Jackson's Catfish Corner (originally Catfish Corner) is a family-owned
Southern
Southern may refer to:
Businesses
* China Southern Airlines, airline based in Guangzhou, China
* Southern Airways, defunct US airline
* Southern Air, air cargo transportation company based in Norwalk, Connecticut, US
* Southern Airways Express, M ...
restaurant in
Seattle's
Central District, in the
U.S. state of
Washington. Woodrow (Woody) and Rosemary (Rosie) Jackson opened Catfish Corner in the Central District in 1985. After selling the business to friends in 2009, the restaurant closed in 2014.
The Jacksons' grandson Terrell and his wife Rachel reopened and rebranded the restaurant in 2015. Jackson's Catfish corner had a
brick and mortar in
Rainier Valley
The Rainier Valley is a district in southeast Seattle. It is located east of Beacon Hill; west of Mount Baker, Seward Park, and Leschi; south of the Central District and north of Rainier Beach. It is part of Seattle's South End.
History
W ...
, before relocating and operating in the Central District again from 2016 to 2018. Jackson's Catfish Corner reopened at 23rd and South Jackson Street in 2021.
The
Black-owned business has a catfish-dominant menu which has included
gumbo,
hushpuppies
HushPuppies is a French garage rock and indie rock band influenced by the various bands of the 1960s. Members of the group live in Paris, France, although originate from Perpignan and Bordeaux.
Members
* Singer: Olivier Jourdan
* Guitar: Cyr ...
,
prawns
Prawn is a common name for small aquatic crustaceans with an exoskeleton and ten legs (which is a member of the order decapoda), some of which can be eaten.
The term "prawn"Mortenson, Philip B (2010''This is not a weasel: a close look at nature ...
, and other
seafood
Seafood is any form of sea life regarded as food by humans, prominently including fish and shellfish. Shellfish include various species of molluscs (e.g. bivalve molluscs such as clams, oysters and mussels, and cephalopods such as octopus an ...
and
soul food options such as
fish and chips
Fish and chips is a popular hot dish consisting of fried fish in crispy batter, served with chips. The dish originated in England, where these two components had been introduced from separate immigrant cultures; it is not known who created t ...
,
coleslaw,
collard greens,
sweet potato
The sweet potato or sweetpotato (''Ipomoea batatas'') is a dicotyledonous plant that belongs to the Convolvulus, bindweed or morning glory family (biology), family, Convolvulaceae. Its large, starchy, sweet-tasting tuberous roots are used as a r ...
es, and
rice and beans. Jackson's Catfish Corner has garnered a positive reception.
Description
The
Southern
Southern may refer to:
Businesses
* China Southern Airlines, airline based in Guangzhou, China
* Southern Airways, defunct US airline
* Southern Air, air cargo transportation company based in Norwalk, Connecticut, US
* Southern Airways Express, M ...
restaurant Jackson's Catfish Corner is located in
Central District, Seattle. The
Black-owned, family-operated
fast casual restaurant's menu is
catfish-heavy but has also included
gumbo, the Ohbama burger,
hushpuppies
HushPuppies is a French garage rock and indie rock band influenced by the various bands of the 1960s. Members of the group live in Paris, France, although originate from Perpignan and Bordeaux.
Members
* Singer: Olivier Jourdan
* Guitar: Cyr ...
,
prawns
Prawn is a common name for small aquatic crustaceans with an exoskeleton and ten legs (which is a member of the order decapoda), some of which can be eaten.
The term "prawn"Mortenson, Philip B (2010''This is not a weasel: a close look at nature ...
, snapper and other
seafood
Seafood is any form of sea life regarded as food by humans, prominently including fish and shellfish. Shellfish include various species of molluscs (e.g. bivalve molluscs such as clams, oysters and mussels, and cephalopods such as octopus an ...
and
soul food items such as
fish and chips
Fish and chips is a popular hot dish consisting of fried fish in crispy batter, served with chips. The dish originated in England, where these two components had been introduced from separate immigrant cultures; it is not known who created t ...
,
coleslaw,
collard greens, candied
sweet potato
The sweet potato or sweetpotato (''Ipomoea batatas'') is a dicotyledonous plant that belongs to the Convolvulus, bindweed or morning glory family (biology), family, Convolvulaceae. Its large, starchy, sweet-tasting tuberous roots are used as a r ...
es, and
rice and beans.
The Captain's Platter includes seven strips of catfish, seven prawns, four hushpuppies, and
French fries
French fries (North American English), chips (British English), finger chips ( Indian English), french-fried potatoes, or simply fries, are '' batonnet'' or ''allumette''-cut deep-fried potatoes of disputed origin from Belgium and France. Th ...
. Jackson's Catfish Corner makes its own
tartar sauce. The dessert menu has included
banana pudding
Banana pudding (sometimes banana cream pudding) is a pudding generally consisting of layers of sweet vanilla flavored custard, vanilla wafers and/or ladyfingers and sliced fresh bananas placed in a dish and served, topped with whipped cream or m ...
,
German chocolate cake with caramel, and
red velvet cupcakes.
History
Spouses Woodrow (Woody) and Rosemary (Rosie) Jackson opened Catfish Corner on East Cherry Street at Martin Luther King Jr., in the Central District, in 1985. In 2009, the couple sold the business to friends. The restaurant closed in August 2014.
Terrell Jackson and his wife Rachel restarted and rebranded the restaurant as Jackson's Catfish Corner in 2015. Initially, the couple sold food from a tent before securing a permanent location in
Rainier Beach
Rainier Beach is a set of neighborhoods in Seattle, Washington that are mostly residential. Also called Atlantic City, Rainier Beach can include Dunlap, Pritchard Island, and Rainier View neighborhoods.Wilma (21 March 2001, Essay 3116)
The ne ...
. The couple announced plans to open a second location at 21st in the Central District. Some funds for the project were raised via
GoFundMe. The restaurant operated from 2016 to 2018.
Jackson's Catfish Corner reopened at 23rd and South Jackson Street in 2021. The 4,500-square-foot space is in the Community House Mental Health Agency's Patricia K Apartments development. A grand opening was held on
Juneteenth.
The Infatuation's Carlo Mantuano wrote: "Catfish Corner's return to the Central District after a 12-year hiatus is a huge deal. Talk to anybody who lived or worked in the area in the '90s and you'll likely hear stories of post-workday fried seafood or lunchtime Southern sides." The Jacksons have a 25-year lease.
The restaurant was featured on season 1, episode 2 ("Winner Winner FREE Dinner") of the
Food Network series ''Big Bargain Eats''. Jackson's Catfish Corner has participated in Seattle's Black Restaurant Week.
Reception
When
David Brewster
Sir David Brewster KH PRSE FRS FSA Scot FSSA MICE (11 December 178110 February 1868) was a British scientist, inventor, author, and academic administrator. In science he is principally remembered for his experimental work in physical optics ...
was writing anonymous restaurant reviews for the newsletter ''A Gourmet's Notebook'', he said Catfish Corner had "very fine fast food". In ''The Food and Drink of Seattle: From Wild Salmon to Craft Beer'' (2018), Judith Dern said the business "
xpandsthe tradition of African American food in Seattle". Naomi Tomky included the business in
Thrillist's 2022 overview of "where to eat in Seattle right now".
Nate Hall included Jackson's Catfish Corner in ''
Eater Seattle''
's 2022 list of "fabulous" fish and chips destinations in the
Seattle metropolitan area. The restaurant was also included in the website's 2022 list of Seattle's "most sensational" sandwiches and 2023 list of the city's "essential" seafood restaurants.
Aimee Rizzo included Jackson's Catfish Corner in The Infatuation's 2022 overview of Seattle's best fish and chips.
See also
*
List of Black-owned restaurants
*
List of fish and chip restaurants
*
List of seafood restaurants
*
List of soul food restaurants
*
List of Southern restaurants
References
External links
*
* , Seattle Refined
*
{{Restaurants in Seattle
1985 establishments in Washington (state)
African-American history in Seattle
Black-owned restaurants in Washington (state)
Central District, Seattle
Fish and chip restaurants
Restaurants established in 1985
Seafood restaurants in Seattle
Soul food restaurants in Washington (state)
Southern restaurants in Washington (state)