Catfish Creole — When the Smoker Rests, Memphis Still Eats

May 2021. Spring in Memphis, and I am 62, watching the azaleas and dogwoods bloom along my neighborhood walk, the annual resurrection that makes the winter worth surviving. The smoker wakes up in spring the way the whole city wakes up — slowly, with a stretch, then fully, with purpose.

Walter Jr. came by with the grandchildren, bringing the noise and energy that grandchildren bring, the house expanding to hold them the way a good pot expands to hold a good stew. Trey at the smoker, learning, absorbing, his hands getting steadier each visit, the fire recognizing him the way fire recognizes those who are meant to tend it.

I experimented this week — smoked pork belly burnt ends, cubed and re-smoked with sauce and butter until they were sticky, caramelized, and indecent. The kind of food that makes Rosetta say "Earl, your arteries" and then eat three more pieces, because even nurses have limits, and the limit of smoked pork belly burnt ends has not yet been found by human science.

I sat in the lawn chair next to Uncle Clyde's smoker as the dark came on, and I thought about what I always think about: the chain. From Clyde to me. From me to Trey, maybe, or Jerome, or whoever comes next with the patience and the hands and the willingness to stand next to a fire at three in the morning and wait for something good to happen. The chain doesn't break. The fire doesn't stop. And I am here, 62 years old, in a lawn chair in Orange Mound, Memphis, Tennessee, watching the smoke rise, and the rising is the living, and the living is the gift.

The pork belly burnt ends were gone by sundown — Rosetta made sure of that — but the hunger that fire season stirs in a family doesn’t stop when the smoker cools. On the nights between smoke sessions, when Trey and the grandchildren are still buzzing from the afternoon and the lawn chairs are still warm, I reach for another Southern staple that Clyde loved just as much as anything off the grate: a bold, no-apologies Catfish Creole that fills the kitchen with the kind of smell that makes a house feel alive. It carries the same spirit — patience, seasoning, and the understanding that good food is never really about the food.

Catfish Creole

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 30 min | Total Time: 45 min | Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lbs catfish fillets, cut into 2-inch pieces
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 3 stalks celery, sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce
• 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 tsp Creole seasoning
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (adjust to taste)
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• Salt and black pepper to taste
• 2 tbsp fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• Cooked white rice, for serving

Instructions

1. Build the base. Heat olive oil in a large, heavy skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion, bell pepper, and celery. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 6–8 minutes until softened and the onion is translucent.
2. Add the aromatics. Stir in the minced garlic, Creole seasoning, smoked paprika, cayenne, thyme, and oregano. Cook for 1 minute until fragrant, stirring constantly so the garlic doesn’t burn.
3. Build the sauce. Pour in the diced tomatoes with their juices, the tomato sauce, and the chicken broth. Stir to combine. Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer uncovered for 12–15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens slightly.
4. Add the catfish. Season the catfish pieces lightly with salt and black pepper, then nestle them into the sauce in a single layer. Spoon sauce over the top of each piece. Cover and cook for 8–10 minutes until the catfish flakes easily with a fork and is cooked through.
5. Finish and serve. Taste the sauce and adjust seasoning as needed. Scatter fresh parsley over the top. Serve hot over white rice with crusty bread on the side if you like — you’ll want something to catch the sauce.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 310 | Protein: 32g | Fat: 11g | Carbs: 18g | Fiber: 4g | Sodium: 620mg