Recipe: Catfish Burgers

Every Tuesday this summer we’re featuring a new recipe on the blog from one of our Savor the South^® cookbooks. Each little cookbook in our Savor the South^® cookbook collection is a big celebration of a beloved food or tradition of the American South. From buttermilk to bourbon, pecans to peaches, bacon to catfish, one by one each volume will stock a kitchen shelf with the flavors and culinary wisdom of this popular American regional cuisine. Written by well-known cooks and food lovers, each book brims with personality, the informative and often surprising culinary and natural history of southern foodways, and a treasure of some fifty recipes–from delicious southern classics to sparkling international renditions that open up worlds of taste for cooks everywhere. You’ll want to collect them all.

Today’s recipe is from Paul and Angela Knipple’s Catfish: a Savor the South^® cookbook. Paul and Angela are coauthors of The World in a Skillet: A Food Lover’s Tour of the New American South and Farm Fresh Tennessee. Frequent contributors to Edible Memphis and other periodicals, they live in Memphis. They also make a mean catfish burger, which is the star of today’s post! Whether you’re a seasoned catfisher or prefer to purchase fillets at your local market, catfish burgers are the perfect way to make your summer simply scrumptious. Enjoy them with family and friends this weekend for a savory Southern feast!

Connect with the Paul on Twitter @PaulKnipple, and “like” the Savor the South^® book page on Facebook for more news and recipes. Also, check back here next Tuesday for another Savor the South^® Sampler recipe!

Print Recipe

Catfish Burgers

With its moist, flaky texture, catfish makes a great substitute for crab in crab cake recipes. Instead of getting fancy, this recipe makes hearty patties perfect for burgers. You could plate these as catfish cakes—a dollop of tartar sauce and you’re set—but that just wouldn’t be as much fun. The flavors here are simple and may be familiar to some of you. These burgers are based on the famous shrimp burgers of the South Carolina coast.

Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 1 lb catfish fillets diced
• 2 eggs beaten
• 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
• 3 Tbsps mayonnaise
• 2 Tbsps celery diced
• 1 Tbsp sweet onions grated
• 2 Tbsps parsley chopped
• 1 1/2 tsps lemon zest
• 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• Dash salt to taste
• Dash black pepper freshly ground, to taste
• Dash cayenne pepper to taste
• 3 Tbsps peanut or vegetable oil

To serve:

• 4 large hamburger buns
• lettuce
• tomato slices
• Tartar sauce or coleslaw

Instructions

• In a medium bowl, combine the catfish, eggs, panko, mayonnaise, celery, onions, parsley, lemon zest, and Worcestershire sauce, stirring with a wooden spoon until everything is evenly distributed.
• Season with salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper to taste.
• Divide the mixture into 4 equal portions and form patties about 1 inch thick.
• Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
• Cook the patties for 4 minutes, or until the bottoms are browned, before carefully flipping them over. Cook for another 4 minutes so both sides are browned.
• Serve on soft buns with lettuce, tomato, and tartar sauce or coleslaw.

Notes

From Catfish: a Savor the South^® cookbook by Paul Knipple and Angela Knipple. Copyright © 2015 by Paul Knipple and Angela Knipple.