Catfish Coubillion

Serving size is 3 oz of fish (small fillet) with 1 and 1/3 cup sauce.

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3 Tbsp canola or vegetable oil
6 Tbsp white flour
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1 large onion, chopped
1 large green bell pepper, chopped
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1.5 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp celery salt
1/2 tsp cayenne
1/2-1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (if desired)
2 bay leaves
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2 Tbsp tomato paste
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28 oz can, drained, (or 3.5 cups fresh) petite diced tomatoes
1/2 tsp oregano
1 tsp basil
1 tsp thyme, ground
1 1/2 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 tsp hot pepper sauce
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1 cup fish or shrimp stock or bouilon
1 cup water
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2 cups whole grain brown rice, cooked
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18 oz catfish fillets

Roux can be bought at the store (jarred or as an instant mix) OR you can make your own.
For a thick roux:
Use the 6 Tbsp flour and 3 Tbsp oil in the recipe -- heat oil on medium, then sprinkle in flour a bit at a time while stirring briskly. It will be thick when all the flour is in, so beat in added flour thoroughly before adding more. When oil/flour are completely blended, turn up heat to Med-Hi. Let sit for about 1+ min (it should spread out) to heat up, then stir briskly until the mixture darkens to a dark tan (darken less for a thicker sauce). DO NOT STOP STIRRING. Remove from heat just before desired color; roux will continue to cook and darken slightly. If there are black specks in it, the roux is burned; start over. This whole process (from cold pan to roux) takes about 5 minutes when done with sufficient heat and quick mixing.
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1---Begin heating 3 T premade roux or the roux above on med-low heat until it becomes smooth and somewhat liquid (2-3 min, if not hot already). Also, begin cooking the brown rice in steamer/cooker. Meanwhile, chop onion and green pepper.
2----Mix onion and pepper into roux (stir in 3 Tbsp flour if using premade roux) and cook on med-low for 5-6 minutes or until tender.
3---Add garlic powder, celery salt, cayenne, bay leaves, and crushed red pepper flakes (if desired). Stir in and cook about 30 seconds.
4---Add tomato paste, stir in thoroughly, and cook about 2 mins.
5---Add diced tomatoes, oregano, basil, thyme, lemon juice, worcestershire, and Tabasco sauce. Cook about 2 mins.
6---Add fish/shrimp stock and water. Bring sauce to a gentle boil and simmer (uncovered) until sauce has thickened to about 3/4ths of full volume (20-25 min).
7---Stir in rice. Cook 2 min.
8---Lay fish fillets on top of sauce. Cover and cook about 6 mins. Spoon sauce over top of fish. Add parsley over top if desired. Cook 3 more minutes.
9---Remove from heat. Remove bay leaves before storing leftovers.

Number of Servings: 6

Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user WAIT4IT.