Catfish Gumbo

Ed came across a recipe for fish stew that he wanted to give a try, and it turned out mighty tasty...especially good for a chilly winter night!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lbs. catfish, cut into 2 inch pieces (we used catfish nuggets from Kroger)

2 Tablespoons butter or EVOO (we used butter)

1 medium to large clove garlic, minced

1 large onion, sliced

1 green bell pepper, seeded & cut into 1 inch pieces

1 to 2 small zucchini squash, sliced (we used 2)

1 can (14.5 oz) whole tomatoes (we used a can of diced tomatoes with green pepper & onion)

1/2 teaspoon dry leaf basil

1/2 teaspoon dry leaf oregano

1 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

1/4 cup dry white wine (we used some Chateau Ste. Michelle Riesling that we had on hand)

4 oz. sliced fresh mushroom, optional (we opted for shroomage)

Parsley for garnish (we chose not to garnish)

Cooking:

Combine all ingredients in crockpot. Stir gently, but thoroughly. Cover & cook on high for 3 1/2 to 5 1/2 hours. Makes 4-6 servings.

What we did differently:

1. Added an extra 1/4 cup of wine in order to have a little more liquid since we had a little more fish than the recipe called for.

2. Used dry chipotle pepper in place of ground black pepper.

3. Used garlic powder instead of a garlic clove.

4. With an hour left to cook, Ed added some niblet corn...because Ed likes corn.

5. We cooked it for just over 4 hours & it was ready to eat.

6. We served the gumbo over Bisquick Drop Biscuits (see the side panel of your Bisquick box for instructions, or see the biscuit recipe in our Italian Pot Roast blogpost).

How did it turn out?

Both of us really liked the consistency & flavor. The fish was cooked thoroughly as were the veggies. The flavors blended very well. The biscuits made a nice base to mix in with the gumbo. It really reminded me a lot of the gumbo made by my Great Aunt Nooney, who made gumbo in the creole tradition she learned from her husband!