoning until well combined.
2. Transfer egg mixture to a large zip lock bag.  Add catfish fillets and smush around until every part of the fish is coated. 
3. Marinade fillets in the fridge for at least 2 hours up to 24 hours.
4. Melt 2 TBSP butter in a cast iron skillet over medium heat.
5. Mix almond flour, cayenne, salt and pepper in a quart size zip lock bag
6. Place 1 fillet at a time in the flour mixture and coat well.
7. Transfer to hot cast iron skillet and cook fish for 5 minutes on each side until golden brown.  Fish should flake apart when fully cooked.
8. Meanwhile, melt 1 TBSP butter in medium skillet. Add garlic, shallots, ham and shrimp and sauté for about 2 minutes.
9. Add apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, coconut milk and Cajun seasoning and cook until liquid thickens and reduces by half; about 10 minutes. Shrimp tails should be fully curled.

For Butternut Squash Rice

1. Skin and deseed butternut squash.
2. Slice squash with medium julienne blade
3. Place squash slices into a food processor and pulse until you have "rice" size pieces.
4. Melt 1 TBSP of butter over medium heat.  Add squash rice to the butter and sauté for 5 minutes or until squash is tender.

To assemble, spoon a layer of squash rice on a plate.  Add fillet. Finally, top with Shrimp Creole Sauce.   Enjoy!