June Recipe Medicman

Well folks this recipe is not complex, or expensive and it is a third generation pass down. It is a two part recipe in that left overs from the first part are used for the second.
Photos will be posted in a few days I hope, but are not necessary to completion.

Part One: Fish

8 oz of fish per person(filet from a two pound walleye or any fish filet. if large trout, pike, snook etc you may have to cut to serving size pieces.) Truly this works for any fish.

In four pie plates or bowls place
1) milk
2) flour (salt, pepper. cajun seasoning, greek seasoning or your favourite)
3) eggs beat to mix
4) corn meal

Pat the fish dry. Dip im milk, allow to drip then dredge with flour on both sides, shake off excess flour, dip in egg, place in cornmeal, coating all sides. Sprinkle with lemon pepper. Place on plate large enugh to hold all fish. Continue until all fish is prepared.

Heat oven to 350 F I bake the fish on a cookie sheet lightly sprayed with Pam because of heart problems. Before that I pan fried or deep fried, it all works. Don't start the fish yet, the breading sticks better if you wait a while and besides, you have part two to do.

Part Two: Johnny Cake.

Measure the flour, milk, and corn meal you used for the fish, and add enough so that you have a cup of esch. Keep Wet and dry ingredients separate. To the corn meal and flour tht you have put in a two quart bowl, add 1/4 cup brown sugar and three teaspoons of baking powder. I throw in about 1/4 cup of flax seed but that is not the traditional recipe. Remember my heart thingy?

Pour the cup of milk and remaining egg(if it is at least a whole egg worth, if not add an extra egg) 1/4 cup oil,or melted butter, or melted lard. I use extra virgin olive oil, gues why.

Pam or butter an 8"x8" cake pan.

Mix the wet ingredients into the dry just until combined with a fork. Don't overmix as it makes the Johnny cake tough. Place in the middle rack for twenty five minutes to thirty five minutes depending on how wet your batter was. When it separates from the side of the pan and a toothpick inserted comes out clean it is done.

Place your fish on the prepared cookie sheet and place on the top rack when the Johnny cake has been in 15 minutes or so. |The fish takes ten minutes to cook depending on the thickness of the fillets. You don't need to turn it.

If deep frying or pan frying turn to brown both sides as you normally would. In this case I would wait until the Johnny cake is in the oven and almost done as the fish cooks faster this way.

This is an old Canadian meal and we cut the Johnny cake into nine pieces, They are cut in half and butter and maple syrup is applied liberally. In my case no butter and a light drizzle of syrup. You know, the heart thingy.


The Johnny cake is called corn bread, corn pone, and various other names in other places, but here where I grew up any other name lets us know you are from somewhere else.

There is an old song about bush camp life in which the chorus goes:

Sitting on a tree stump
Eatin Johnny Cake.
I heard the wistle blow and
I had to take a break,
Drinking my tea from an old tin can,
That is the life of a luberjack man.

This recipe obviously came from a time where nothing was wasted.

I hope you enjoy and local fish are used, spices to local tastes etc. I guess corn syrop would be an appropriate sbstitute.

Randy
P.S,
For years we took two hundred pounds of cleaned pike to a family reunion in Saskatchewan every three years and would feed all the members of the family(100+) and many of their friends deep frying over open fires with big outfitter frying pans. There was no time for the Johnny cake. By morning of the next day all 200 pounds of fish was cleaned up. Boy those farm people know how to eat.



"I didn't get the sophisticated gene in this family. I started the sophisticated gene in this family." Willie Robertson