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Cast-iron pot of catfish piquante stew with potatoes, wooden spoon stirring by hand

Catfish Sauce Piquante

  • Duration

    2 hours

  • Serves

    6 to 8
Chef’s notes

After a morning of jug-lining for catfish, the crew harvests more than enough meat for a hearty meal of sauce piquante.

Sauce piquante translates to “spicy sauce” but this dish is so much more than that. This Cajun stew is widely cooked with a variety of proteins including gator, venison, and rabbit. Hard-boiled eggs and fresh catfish in this rendition makes for some perfect camp cuisine. Click here to see the most recent episode where Junior cooks up this classic dish for the whole Duck Camp crew.

Ingredients

  • 3 lbs. cleaned catfish filets, cubed up in 2” pieces
  • 12 hard-boiled eggs, peeled
  • 3 large yellow onions, small diced
  • 3 green bell pepper, small diced
  • 3 stalks of celery, small diced
  • 3 jalapeño peppers, minced
  • 5 cloves garlic, minced
  • ¾ cup cooking oil
  • ¾ cup AP flour
  • 2 tbsp. tomato paste
  • ¼ cup hot sauce
  • 3 cups canned, diced tomato
  • 2 qts. chicken stock (warmed)
  • Salt, pepper, cayenne powder
  • 1 cup sliced green onions
  • Juice of 1 lemon

Also works with

Venison, gamebirds, small game, or any firm-fleshed fish

Preparation

  1. In a heavy bottom cast iron pot, add oil and heat on high. Once oil begins to shimmer, reduce heat too low.
  2. Add your flour and stir to combine. Cook roux until it is milk chocolate in color (about 45 minutes to an hour). Take it slow and be careful not to burn. If you see black specks, start over.
  3. Once the roux is dark, add onions and garlic. Sauté in roux for 10 minutes.
  4. Add celery, bell pepper, and jalapeños. Sauté for an additional 15 minutes on medium heat.
  5. Add tomato paste and stir in. Cook for 5 minutes then add stock, canned tomatoes, and hot sauce.
  6. Bring mixture to a simmer and season lightly with salt, pepper, and cayenne.
  7. Allow to simmer over low heat for 1 hour uncovered, stirring every 15 minutes.
  8. After one hour, taste and adjust with seasoning if necessary.
  9. Add your catfish and hard boiled eggs. Gently stir proteins into the sauce. Cover and allow
  10. to simmer on low for an additional 10 to 15 minutes or until your catfish chunks are cooked
  11. through.
  12. Finish your sauce piquante with green onions and lemon juice.
  13. Serve over steamed white rice.

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Catfish Sauce Piquante

Recipe by: Jean-Paul Bourgeois
Cast-iron pot of catfish piquante stew with potatoes, wooden spoon stirring by hand

  • Duration

    2 hours

  • Serves

    6 to 8
Chef’s notes

After a morning of jug-lining for catfish, the crew harvests more than enough meat for a hearty meal of sauce piquante.

Sauce piquante translates to “spicy sauce” but this dish is so much more than that. This Cajun stew is widely cooked with a variety of proteins including gator, venison, and rabbit. Hard-boiled eggs and fresh catfish in this rendition makes for some perfect camp cuisine. Click here to see the most recent episode where Junior cooks up this classic dish for the whole Duck Camp crew.

Ingredients

  • 3 lbs. cleaned catfish filets, cubed up in 2” pieces
  • 12 hard-boiled eggs, peeled
  • 3 large yellow onions, small diced
  • 3 green bell pepper, small diced
  • 3 stalks of celery, small diced
  • 3 jalapeño peppers, minced
  • 5 cloves garlic, minced
  • ¾ cup cooking oil
  • ¾ cup AP flour
  • 2 tbsp. tomato paste
  • ¼ cup hot sauce
  • 3 cups canned, diced tomato
  • 2 qts. chicken stock (warmed)
  • Salt, pepper, cayenne powder
  • 1 cup sliced green onions
  • Juice of 1 lemon

Also works with

Venison, gamebirds, small game, or any firm-fleshed fish

Preparation

  1. In a heavy bottom cast iron pot, add oil and heat on high. Once oil begins to shimmer, reduce heat too low.
  2. Add your flour and stir to combine. Cook roux until it is milk chocolate in color (about 45 minutes to an hour). Take it slow and be careful not to burn. If you see black specks, start over.
  3. Once the roux is dark, add onions and garlic. Sauté in roux for 10 minutes.
  4. Add celery, bell pepper, and jalapeños. Sauté for an additional 15 minutes on medium heat.
  5. Add tomato paste and stir in. Cook for 5 minutes then add stock, canned tomatoes, and hot sauce.
  6. Bring mixture to a simmer and season lightly with salt, pepper, and cayenne.
  7. Allow to simmer over low heat for 1 hour uncovered, stirring every 15 minutes.
  8. After one hour, taste and adjust with seasoning if necessary.
  9. Add your catfish and hard boiled eggs. Gently stir proteins into the sauce. Cover and allow
  10. to simmer on low for an additional 10 to 15 minutes or until your catfish chunks are cooked
  11. through.
  12. Finish your sauce piquante with green onions and lemon juice.
  13. Serve over steamed white rice.