Bert's Catfish Stew

Here is another favorite from my most prized cookbook "Sylvia's Family Soup Food Cook Book" I used to make this recipe all the time for my parents and sister. Catfish has always been one of my absoluter favorites, but I never really did much except fry or bake it. This recipe is a lovely change of pace.

2 lbs. cat fish fillets
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp.dried herb mixture (at the end of the recipe)
1/2 tsp. black pepper
2 Tbsp.vegetable oil
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
14 1/2 oz. can whole peeled tomatoes
8 oz can tomato sauce
1 tsp. sugar

1. Rinse the catfish and pat dry. Season both sides with salt, herb mixture and black pepper. Let stand at least 20 minutes or up to 8 hours.

2. Heat the oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add the fish and cook until cooked halfway through, or 1 to 2 minutes per side. Remove the fish from the skillet, cut into 4 or 5 pieces.

3. Add the onion, celery and bell pepper to the skillet, stirring, until softened, about 3 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, with the juice, breaking them up with a spoon. Add the tomato sauce and sugar. Cook, stirring, for about 5 minutes.

4. Return the fish to the skillet, and cook until cooked through, about 7 minutes, stirring frequently.

Note: I like to ad a few drops of hot sauce to the stew at the end.

Herb mixture:
1 Tbsp. dried basil
1 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1/4 tsp. dried rosemary, crushed

Toss all herbs together and use the quantity called for in your recipe.