Nana's Catfish Courtbouillon
Baby, first thing: it’s pronounced "coo-bee-yon." 🔊 Not "court bullion." Not "court bouillon" like French soup.
Say it with Nana: coo-bee-yon.
Now that we got that out the way... this dish right here is what happens when a Cajun mama decides fish deserves gravy too.
Courtboullion is a rich tomato-based fish stew. Not soup. Not gumbo. It’s fish smothered in a peanut-butter colored roux gravy with the Holy Trinity, tomatoes, and just enough cayenne to make you sweat. You eat it with French bread and greens on the side.
This is Friday-night-in-Lent food. This is company-coming-over food. This is “Nana, you put your foot in it” food.
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Nana's Catfish Courtbouillon Recipe
PREP TIME: 20 minutes
COOK TIME: 50 minutes
TOTAL TIME: 1 hour 10 minutes
YIELD: Serves 4-6
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INGREDIENTS:
2 lbs catfish fillets, or redfish, or snapper
2 tsp Cajun seasoning, divided
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup yellow onion, diced
1/2 cup celery, diced
1/2 cup green bell pepper, diced
1/4 cup red bell pepper, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 can diced tomatoes, 14.5 oz, with juice
1 Tbsp tomato paste
2 cups fish stock or seafood stock
1 tsp dried thyme
2 bay leaves
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper, or to taste
1/4 cup green onions, sliced
2 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
Salt + black pepper to taste
Hot cooked rice & French bread, for serving
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INSTRUCTIONS - NANA’S WAY:
Step 1: Season the Fish
Pat catfish fillets dry. Season both sides with 1 tsp Cajun seasoning, salt, and pepper. Set aside.
Step 2: Make Peanut-Butter colored Roux - Don't Rush It
Heat oil in large Dutch oven over medium heat. Whisk in flour. Stir CONSTANTLY 10-12 min until it’s peanut-butter brown. Not blonde. Not chocolate. Peanut butter. If it burns, start over.
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Step 3: The Trinity
Add onion, celery, green and red bell pepper to roux. Cook 8 min till soft, stirring. Add garlic, cook 1 min. Stir in diced tomatoes with juice and tomato paste. Cook 5 min till thick.
Step 4: Build the Gravy
Slowly stir in seafood stock. Add thyme, bay leaves, remaining 1 tsp Cajun seasoning, and cayenne. Bring to boil, then reduce to simmer. Simmer 20 min, stirring so it don’t stick. Gravy should coat a spoon.
Step 5: Add the Fish
Gently lay catfish fillets into simmering gravy. Spoon gravy over top. Simmer 10-12 min till fish flakes easily. Don’t stir hard or fish breaks. Fish cooks fast.
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Step 6: Finish
Fish out bay leaves. Stir in green onions and parsley. Taste for salt and heat. Let sit 5 min. Serve over rice with hot French bread.
Nana's Kitchen Tips: Catfish Courtbouillon
1. Don’t rush the roux.
That peanut-butter color is what gives it depth. Too light and your gravy tastes like flour. Too dark and it’s bitter. Medium heat, constant stir, 10-12 min. Put the phone down.
2. Fish tip.
Use fresh catfish if you can. Redfish or snapper works too. Thicker fillets hold up better. If using frozen, thaw completely and pat DRY. Wet fish waters down your gravy.
3. Serve it with.
French bread to soak up that gravy and a side of greens. Collards, mustard greens, or smothered cabbage. You need bread. No spoon can get all that gravy.
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How to Serve & Store
How to Serve:
Ladle courtbouillon into shallow bowls with a fillet in each. Serve over white rice with hunks of hot French bread. Collard greens with ham hocks on the side is law.
This is Lent Friday dinner. This is Good Friday dinner. This is “PawPaw brought home fish” dinner.
Don’t serve it with pasta. That ain’t Cajun.
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How to Store:
Store leftover courtbouillon in fridge 3 days. Fish and gravy together. Reheat gently on stove on low. Don’t microwave or fish gets rubbery.
To Freeze: Freeze gravy WITHOUT fish up to 3 months. Fish gets mushy frozen. Make fresh fish and simmer in thawed gravy. Taste better that way.
How to Pronounce Courtbouillon 🔊
Nana’s gonna help you say it right so you don’t embarrass yourself at the fish market:
Coo-bee-yon
Sounds like: coo - bee - yon
Not: court-bouillon, court-bullion, or cornbread.
Break it down:
Coo = like the sound a pigeon makes
Bee = like the insect
Yon = like "beyond" without the "be"
Say it fast 3 times: coo-bee-yon, coo-bee-yon, coo-bee-yon.
Now you sound like you’re from South Louisiana. You’re welcome.
From Nana’s Kitchen:
Courtboullion ain’t fancy. It’s what Cajun mamas made when the men brought home fish and said “what’s for supper?”
You take that fish, you make a roux, you smother it in tomatoes and trinity. You feed your family.
Don’t let nobody tell you it’s French soup. We Cajun-fied it. We made it better.
Tell Nana: Catfish, redfish, or snapper? How dark do you take your roux? Comment below.
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