Fillet of Catfish Bayou Lafourche

Named for a Louisiana bayou, this dish is Creole cooking at its most refined: crisp pan-fried catfish crowned with plump oysters and bathed in a silky, tarragon-scented butter sauce. It looks restaurant-fancy because it leans on a true French technique, the beurre blanc.

Start by dusting the catfish with seasoned flour and cayenne and sauteing it in clarified butter until golden, clarified butter being the key to a clean, high-heat sear without the milk solids that scorch. Set the fish aside, then build the sauce right in the same pan.

Deglaze with champagne or white wine, add the oysters with their liquor, lemon, shallots, and tarragon, and cook just until the oysters curl. Then comes the magic: reduce the liquid to a glaze and whisk in cold butter a few chips at a time, swirling the pan (never stirring) so the butter emulsifies into a glossy, creamy sauce instead of breaking into greasy puddles. Keep the heat gentle so it stays emulsified. Spoon the oysters over the fish and pour that luxurious sauce on top. The tarragon and briny oysters make it taste like a special-occasion plate.

Chef Tips

• Use clarified butter to fry the fish. It takes higher heat without the milk solids burning, for a clean golden crust.
• For the beurre blanc, swirl the pan as you add cold butter; never stir. Stirring breaks the emulsion and the sauce separates.
• Keep the sauce over gentle heat. Too hot and the butter splits; too cold and it firms up.
• Cook the oysters only until they just curl. Overcooked oysters turn tough and rubbery.

Variations

• Use other firm white fish like tilapia, snapper, or trout.
• Swap the oysters for shrimp or crawfish.
• Add a pinch of Creole seasoning to the flour dredge for more spice.