Cajun Catfish, Beer Bread, and Broccoli with Cheese

Looking for a simple meal that you can put together quickly without skimping on taste? This is one of my personal favorites (and my cats especially enjoy the fish raw... not always intentionally.) So let's dive in and whip up some cajun catfish, beer bread, and good ol' broccoli with cheese.

Beer Bread
It's best to start with the beer bread since it will take a while in the oven. While it is cooking you will have plenty of time to prepare the fish and broccoli. Not a big fan of beer? Surprisingly, neither am I. But for some reason, even though this bread does have a beer taste, I find it absolutely delicious. And, take note, generally quite the crowd pleaser.


Preheat your oven to 350. While it is heating mix together in a large bowl:
3 cups bread flour
3 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 c sugar

Once the dry ingredients are mixed, add 12 fl ounces of beer. You can use any beer that you like! I generally grab whatever is in the fridge, so I have made this with anything from Sam Adams to PBR to Pacifico. Stir the beer into the dry ingredients. The dough will not be quite as thick as normal bread dough, but do not worry.

Pour the batter into a greased 8 x 5 bread pan. Melt 1/2 cup of butter (I, of course, use fake butter) and pour the melted butter on top of the bread in the pan.

Bake at 350 for 45-50 min. Make sure to place a large piece of foil or an extra cookie sheet below the bread pan. The butter sometimes drips off as the bread is rising and you do not want it burning on the coils of your oven (unless you really enjoy setting off the smoke alarm.)

I enjoy this bread plain (it has a surprisingly strong but light flavor on its own) or with jam, but many people also like it with butter.

Cajun Catfish
Yes, with this recipe you can easily cheat and buy it at your local gourmet supermarket already covered with cajun spice. Yes, I do this all of the time! So feel free to make it on your own or buy it pre-spiced. (After all it's not much work either way.)

Heat a small amount of oil (probably 1 tsp) in a pan over medium heat. Add the fish. If it is pre-seasoned, then you are good to go. If not, sprinkle liberally with cajun spice. Let it cook for about 5-7 minutes. The fish should be sizzling lightly at the end of that time. Flip it over. If you started with plain catfish, sprinkle this side liberally with cajun spice as well.

After another 5-7 minutes check the fish. The cooking time will vary depending on the thickness and number of filets in the pan. If you are unsure if it is done, use your spatula to make a little cut to peer at the middle of a filet. The fish should be a solid, opaque white and flake easily. If it is still hard to cut the fish or it is translucent then it is not done.

Broccoli with Cheese
While there are many far fancier ways to make broccoli with cheese I actually genuinely prefer the simple, childhood method. And after all, this is supposed to be a fast and easy meal to prepare, right?

Cut up your broccoli into forkful-sized pieces. I like to trim the stems down pretty far and split the broccoli into many smaller pieces. Place them in a microwavable dish and microwave on high for about 4 minutes. (This will work for 2 small heads of broccoli or one large head. Adjust the time as needed if you are making more or less broccoli.)

Once the broccoli comes out of the microwave place slices of American Cheese (fat free preferred) liberally across the broccoli. Put a lid back on the dish or cover securely with foil. Give the cheese about 3 minutes to melt and you are good to serve it.

Congratulations! You just made a delicious, healthy dinner in no time at all. Take advantage because we have some longer, complicated recipes coming our way in the next few days.