A new catfish find for west Fort Worth: And it’s straight from the Mississippi Delta
All catfish restaurants are not created equal, and sometimes there’s a big difference.
Belzoni’s Catfish Cafe on West Loop 820 seems a fin above the rest, and owner Dwight Cooley says there’s a reason.
“We’re from Belzoni, Mississippi, the Catfish Capital of the World,” he said one day last week, doing an interview after hours as even more customers peered through the window of his 9-table, 30-seat cafe.
If Belzoni’s catfish tastes familiar, there’s a reason. He used to run a festival stand named Cooley’s Catfish, selling catfish fillets as light and crunchy as potato chips that festivalgoers could pick up and eat as finger food.
After a detour into schoolteaching and administration, he’s back selling catfish along with burgers and side dishes in a tiny cafe at 110 N. Jim Wright Freeway on the corner at White Settlement Road.
“We take fish that’s farm-raised in Mississippi,” Cooley said, “then we add our special mix of cornmeal and special breading.
“When you have good catfish. if you break it open, it should be pure — no fishy smell or taste.”
The first question to ask about a catfish restaurant these days is: “Is this real catfish?” Look for boxes in the cooler, if it’s visible. If it says “swai” or “basa,” the fish might be tasty, but it’s not the same as pure, clean Mississippi-raised.
“Catfish is what we eat in Belzoni,” Cooley said.
“I traded in my doctorate to become a head fry cook.”
He’s added something new every week: burgers, a choice of sriracha tartar sauce, catfish fritters (“rounds”), a house-made green pepper sauce of vinegary Tabasco peppers, fried green tomatoes.
Belzoni’s is only open at lunch weekdays and Saturdays now but will add dinner later.
“We’re not a big place,” he said. “We’re going to be careful not to grow until we’re ready.”
Belzoni’s opens 11 a,m.-2 p.m. for lunch only on Tuesdays through Fridays, and noon-4 p.m. for lunch only on Saturdays; 817-386-0714, belzoniscatfishcafe.com.
This story was originally published September 27, 2019 at 5:45 AM.
