Nanticoke Catfish

"The Black watermen of the Chesapeake Bay have the same kind of impact as the Tuskeegee Airmen, the same impact as the Buffalo Soldier. But their story is just beginning to be told." 

-- Vincent O. Leggett, Author

African-American watermen were pioneers. Yet, unlike the Tuskeegee Airmen and the Buffalo Soldier, the story of these watermen is as old as the story of the United States. As the British brought slaves to the Chesapeake Bay area, slave-owners put them to work on vessels that plied the waters to catch fish, along with harvesting oysters and crabs. Yet, the waters were more than work, they were a way to freedom and economic independence. 

As early as 1796, the federal government began issuing Seaman Protection Certificates. Such a certificate declared that its holder, an African-American, was a citizen of the United States. Certificate holders were often referred to as "Black Jacks." They were free from the bondage of slavery (as illustrated by Frederick Douglass, who borrowed a certificate from a friend to make his way out of the slave-owning, eastern shore of Maryland to the freedom of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania). But, they were not free from the discrimination and oppression of a racist society, economy and government.  African-Americans still suffered under unjust laws that restricted what they could do on the water. For example, Maryland passed a law that prohibited African-Americans from owning a boat large enough that it had to be registered (and, of course, large enough to engage in oystering, finfishing, crabbing, and other work). They often depended upon lax enforcement, or white bosses, to make it possible to work. 

The Civil War freed African-Americans from the bonds of slavery, but not the racist discrimination and segregation that remained and reconstituted itself under Jim Crow laws. Yet, even under these awful conditions, African Americans found freedom and independence, both on the water and adjacent to it. African American watermen continued to serve as captain and crew on vessels, many of which had white owners, but the watermen were able to earn enough to support themselves and their families. They benefited from a larger economic environment, one in which oysters and fish from the bay were in high demand. 

Downes Curtis

African-Americans were also able to establish their economic independence along the coasts, setting up their own businesses related to the seafood industry. Take, for example, the story of Downes Curtis, one of the only African-American sailmakers in the Chesapeake Bay region. Downes and his brother learned the craft from Dave Pritchett, an English sailmaker, in Oxford, Maryland. After Pritchett died, the Downes Curtis continued the business. They cut sails for log canoes and oysterboats in a building that once served as a school for African-American children.  (Today, the building is a private residence). Curtis built up a business that not only served African-Americans working on the bay, for vessels that raced its waters, like the Island Blossom. Curtis continued this work until 1996, when he died at age 85.

African-American Watermen working on a
fishing boat outside of Alexandria, VA 

Back on the waters, African-American watermen continued to captain and work on vessels up and down the Bay. They also developed their work methods, including the use of work songs or shantys. The use of such songs can be traced to early customs of African slaves working on plantations. Watermen used work songs to coordinate their work pulling up fish nets, such as the nets used to catch menhaden. As explained by William Hudnall, who organized a group of watermen who sing the shantys: The harmony brings everyone together on the same chord at the same time, and that's what made the work easier." The songs are sung by leaders and workers, with the former calling first followed by the response of the latter. Together, they would haul in the large purse seine nets, inch by inch, until the menhaden were on board. This tradition disappeared with the advent of mechanical equipment that could haul the nets onboard. The songs went silent for years and then decades.

During that time and thereafter, the maritime industry on the Chesapeake Bay plummeted with the populations of oysters, finfish and blue crab. It became harder for African-American watermen, and, indeed all watermen, to continue their trade. That has resulted not only in fewer fishing vessels working the bay, but also in the potential loss of a very rich history. Given the significant contribution that African Americans have made to the Chesapeake Bay seafood industry, both on and off the water, its preservation has become an important issue. Their history is American history. The only difference is that it is not widely taught, if taught at all, in schools and universities. If you want to learn about it, as I did, you have to spend a lot of time on the Internet or visiting museums to learn their stories. 

After spending a lot of time reading on this subject, I decided to prepare a dish that honored the history of African-American watermen on the Chesapeake Bay. I turned my search to finding an appropriate dish. My search led me to Vincent Leggett, a person who dedicated his life to preserving the history of these watermen and telling their story to present day audiences. Leggett wrote a book, The Chesapeake Bay Through Ebony Eyes, which inclued recipes. One of those recipes is Nanticoke Catfish. The name references the Nanticoke River, a tributary of the bay that runs through the eastern shore of Maryland. (Nanticoke comes from the Algonquin word nantaquak, which means "tidal people."). It is a basic fried fish dish, using catfish that could be found along the eastern shore. While such a dish would have been typically prepared with the indigenous catfish, like a brown bullhead, it can be enjoyed today by using blue catfish, an invasive species that is wreaking havoc in the bay. 

NANTICOKE CATFISH

Recipe from Vincent O. Leggett, The Chesapeake Bay Through Ebony Eyes 

and available here

Serves 8

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/4 cup cornmeal
• 1 tablespoon rubbed sage
• 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder 
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 4 large eggs
• 8 catfish fillets
• Vegetable oil

Directions:

1. Prepare the batter or breading. Mix the flour, cornmeal, sage, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, nutmeg, salt and pepper in a shallow bowl or pie plate. In another shallow bowl or pie plate, whisk the eggs until well beaten. 

2. Prepare the fish. Rinse the catfish fillets under cold running water and pat them dry. 

3. Prepare the oven. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees Fahrenheit. Set a wire rack inside a rimmed baking sheet lined with paper towels. 

4. Prepare the oil. Pour vegetable oil to a depth of 1/2 inch in a large, deep skillet. Heat theoil over medium-high heat until shimmering but not smoking. 

5. Prepare the fillets. Dip the fillets into the eggs and let the excess drip off. Dredge them in the flour mixture and gently shake off the excess.

6. Fry the fillets. Working in batches to avoid overfilling the skillet, slip the fillets into the hot oil. Fry the fillets, turning once, about 4 minutes on each side, until the coating is crisp and golden brown and the fish is opaque in the center. Transfer the cooked fish to the wire rack and keep them warm in the oven until all of the fish fillets are fried. Serve hot with lemon wedges.

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Post Script: William Hudnall organized the Northern Neck Chantney Singers, a group of African-American watermen who would do a lot to preserve these work songs used in the menhaden fishing industry for future generations. To listen to their work, as well as learn about their history, check out this YouTube video:

PEACE.