Chapter 8

FISH

Traditionally, fishing formed a welcome break from the ardors of daily labor in the Appalachians, but it also served the dual purpose of offering some welcome variety to the ordinary diet on the table. One indication that fishing wasn’t strictly for sport is provided by the popularity of approaches such as trot lines, limb lines, throw lines, jug fishing, fish traps and even the use of infusions such as juice from walnut hulls to stun fish and bring them to the surface. All were fine ways to get a large catch with minimal effort, and in these approaches, the sport of hook-and-line didn’t take primacy of place.

Mountain trout in the process of being dressed for the table. Tipper Pressley.

Of course, even with a trusty cane pole rig or maybe store-bought outfits, what was caught went straight to a stringer and from there to the family table. The region offers a wide variety of tasty fish—trout, largemouth and smallmouth bass, bream, crappie, catfish and more. A favorite saying from Jim’s mother pretty well sums up matters. Modern-day sport fishermen may talk about “catch and release.” In her view, the only proper or sensible approach involved “release to grease.” The recipes that follow involve not only frying but also other methods of preparing various fish found in southern Appalachia. Seafood was occasionally utilized, but that is in large measure a modern-day development as opposed to being a traditional part of diet. After all, the Appalachians were an appreciable distance from the ocean, and preservation of fish, other than in salted or canned form, was pretty much a nonstarter.

Pan-Fried Trout

2–3 small trout per person (6–8 inches length is ideal—they are tastier than larger ones)

Stone-ground cornmeal

Salt and pepper

Bacon grease, lard or vegetable oil

Clean the fish and leave damp so they will hold plenty of cornmeal. Put your cornmeal in a bag; add the trout, along with salt and pepper; and shake thoroughly, making sure the body cavity gets coated. Place the trout in a large frying pan holding piping hot grease. Cook, turning only once, until golden brown. You can help the process along by using a spatula to splash grease into the open body cavity. Place cooked fish atop paper towels, pat gently to remove any excess grease and dig in.

NOTE: Quite small trout, 8 inches or smaller, in situations where it is legal to keep them, can be fried sufficiently crisp to eat bones, fins and all.

—Jim Casada

Robert Scoville frying trout streamside in Pisgah National Forest. Jim Casada.

Simple Catfish Fillets

1 cup lemon juice

2 pounds catfish fillets

Fish seasoning (your favorite)

Pour the lemon juice into a bowl. Dip fillets in juice and then sprinkle generously with seasoning. Cook on a grill pan or in an oiled skillet for 10 minutes per inch of thickness or until the fish flakes readily.

—Jim Casada

Crappie Delight

2 pounds crappie fillets

¼ cup lemon juice

2 eggs, beaten

¼ cup milk

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup all-purpose flour

Oil for frying

½ cup grated cheddar cheese

Cut fillets into serving-size portions and arrange in a baking dish. Pour lemon juice over fillets and let stand for 6 to 8 minutes, turning once. Combine eggs, milk and salt in a bowl. Roll the fillets in the flour and then dip into the egg mixture. Heat oil in a large skillet and fry fish until brown on one side, then turn. Sprinkle cheese on the cooked side. It will melt as the fish cooks. Serve immediately when done.

—Jim Casada

Catfish Stew

6–7 pounds catfish fillets

5 pounds potatoes

3 pounds onions, diced

1½ pounds lean hog jowl or side meat, diced

1 (27-ounce) can diced tomatoes

3 (14-ounce) cans stewed tomatoes

1 (46-ounce) can tomato juice

¼ cup Worcestershire sauce

Salt, black pepper and red pepper to taste

Combine the catfish and enough water to cover the fillets in a soup pot. Bring to a boil and then simmer until the fish flakes easily. Drain and reserve the cooking liquid. Pick through the fish to remove any bones. Refrigerate the fish.

Peel the potatoes or leave peels on, if you prefer. Cut into ½-inch cubes. Add to the pot of fish stock. In a separate saucepot, combine the onions with water to cover them, bring to a boil, cook until tender and add to the soup pot. Fry the hog jowl until crisp. Drain the oil produced by frying the pork and add the meat to the stock pot. Add the fish to the pot along with the diced tomatoes. Cut the stewed tomatoes in small pieces and add them to the pot, as well. Add the tomato juice as needed to prevent the mixture cooking down too much. When potatoes and onions are tender, add the Worcestershire sauce and any remaining tomato juice. Simmer for 2 to 3 hours, stirring occasionally.

Serves 15 and is ideal for a family gathering or community cookout or as a meal for a bunch of buddies gathered in a hunt camp during deer season. You can cut the amount of ingredients for a smaller amount of stew, if desired.

—Jim Casada

Salt and Pepper Catfish

6 cups cornmeal

Salt and black pepper to taste

2 pounds catfish fillets, cut into 1-inch strips

Peanut oil for deep frying

Mix cornmeal with salt and black pepper and toss catfish strips, enough for a fryer full at a time, in a plastic or paper bag. Heat oil to 375 degrees in a deep fryer. Cook the nuggets, a dozen or so at a time, until they are golden brown and begin to float to the top. Drain atop paper towels. This is a recipe that makes 10 to 12 servings, but it can be halved or quartered.

—Jim Casada

Honey Pecan Mountain Trout

½ cup all-purpose flour

Salt and pepper to taste

½ cup finely chopped pecans

2 pounds trout fillets (fillet large trout or split small fish down the middle and remove as many bones as possible—leave the skin in place)

1 egg, beaten

Butter, softened

Honey

Netting a fine trout at Lake Logan. Courtesy of Hunter Library, Western Carolina University.

Preheat a grill, broiler or grill pan. Combine the flour, salt and pepper. Spread the pecans on a clean plate or a sheet of waxed paper. Dip the fish in the flour mixture and shake gently to remove the excess. Brush with the egg and then press the fish into the pecans. Dot with butter and drizzle with a little honey. Grill, skin side down first, until partially cooked, then carefully turn and cook through.

—Jim Casada

Trout Baked in Foil

While I’d argue, perhaps with some vehemence, that nothing quite matches fresh-caught trout fried over an open fire in a backcountry campsite, perhaps with a side dish of ramps and branch lettuce or fried potatoes and onions, you can skip the grease and use foil for the cooking process. This works on an open fire if you know what you are doing with coals, on a backyard grill or in the kitchen oven.

1 large or 2 small trout per person

Butter

Lemon, lemon seasoning or herb seasoning

Place each whole, dressed trout in its own container of tinfoil, folding carefully so everything stays inside. Line the body cavity with a couple pats of butter, insert thin slices of lemon or dust with whatever combination of herbs appeals to you (dried parsley, perhaps with just a touch of red pepper flakes, is particularly good). Cook until the flesh easily flakes from the bones, and be aware of the fact this won’t take long.

—Jim Casada

Oyster Stew

Although the dish has saltwater origins, many mountain families have long enjoyed a tradition of serving oyster stew on Christmas Eve, and local stores would have the tasty bivalves then but at no other time. This recipe has been handed down through generations in my husband’s family.

Fresh oysters

Milk

Butter

Pepper

Salt

Heat milk and butter until hot but not boiling. Add oysters, a heavy sprinkling of pepper and salt to taste. Continue to heat, stirring frequently, until the oysters are cooked through.

TIP: Leftovers can be refrigerated and reheated.

—Tipper Pressley