The increasingly popular fusion of a culinary kind these days is the experience of Viet-Cajun, where you get all that Louisiana Cajun flair but with the light freshness and zestful zing echoing from Vietnamese roots. The Viet-Cajun Fried Catfish Po’boy: a symphony of crispy fried catfish, fragrant fresh herbs, and sharp pickled vegetables supported by the bright heat of Sriracha mayo on French bread. It is da ish that perfectly encapsulates Pham’s vision for his food–deftly straddling the divide between traditional reality-based techniques used in New Orleans kitchens (particularly intensely-flavored items prepared fast) with bold flavor Viet Cajun Fried Catfish Po’boy commonly found at Atlanta/Viet Shacks across America…the constitutive signature dishes are!)
The sort of Viet Cajun Fried Catfish Po’boy that bridges two worlds, stacked with crunchy fried catfish and fresh Vietnamese pickled vegetables and herbs on a soft toasted roll. If you love Po’boys or are just intrigued by Viet-Cajun fusion, this is the dish for you!
Viet-Cajun Fried Catfish Po’boy Ingredients
So, let me share this yummy sandwich with you and its required ingredients. Four serves, but adjust volumes to suit.
For the Fried Catfish:
4 catfish fillets
Soaking: 1 cup buttermilk
1 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Vegetable oil (for frying)
For the Sandwich:
4 French rolls or hoagie buns
11 recipes for Pickled Carrots and Daikon, 1 cup
1 cup fresh cilantro
1/2 cup sliced cucumbers
2 Fresh Jalapeños, Sliced (optional for extra heat)
For the Sriracha Mayo:
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon Sriracha
1 tablespoon lime juice
Cooked Jasmine Rice, for serving (optional), I prefer jasmine lice but basmati or long grain will do! ).
Salt and pepper to taste
Quick-Pickled Carrots and Daikon
1/2 cup carrots, julienned
Julienned daikon radish 1/2 c.
1/4 cup rice vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
Asian-Cajun Fried Catfish Po’boy Recipe
How to Make the Pickled Vegetables
Step 1: Prep The Pickles
Step 1– Make the Pickled veggies that give a Viet Cajun Fried Catfish Po’boyMix together the julienned carrots and daikon with rice vinegar, sugar, and salt in a small bowl. Allow the mixture to rest at room temperature for a minimum of 30 minutes whilst you get on with making some other ingredients. Using the quick-pickling method ensures that your veggies are tangy and crisp in texture.
Step 2:Marinate the Catfish
Lay the catfish fillets in a shallow dish or pie plate and cover with buttermilk. In a medium bowl, place the fillets and add in the buttermilk. Cover completely; let sit for at least 30 minutes. Bringing the fish in buttermilk softens things up a bit AND makes it cling to its cozy cornmeal coating.
Step 3:Sriracha Mayo
In a small bowl, stir together the mayonnaise Sriracha lime juice, and fish sauce if using. Add salt an pepper to taste. The creamy, spicy mayo will go great with the crunchy catfish and fresh herbs.
Step 4:Coating and Frying the Catfish
In another shallow dish, combine the cornmeal, flour, Cajun seasoning, and garlic powder along with paprika, salt, and black pepper.
Heat 1 inch of vegetable oil in a large skillet to medium-high (about 350°F). Coat each Catfish Fillet in the cornmeal mix, making sure both are well covered with it.
Gently lay the catfish fillets in the hot oil and cook for 3-4 minutes on each side, until golden brown & crispy. After done fried, move the fillets to a plate lined with a paper towel so that any extra frying oil is absorbed.
Step 5:Toast the French Rolls I like to do this either in a hot oven (like when roasting veggies) or on a medium low-heat grill.
While the catfish fries, split French rollsor hoagie buns in half and toast them in a dry skillet or under your broiler for a few minutes until they are golden brown and slightly crunchy. This prevents the Viet Cajun Fried Catfish Po’boy from being soggy and adds TEXTURE.
Step 6: Assemble the Po’boy
When everything is prepped and ready, it’s time to assemble your Viet-Cajun Fried Catfish Po’boy!
Add a generous amount of Sriracha mayo to both top and bottom loaves.
On the bottom half of each roll, add a slice or two of fried catfish.
Add about a handful of pickled carrots and daikon, sliced cucumbers, fresh cilantro sprigs, and jalapeño slices for that extra heat.
Top with the other half of the roll and press down lightly to keep in place.
Step 7: Serve and Enjoy!
Slice each Po’boy in half for easier serving and eat straight away. But these Viet Cajun Fried Catfish Po’boy are at their best when the catfish is hot and crispy, and the bread warm, and toasty. Serve with a side of fries, coleslaw or chips.
Viet-Cajun Fried Catfish Po’boy Tips
Pickled Viet Cajun Fried Catfish Po’boy– If you also wish to enhance the tanginess, marinate your pickles in a refrigerator overnight. This adds in more of the flavors and helps make it a bit closer to actual Vietnamese.
What Can I Use Instecipe Other white fish such as tilapia, and cod are an ideal substitute. Viet-Cajun shrimp Po’boy (makes11)|Or you could try shrimp).
Heat: Customize the Sriracha and jalapeños depending on how hot you like your bowl. If you’re heat-averse, be sure to skimp on the Sriracha sauce or — even better — use sweet chili sauce.
Toasted French rolls give the Viet Cajun Fried Catfish Po’boy a nice texture by providing just enough chew to ensure that they can hold the fillings’ weight without getting soggy.
The Viet-Cajun Fried Catfish Po’boy — deconstructed variations
This is a pretty unique recipe combining two culinary traditions into one tasty dish and while I love the site this recipe was published on, maybe Turkfoodie could have suggested just some additional ingredients to make it different.
Grilled Catfish Po’boy
For an alternative spin, you may opt for grilling the catfish instead. Sprinkle the fillets with Cajun seasoning and grill them for around 4-5 minutes on each side. Grilled is just as tasty but much healthier and oil-free.
Shrimp Po’boy
Replace fried catfish in this Viet Cajun Fried Catfish Po’boy with some nice, crispy-fired shrimp for a different kind of take on it. Coat the shrimp in the same way and then deep fry them until they are golden brown, 2-3 minutes. These crispy shrimp will go quite well with the Sriracha mayo and pickled veggies.
Vegetarian Po’boy
To make this Viet Cajun Fried Catfish Po’boy vegetarian, sub in fried tofu or grilled portobello mushrooms for the catfish. Your plant-based options can then be seasoned with that same Cajun seasoning and cornmeal mix, adding a crispy delicious edge.
Nutrition information (per serving)
Calories: 680
Protein: 32g
Carbohydrates: 56g
Fat: 35g
Fiber: 6g
Sodium: 1220mg
Why You Are Going To Love This Viet-Cajun Fried Catfish Po’boy
Another amazing feat of flavor is the aptly named The Viet-Cajun Fried Catfish Po’boy. Cajun fried catfish has a bold, spiced crunch that is combined beautifully with fresh and herbaceous Vietnamese elements in this sandwich. The tangy pickled veggies, spicy Sriracha mayo, and crispy catfish nestled inside a soft French roll pack an explosion of flavors into every bite.
This Viet Cajun Fried Catfish Po’boy gives you all the punch, swag, and fireworks in your mouth one needs throughout those hot summer nights or no sunlight days waiting to impress at the BBQ everyone claims they are coming through. On top, it’s not only for lovers of spicy bold but a meal made with hearty fusion spirit reigning above us lesslying efforts by aimless white folk overcooking this fine masterpiece by loaf slicing their stale thin bread triple layers (you know who u are) Oreo finger food mentality=MINE now gravy n potato ninja vanish yo bland self format dismurk damage margin have time!
