Thanksgiving flavors aren’t solely reserved for that standalone Thursday, in my opinion — we can enjoy and embrace them all season long! For as long as I can remember, corn soufflé has been a favorite side of mine, and pecan pie a coveted final course. I’d always sneak an extra serving after the first go-around on Thanksgiving Day with family. Even for potluck Friendsgiving dinners over the past decade, I’ve admittedly leaped to bring the two just to be sure they’d be on the buffet! I just love the sweetness of those slices to offset other savory staples such as turkey, gravy, and dressing.
This year, I am applying my two favorite holiday ingredients to the can’t-beat flakiness of U.S. Farm Raised Catfish, which—if you didn’t know—is raised in clean, aquifer-fed freshwater ponds as a safe, sustainable, and environmentally friendly seafood choice.
U.S. Farm-Raised Catfish is a reliable, healthy choice for your holiday table for many reasons: it’s an excellent source of protein, free of hormones, and low in saturated fat. I love that catfish is consistently mild and slightly sweet at first bite. And when coated in pecan pieces and oven-baked alongside a crackly coated corn brûlée, you better believe this plate is a crowd pleaser!
Scroll for the recipes and enjoy this holiday season.
PECAN-CRUSTED CATFISH
4 U.S. Farm-Raised catfish fillets
1/4 cup flour
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup cream or milk
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 cup crushed raw pecan pieces
Preheat oven to 425F. Prepare 3 bowls for each step of the catfish coating process — In the first bowl, mix flower, cayenne, garlic powder, and salt. In a second bowl, whisk milk and mustard. In a third bowl, place pecan pieces. Carefully coat each catfish fillet in each bowl. Place pecan-crusted fillets on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Bake (or air fry at 400F) until fish flakes easily with a fork, about 10-12 minutes.
This post is brought to you by The Catfish Institute. Thank you for supporting our sponsors!
CORN BRÛLÉE
6 cups fresh corn kernels (cut from about 12 ears corn)
1/4 cup sugar, plus additional for brûlée topping
3 tablespoons flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/8 teaspoon cayenne (optional)
6 large eggs
2 cups cream or half-and-half
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
Preheat oven to 350F. Combine sugar, flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl and set aside. In a large bowl, whisk eggs, cream, and melted butter. Add dry ingredients to wet, whisking until smooth; stir in corn. Pour evenly into 8, 1-cup lightly greased ramekins.
Place ramekins on a baking sheet and bake for 35-40 minutes until just set. Remove from oven and allow to slightly cool. May be made ahead up to this point – wrap and store in refrigerator for 2-3 days.
Right before serving, cover top of each pudding with a layer of sugar. Place under a broiler or use a kitchen torch to caramelize the sugar until golden brown.
