How fried catfish became a staple on Southeast Texas barbecue menus
One of the time-honored traditions of Southeast Texas-style barbecue is the addition of catfish to menus starting in early March, in observance of Lent.
Though the Friday fishfry has been part of our foodways for as long as Catholics have been here, the barbecue connection can be traced to the flood of Cajun and Creole immigrants who came from Louisiana in the
1920s in search of petroleum-industry jobs, settling in places including Pear Orchard in Beaumont and Houston’s Fifth Ward.
Fifth Ward, the area known as Frenchtown, is to this day a bastion of Cajun and Creole tradition centered at Our Mother of Mercy Catholic Church — which is famous for its Friday fish-frys.
The Cajun/Creole presence also influenced the establishment of both
Fifth and Third Wards as the traditional “barbecue wards” of the city, starting in the 1940s. It was at long-gone, historical East Texas-style barbecue joints such as Kozy Kitchen and Lockwood Inn that pitmasters added fish to the menu on Fridays during Lent to accommodate the large Catholic population of the barbecue wards.
The fish of choice? Catfish.
When I was growing up in Beaumont, catfish was a continuous presence in my diet of Southeast Texas staples such as boudin, gumbo and barbecue crabs. Our closest family friends owned a catfish farm in Winnie, and the broad, shallow pools pulsating with spinning, flopping catfish was a site to behold for a young boy. It was during this time I learned about the difference between farm-raised and wild-caught catfish.
The most famous catfish shack in Southeast Texas was called The Boondocks and featured a rickety wood cabin raised on pilings, precipitously hanging over the south fork of Taylor Bayou near the small town of Fannett, between Beaumont and Winnie. The Boondocks specialized in wild-caught catfish from the bayou, and its distinctive “muddy” flavor was an acquired taste I came to know and love.
It was only later that farm-raised catfish, which have a milder flavor with wider appeal, became the norm at most Houston Cajun/Creole seafood joints as well as at barbecue joints.
The now-closed Thelma’s Bar-B-Q became known for serving some of the best catfish in the city. A newer Third Ward neighbor, Ray’s BBQ Shack, still includes catfish on its menu every day. Ray’s uses a lighter batter and fries the flaky fillets to a perfect golden color.
Today, even Central Texas-style barbecue restaurants such as Killen’s Barbecue in Pearland and Tin Roof BBQ in Atascocita make a great fried catfish specifically for Lent. So the next time you are at your favorite barbecue joint ready to load up on a tray of smoked meats, keep a lookout for a sign or chalkboard advertising “Friday fish-fry.”