Free Saveur: The New Comfort Food by James Oseland Page B

fish in the flour, shaking off the excess. Heat 2 tbsp. oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 fish filets and cook, pressing down with a spatula (to prevent the filet from curling up) and flipping once, until golden brown, about 4 minutes. Transfer the fish to a baking sheet and repeat with 2 more tbsp. oil and the remaining fish filets. Transfer baking sheet to the oven to keep fish warm.
    2. Return the skillet to medium-high heat with the remaining oil. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 10 minutes. Add the pickled jalapeños, jalapeño liquid, capers, oregano, garlic, and bay leaves and cook, stirring occasionally, until the garlic is soft, about 3 minutes. Add the stock, limejuice, olives, tomatoes, parsley, and cilantro and cook, stirring occasionally, until the flavors meld, about 5 minutes. Season the sauce with salt and pepper. Transfer the fish to a platter, spoon the sauce over the fish, and serve.

Broiled Salmon Steaks with Tomatoes, Onions, and Tarragon
    Meaty salmon steaks take well to broiling with sweet roasted vegetables and herbs.
½ cup plus 4 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
    2 large yellow onions
    4 medium tomatoes
    16 cloves garlic, smashed
    10 sprigs each of fresh thyme and oregano, plus ½ tbsp. each of fresh thyme and fresh oregano leaves, roughly chopped Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
    4 10-oz. bone-in salmon steaks
    4 thin slices of lemon
    2 tbsp. fresh tarragon leaves
    2 tbsp. Pernod
    Serves 4
    1. Heat oven to 450°F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and grease it with ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil.
    2. Cut onions into ¼ -inch-thick rings; cut tomatoes into ½ -inch slices. Spread out the onions and tomatoes on the baking sheet to form a bed for the salmon steaks. Tuck garlic, thyme, and oregano between vegetables and drizzle with ¼ cup olive oil. Season the vegetables with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Roast the vegetables until soft and lightly browned, about 25 minutes.
    3. Remove the baking sheet from the oven. Set an oven rack 3 inches from the broiler element; heat oven to broil. Arrange salmon steaks on top of the roasted vegetables and drizzle with 2 tbsp. oil, and season with freshly ground black pepper to taste. Place 1 slice of lemon on each salmon steak and sprinkle ½ tbsp. chopped thyme and ½ tbsp. chopped oregano over the fish. Broil salmon until lightly browned and just cooked through, about 5 minutes.
    4. To serve, transfer salmon and vegetables to a platter. Sprinkle with tarragon, Pernod, and remaining oil.

Deep-Fried Southern Catfish

    Melt-in-your-mouth fried catfish is a veritable birthright if you’re from the Deep South, where family-style restaurants called catfish houses are fixtures of the rural landscape. This dish doesn’t call for any dressing up, aside from a big spoonful of tangy tartar sauce and an ice-cold beer.
Canola or peanut oil, for frying
    2 cups yellow cornmeal
    1 1 / 3 cups flour
    ¼ cup seasoned salt, such as Lawry’s
    2 tbsp. baking powder
    1 tbsp. freshly ground black pepper
    4 3- to 5-oz. boneless, skinless catfish filets or bone-in, skinless catfish steaks
    ½ lemon, cut into wedges, for serving Tartar sauce, for serving
    Serves 2
    1. Pour oil into an 8-qt. pot to a depth of 3 inches and heat over medium-high heat until a deep-fry thermometer reads 350°F.
    2. Meanwhile, combine the cornmeal, flour, seasoned salt, baking powder, and pepper in a large bowl. Add the catfish and toss to coat. Gently shake off the excess cornmeal mixture and transfer the catfish to a wire rack set over a rimmed baking sheet.
    3. Working in 2 batches, fry the catfish in the hot oil until golden brown and cooked through, about 6 minutes. Using tongs, transfer the catfish to a wire cooling rack set over a rimmed baking sheet to drain. Transfer the fish to 2 plates and serve with a lemon wedge and tartar sauce.

Pride of the Delta
    On a Saturday night in Mississippi,