Since Belzoni, Mississippi is known as the Catfish Capitol of the World, catfish was served at almost every gathering in some form when we lived there. Many versions of this recipe are floating around, but I first had it when served by Mrs. Diedre Barret. If I remember correctly, we were gathered at the home of Scott and Kelly Kiker. The Kikers had small children like us and opened their home many Saturday nights. A gathering of eight adults could easily multiple to 20 with all the children. Heck, Lou and I added four to the mix. A normal gathering at their home started with Scott grilling something for the main course and every other family bringing along a side dish or appetizer to complete the meal. Everyone loved Diedre’s Catfish Bread at first taste, and it has been a crowd pleaser ever since. Don’t be intimated or taken back by the use of catfish. It’s a very mild white fish loved by many southerners. I recently made some for a petit four class, and all of the ladies loved it.
Mississippi Delta Catfish Bread
Ingredients:
1 loaf French bread, sliced in half long ways
4-5 Catfish filets seasoned with Liquid Smoke and Tony's seasoning
1 stick of butter, softened
1/2 cup mayonnaise
6 green onions, chopped
1 small can sliced black olives
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 cup mozzarella cheese, grated
1 cup cheddar cheese, grated
Directions:
Preheat oven to broil setting. Place the catfish filets on a baking sheet and season with liquid smoke and Tony's Cajun seasoning. Broil the fish about 4-5 minutes until the fish is flaky. Remove the fish from the oven and set aside to cool. Reset the oven to 350 degrees. In a mixing bowl, combine the butter, mayonnaise and garlic powder before adding in the remaining Ingredients. After the fish has cooled, take a fork and flake the fish into small pieces. Fold the fish in with the other ingredients. Spread the fish mixture onto both pieces of French bread and place on a baking sheet. Bake the bread about 15-20 minutes until the cheese is melted. Remove the bread from the oven, allow it to cool a bit, and slice to serve.
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