We went to Baton Rouge, Louisiana on a road trip this holiday season to see some family, and our sister told us about a grocery that filets live catfish and fries them to order. I dropped everything and beelined it for Tony's Seafood & Deli.
Sure enough, near the entrance there is a huge concrete pond filled with fish and a couple of guys on one end of the store that net them, hang them on a hook, pull the skin off and gut them while they are still alive. On the other side, they fry them and serve sides.
The place was packed -- so packed, there was a cop in the parking lot directing traffic. I just wanted the catfish, red beans and rice and some cornbread. On the way out I noticed they had those eight-packs of seven-ounce Miller High Lifes. For some reason Louisiana is the only place where I have ever seen those little bottles of MHL. The catfish was some of the best I have ever had.
A photo of the gutting aftermath, after the jump.
