Red Beans & Rice with Fried Catfish | Slow Cooker Edition

I’ve honestly never stopped dreaming about my trip to New Orleans. Everything, and I do mean EVERYTHING that I ate on that trip was amazing. Especially the red beans & rice with catfish. I decided to make my own rendition here at home. Just a warning this is a flavorful dish so it has a ton of seasonings that we need. I hope you enjoy!

Here’s what we need:

1 16oz bag of red beans (soaked overnight)

1 medium sized ham hock

6 oz andouille sausage (1/2 a pack)

1/2 medium yellow onion (diced)

1 medium bell pepper (diced)

2 tsp smoked paprika

1 tsp beef bouillon

1 Tbsp unsalted Cajun seasoning

1 1/2 tsp cumin

2 tsp salted Cajun seasoning

1 tsp chicken bouillon

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp garlic paste

1 tsp onion powder

1/4 black pepper

1/4 tsp cayenne

1/2 tsp oregano

1 bay leaf

2 sprigs of thyme

2 1/2 cups of water

Whew! That was a lot of ingredients, but they are much needed! The best thing about the slow cooker is that you throw everything in the slow cooker, turn it on low and leave it overnight. They should be ready when you wake up the next day but I set mine overnight and went to work the next day.

I then took about 1 cup of the beans and blended them. I wanted a thicker texture. This step is completely optional. After blending 1 cup of the beans I added it back to the batch and they were complete and ready to eat. I served them with white rice and catfish.

I didn’t forget to tell you how to make this beautiful golden fried catfish lol!

What we need:

2 medium sized catfish filets

2 tsp yellow mustard

1 tsp hot sauce (I used Old Bay hot sauce…Texas Pete is an NC favorite)

1/2 tsp Cajun seasoning

1/4 tsp Old Bay

You’ll want to season your catfish with those ingredients and set it to the side while you get your seasoned flour (or breader as we call it) together.

2 cups of all purpose flour

1/2 tsp Old Bay

1/2 tsp salted Cajun seasoning

1/4 tsp seasoned salt

In this household cast iron skillet is QUEEN. So I heated up about 4 cups of peanut oil (use vegetable oil if you have a peanut allergy) in my skillet. If you want to gage for temperature I would say go for 370°F so that once you add the fish the temperature will drop to 350°F that’s the optimal temperature for frying fish.

I dredged my seasoned catfish into the flour and once my grease was hot enough I fried them to a beautiful golden brown. This should take about 8 minutes. If you like your fish a little harder you can go a little longer.

Safely remove the fish from the grease onto paper towel to drain and that’s all she wrote!

I have so much joy in my heart from visiting such a beautiful city and participating in the culture. I’m glad that I was able to have a piece of it here at home with me. If you try this recipe make sure to tag me on Instagram @CookingWithRoxy. Enjoy this cozy meal. I love you all and as always sending lots of moxie your way.

-Roxy