Some of the supposedly simplest foods tend to be much more difficult to cook than you might think. It takes a good bit of technique to make perfect scrambled eggs. The same can be said of cooking bacon, or grilled cheese sandwiches, or sushi rice. Simple ingredients often require perfect cooking technique to reach their maximum flavor potential. The perfect versions of any of those foods are incredibly satisfying, though.
Add the fried catfish Tomahawk Tacos from Marietta’s Catfish Hox to that list.
Fried catfish is as old-school Southern as it gets, and almost all old-school Southern cooking has a common theme: simple, inexpensive ingredients elevated by a cook’s talent and experience. Unglamorous, but readily available, catfish fillets are dredged in seasoned cornmeal and fried — it’s just that simple.
Catfish Hox has become known for its fried catfish, not just because it’s in the name of the restaurant. They’ve won the annual Taste of Marietta festival’s best seafood dish category the past two years running. The centerpiece of the Tomahawk Tacos is, of course, the sublime catfish fillets, which have a delightfully crunchy coating on bright, clean, unfishy meat. But, the rest of the tacos aren’t window dressing; the corn tortillas are flavorful and fresh, while a mayo-based sauce adds some richness. Finely chopped pico de gallo salsa makes its way into each bite. Each taco is served with its own lime wedge, so that your second and third tacos don’t get soggy while you eat your first. It’s a nice touch.
The Tomahawk Tacos at Catfish Hox don’t try to reinvent the fish taco, but they do make for a prime example, delivering as much satisfaction as you could wish.
Catfish Hox. 2595 Sandy Plains Road, Marietta. 770-726-9925, catfishhox.com.
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