Fried Catfish with Hush Puppies and Tartar Sauce

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon double-acting baking powder 
• 1 teaspoon pepper black freshly ground
• 0.3 cup buttermilk 
• 2 cups buttermilk 
• 36 ounce catfish fillets 
• 0.3 cup cornmeal 
• 1.3 cups cornmeal 
• 1 tablespoon dill pickle relish 
• 1 large eggs lightly beaten
• 2 large eggs 
• 0.8 cup flour all-purpose
• 2 cups flour all-purpose divided
• 1 tablespoon flat-leaf parsley fresh chopped
• 0.3 teaspoon ground pepper red
• 1 teaspoon horseradish prepared
• 0.8 teaspoon juice of lemon fresh
• 0.3 cup canola mayonnaise organic (such as Spectrum)
• 3 tablespoons onion grated
• 8 cups vegetable oil; peanut oil preferred 
• 0.1 teaspoon salt 

Equipment

• frying pan
• paper towels
• knife
• kitchen thermometer
• measuring cup
• slotted spoon
• dutch oven

Directions

1. To prepare tartar sauce, combine first 6 ingredients. Cover and chill.
2. To prepare catfish, clip a candy/fry thermometer to a Dutch oven; add oil to pan.
3. Heat oil to 38
4. Sprinkle fillets evenly with 1/2 teaspoon salt.
5. Place 5 ounces (1 cup) flour in a shallow dish.
6. Combine remaining 5 ounces (1 cup) flour, cornmeal, and black pepper in a shallow dish.
7. Combine 2 cups buttermilk and 2 eggs in a shallow dish. Dredge fillets in flour; dip in buttermilk mixture. Dredge in cornmeal mixture; shake off excess breading.
8. Place 2 fillets in hot oil; cook 5 minutes or until done, turning occasionally. Make sure oil temperature does not drop below 37
9. Remove fillets from pan using a slotted spoon; drain on paper towels. Return oil temperature to 38
10. Repeat procedure twice with remaining fillets.
11. To prepare hush puppies, weigh or lightly spoon 4 ounces (3/4 cup) flour in dry measuring cups; level with a knife.
12. Combine 4 ounces flour and remaining ingredients. Drop batter 1 tablespoonful at a time into pan; fry at 375 for 5 minutes or until browned, turning frequently.
13. Remove hush puppies from pan using a slotted spoon; drain on paper towels.