 Slash and Burn Catfish
Lawton Haygood
Canyon Grill’s signature dish
showcases Lawton Haygood’s grilling techniques and a menu item bursting
with freshness and flavor from herbs, spices and ingredients like
garlic and jalapenos.
Rising Fawn, Ga. – Featuring a menu of simple recipes bursting with
flavor and freshness, Canyon Grill attracts guests to its remote
location on Lookout Mountain with savory steaks and seafood dishes.
Named after nearby Cloudland Canyon State Park, and owner Lawton
Haygood’s cooking technique (he developed a first-of-its-kind
wood-burning grill for restaurateurs in the late 1970s), the restaurant
even serves seafood flown in from a purveyor in Boston. Slash and Burn
Catfish is the signature item. The whole bone-in catfish is stuffed
with ginger, garlic and jalapenos into thin slashes, cut into thin
slashes, dredged in flour, deep fried and then topped with black bean
soup.
“The Slash and Burn Catfish exemplifies what we strive for at Canyon
Grill – to serve our guests dishes that are fresh and flavorful, and
pleasantly different,” Haygood explained. “With the herbs, spices and
other ingredients like the jalapenos, there is a different taste in
every bite, which is a main reason why it is the favorite item for many
of our guests.”
Owned and operated by Haygood and his wife, Karen, Canyon Grill was a
40-seat restaurant when it opened in 1996. Today, it has expanded to
142 seats. Just by looking at the menu, Haygood’s passion for grilling
is evident. Before he introduced the signature selections at Canyon
Grill – and the Boathouse, a restaurant he and Karen operate along the
banks of the Tennessee River in Chattanooga - Haygood developed a
first-of-its-kind wood-burning grill in the late 1970s when he served
seafood at his restaurant, Turtle Cove, in Dallas.
Canyon Grill’s seafood, chicken and beef is kept under ice instead of
being refrigerated, which Haygood says is another element that
differentiates the restaurant.
“Storing food this way keeps it from dehydrating and thus helps it
retain its flavor,” he said. “It is an expensive and labor intensive
process, and that is why most restaurants don’t keep their products
under ice.
But we want to take every measure to ensure that our meals are superb,”
he added. “People will not drive a half-hour or more for nothing short
of an excellent dining experience.”
Here is the recipe of the signature dish that many of these guests drive to Canyon Grill to experience:
Slash and Burn Catfish
Catfish preparation:
4 large whole catfish about 1 ½ lb
4 cups flour
4 cups milk
Stuffing mixture
½ chopped young ginger
½ cup chopped garlic
½ cup chopped Jalapeño
fry oil
Method:
Wash the cavity of the catfish and skin. Slice the catfish to the bone
but not through the bone. The slices should be one inch apart and at a
45 degree angle to the bone on each side of the phone. Open the cuts
and insert the mixture down to the back bone. Wrap with food wrap and
store in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours.
In a large fryer or Dutch oven add 2 inches of frying oil. Begin
heating the oil to 350. In 2 baking pan with high sides add the flour
to one and the milk to the other. Lightly flour the fish then rub
enough milk into the flour to make the fish sticky. Flour the fish a
2nd time and it should have a good breading after this application.
Curl the fish and slowly lower into the hot oil cooking one at a time.
It takes about 5 minutes per fish to crisp the crust. The fish is not
done at this point. When ready to serve, place all the fish in the oven
@350 for 10 minutes. Inspect one of the deeper cuts for doneness. It
must be opaque to the bone. Serve the fish with the dorsal up. Pour
enough sauce over the fish to cover the bottom of the plate. Garnish
with sprigs of cilantro
Sauce
Ingredients:
1 cup beef stock
2 cups soft black beans
1/8 cups light soy
1/8 cup chopped ginger
1/8 cup chopped garlic
1/8 cup chopped jalapeño
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 cup chopped tomatoes
1 cup cut scallions
Method:
Add everything but the tomatoes and scallions to a sauté pan and bring
to a simmer. Add the tomatoes and scallions and remove from the heat
immediately.
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