I am just a Po' Boy though my story's seldom told. . . .

Ever since I received Brad's text yesterday afternoon asking if open-faced blackened catfish sandwiches sounded good for dinner, I've had The Boxer by Simon and Garfunkel stuck in my head.  So it may as well be stuck in your head also.  You're welcome.  No, this sandwich is not technically a po' boy, but it was a super easy and delicious cajun treat.  And the best part?  It's adapted from a Cooking Light recipe, so we can all atone for that sinful s'mores cake.

Open-Faced Blackened Catfish Sandwiches

Based on a recipe from the June 2011 issue of Cooking Light, our version is below.  Brad tweaked the recipe a bit to suit our taste, and used the full amount of spice mix and slaw for our two servings.  He also cooked ours on the grill instead of the cast iron skillet used in the original recipe.  And we skipped the okra and tomato side recipe; we found the sandwich was plenty filling for dinner and left room for the very last of the s'mores cake.

Wine

We drank a riesling from Chateau Montelena in Calistoga, California.  You may recognize Chateau Montelena from the 2008 movie Bottle Shock, which tells the story of the 1976 "Judgment of Paris" where Montelena's Chardonnay beat out all the french wines in a blind tasting.  More than 30 years later they're still making fantastic Chardonnay, and it will show up in this blog at some point. 

A word about riesling.  Although I sense a shift, I think riesling is still a very underappreciated wine.  Many sommeliers will list riesling among their favorites, yet many people still say "no, thanks," thinking of riesling as only a sweet wine.  Dry riesling is wonderful paired with food.  Try it!

Laissez les bons temps rouler!

Open-Faced Blackened Catfish Sandwiches

1 3/4 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon dried oregano

3/4 teaspoon ground red pepper

1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/4 teaspoon mace

1/4 teaspoon onion powder

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 catfish fillets

1/3 cup plain fat-free Greek yogurt

3 Tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 Tablespoon honey

2 cups packaged cabbage-carrot coleslaw

1 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1 chopped green onion

2 slices sourdough bread

Combine the first 10 ingredients in a small bowl, sprinkle on both sides of fish, and let rest while you prepare the slaw.

Combine the yogurt, juice and honey in a medium bowl.  Add cabbage, cilantro and green onion; toss well to coat and set aside.

Heat the grill.  Brush both sides of bread with olive oil.  Grill bread on both sides to your preferred degree of doneness; we like some charred marks on the bread.

Grill the fish until done, about 4 minutes per side.  (Time needed on your grill may vary.)

To assemble, place a slice of bread on each plate, top the bread with about 1/2 cup slaw and 1 fish fillet, and put remaining slaw on top of that.