Pan-Fried Catfish with Creamed Corn and Green Onion New Potato Salad

Place the buttermilk in a shallow, non-reactive casserole dish. Season with 2 tablespoons of the Essence and the hot sauce, and stir to blend. Place the catfish in the buttermilk and be sure to coat on both sides. In a medium bowl, combine the corn flour, masa harina, 2 tablespoons of Essence and the salt. Stir well to blend.

Heat the oil in a large cast iron fry pan over medium heat. Place the catfish fillets in the corn flour mixture and toss to evenly coat. Lay the catfish smooth side up in the skillet and cook until golden brown, about 4 minutes. Turn over and cook another 1 to 2 minutes on the other side. Remove from the pan, re-season with the remaining tablespoon of Essence and serve with the Creamed Corn and Green Onion New Potato Salad.

Combine all ingredients thoroughly.

Yield: 2/3 cup

Recipe from "New New Orleans Cooking", by Emeril Lagasse and Jessie Tirsch
Published by William and Morrow, 1993.

Use a sharp paring knife to cut the tips of the corn kernels off the cob, keeping as much of the kernel intact on the cob. Transfer the corn tips to a bowl. Using the back of a heavy chef's knife, scrape the cobs thoroughly to release the remainder of the corn off the cob into the bowl, making sure to include any released corn "milk" that is released from the cob.

Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Once melted, add the corn and flour to the pan and cook, stirring often, until thickened, about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the water, salt and pepper, and continue to cook, stirring occasionally. A crust will form on the bottom of the pan from time to time -- be sure to scrape the bottom of the pan well when stirring and continue to cook, stirring frequently towards the end, until the corn is very creamy, 30 to 40 minutes.

Yield: 4 side dish servings

Place the egg, mustard and garlic in a blender and blend on low speed. While the machine is running, slowly drizzle the olive oil through the feed tube until the oil is incorporated and the mayonnaise is thick and creamy. Add the salt, pepper and green onions to the blender and process briefly to combine.

In a medium bowl, place the potatoes and red onions. Pour the mayonnaise over the potatoes and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper and garnish with the cilantro.

Yield: 5 generous salad servings