If you’re preparing a feast featuring fried catfish Plano you can elevate this staple of southern cuisine by choosing your sides carefully. Try these pairings to create a memorable culinary experience from start to finish.
Beverage Pairing
Try washing down your meal with a glass of sparkling white wine, which always goes well with fried foods. Still, you also can’t go wrong with a tall glass of pale ale that won’t overpower the delicate fish or compete with the flavors in the batter.
Healthy Pairing
You may opt for something starchy to fill out the meal because catfish can lean toward the light side. When in doubt, rice is an excellent option. Try keeping it simple to bring a healthy balance to the fried coating of the catfish. You can also sprinkle it with cilantro to add a refreshingly subtle flavor, but you don’t need much to make it the perfect backdrop to bring out the flavors of the main dish.
Decadent Pairing
Some people would argue that you need to pair fried catfish with something quintessentially southern to create to appreciate it fully. Among the foods that fall into this category are hushpuppies. Their inclusion on the menu brings a southern-style dining experience to full realization with their crunchy buttermilk batter exteriors and soft fluffy interiors.
Sweet Pairing
The dessert you select to follow your fried catfish entree should extend and complement its featured flavors. For example, the citrus overtones of key lime pie or the bright, fruity flavors of a cool sorbet offer the perfect conclusion to the meal. They will not easily inspire your palette to forget the flavors that came before them, but they will also fully satisfy your tastebuds.
Making fried catfish the star of your next dinner party is a perfect way to ensure that it is a huge success.
Find more ideas in our food archives.
Meg is an author at Cinnamon Hollow. She writes on a variety of topics sharing tips and ideas for daily life.