Fried Catfish Sandwiches with Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato Recipe

Fried Catfish Sandwiches with Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato Recipe

Sauce

• 3/4 cup mayonnaise
• 3 tablespoons sweet pickle relish
• 1 1/2 tablespoons drained bottled capers, chopped fine
• 1 tablespoon Dijon-style mustard
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, or to taste
• A pinch of cayenne
• 1 tablespoon bottled cocktail sauce, or to taste
• All-purpose flour seasoned with salt and pepper for dredging the fish
• 2 large eggs 
• 1/2 teaspoon salt 
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne 
• Cornmeal for dredging the fish 
• 4 (1/2 pound) catfish fillets, halved crosswise 
• Vegetable oil for deep-frying the fish 
• 8 soft sandwich rolls, split 
• Soft-leafed lettuce for the sandwiches 
• 2 tomatoes, sliced thin 
• 16 slices lean bacon, cooked

Make the sauce:  

• In a bowl stir together the mayonnaise, the relish, the capers, the mustard, the lemon juice, the cayenne, the cocktail sauce, and salt and pepper to taste and chill the sauce, covered. 
• Have ready in separate shallow dishes the flour, the eggs beaten with the salt and the cayenne,  and the cornmeal. 
• Dredge each catfish fillet half in the flour, shaking off the excess, dip it in the  egg mixture, letting the excess drip off, and dredge it in the cornmeal. 
• Transfer the fish as it is  coated to a wax paper-lined baking sheet. 
• In a kettle heat 1 inch of the oil to 375 degrees F on a deep-fat thermometer. 
• In it fry the fish in batches for 2 to 4 minutes on each side, or until it is cooked through and the coating is crisp, and transfer it with a slotted spatula to paper towels to drain. 
• On the bottom halves of the rolls layer the lettuce, the tomatoes, the bacon, the fish, the sauce, and the top halves of the rolls.

Serves 8.