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I learned about frying food coated with cornmeal from visiting my sister, Mary Jane, in Arkansas. Eating out in Arkansas and Missouri, we ordered catfish. I enjoyed the crunchy coating of cornmeal on the catfish. There are many ways to coat fish. Flour, egg and bread crumbs. Baking fish is also an option. Baking fish means you can set the timer and walk away from the kitchen for a few minutes. Frying fish means you stay in the kitchen and watch the pan. Looking for the right moment to flip the fish. For this recipe I used a side of salmon that was cut in half. Just enough for two people. It was also the meatiest part of the fish, not the tail end.

Ingredients

Salmon, ½ fillet

Cornmeal, 1 cup

Dried parsley, 1 teaspoon

Black pepper, fresh ground peppercorns, ¼ teaspoon

Olive oil, 2 tablespoons

Lemon, 1 fresh

Preparation

Rinse and pat dry the salmon with a paper towel. In a shallow dish, add the cornmeal and parsley. Add 1 tablespoon of oil to the fry pan. Heat to medium. Dredge the salmon in the cornmeal. Place skin side up in the hot oiled fry pan. Slice lemon and place around the salmon. Cook for two minutes and flip over. Use a peppercorn grinder to add the pepper. Cook another four minutes. Adding the second tablespoon of oil and swirl the oil around the salmon, by tilting the pan. Test for doneness. If you like your salmon well done, add an extra minute per side.

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