spaghetti and fish combo

Spaghetti

• 1 1/2 tablespoons neutral oil
• smoked sausage (beef, andouille, etc.), cut into half moons
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 white onion (or 2 small yellow onions), diced
• 1 large green bell pepper, diced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 1/2 tablespoon ground black pepper
• 1 pound ground beef 80/20
• 1 1/2 packets of spaghetti seasoning
• 1 6-ounce can tomato paste
• 1 jar of pasta sauce
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 2 teaspoons white sugar
• 1 pound spaghetti pasta

Fried Fish

• 3 pounds of catfish filets
• 1 1/2 cups yellow cornmeal
• 2 teaspoons Old Bay
• 1 teaspoon lemon pepper seasoning
• 1/3 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/3 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/3 teaspoon granulated garlic
• 3/4 cup yellow mustard
• 1 teaspoon hot sauce
• oil for deep frying (preferably vegetable or canola oil)

Spaghetti

1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
2. Sear smoked sausage in skillet until browned; remove from skillet and set aside.
3. Melt butter in the same skillet over medium heat.
4. Sauté onion and bell pepper in melted butter and sausage drippings until softened, about 4 minutes.
5. Add garlic, salt, pepper, and sauté for 1 minute more.
6. Mix in ground beef, breaking it into smaller pieces as it cooks. Cook until browned, about 5 minutes.
7. Stir in spaghetti seasonings, tomato paste, pasta sauce, and water.
8. Return smoked sausage to the skillet; reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
9. Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package instructions.
10. Add white sugar to the meat sauce mixture, and stir to combine.
11. Combine spaghetti and meat sauce, stirring to coat all the pasta evenly.
12. Serve spaghetti with fried catfish.

1. Clean and trim catfish filets.
2. Combine cornmeal, Old Bay, lemon pepper, salt, pepper, and granulated garlic in a shallow bowl; set aside until ready to use.
3. Place catfish in a separate large bowl and add mustard and hot sauce—toss filets in mustard mixture to coat evenly on all sides.
4. In a large fry pan or deep-fryer, heat oil to 350° F.
5. While the oil is coming to temperature, dredge the catfish filets in the cornmeal seasoning mixture.
6. Once the oil is heated to the correct temperature, fry fillets in batches for 3 to 4 minutes on each side or until the fish flakes easily with a fork and the internal temperature reads 145° F.
7. Carefully remove fried catfish from hot oil with a slotted spoon or spatula, set it on a wire rack over a paper towel, and cool for 5 minutes before serving.