It's odd when something small can bring something so huge to my kitchen! Over the holidays, I had somehow come into not one, not two, but three bottles of Jack Daniels (yay me!!). Knowing that I could never drink all that, I decided to see what I could do with it cooking wise. I already know it rocks in my chili con carnage and I could make a bbq sauce with it, but what else could I use it for. Out of the blue, it hits me: batter fried fish!!! I went to my local fish store and decided on swai, a korean catfish that is thick but looks kinda like tilapia. It's very mild and doesn't flake! Next time I make it, I will have to make a few changes but otherwise, it came out awesome!!
Ingredients:
1-2 lbs of firm fresh whitefish (cod, scrod, whiting, orange roughy, or swai)
2 cups of all purpose flour
6 oz whiskey
6 oz ginger ale, cola, club soda or seltzer
salt
pepper
cajun spice
garlic powder
Directions:
Take 1 1/2 cups of flour, 6 oz of whiskey and 6 oz of ginger ale, cola, club soda, or seltzer and mix in a bowl until it has the consistency of a thick pancake batter. Add seasonings to taste. Take the remaining 1/2 cup of flour and place into a seperate bowl and season to taste. Cut the fish into sections. Dredge fish in seasoned flour, then dip into batter. Let the fish soak a bit in the batter. In a skillet (cast iron preferred and recommended), heat a half inch worth of oil at medium. Pull the fish out of the batter and shake off the excess. Place in the oil and fry until golden brown on both sides. Serve with fries, cole slaw, and or hush puppies...and don't forget the malt vinegar!
*Cook's addendum:
After doing this recipe, I have discovered that a much smoother and milder whiskey would work well for this. I would recommend Tullamore Dew or maybe even Crown Royal, which has a bit of sweetness to it.
