Don't Sleep on this Crispy Southern Fried Catfish Recipe (2024)

Catfish is a popular dish of the South and for good reason. Although it can be prepared in a variety of ways, including grilled, frying it in a cornmeal coating is the most traditional. And delicious too. Many recipes for fried catfish exist, but there are very few that can beat a few crispy, hot catfish fillets in a cornmeal crust. Our classic recipe, Southern style, will put dinner on your table in less than 20 minutes. You simply need to find the fillets, as the rest of the ingredients might already be in your pantry and fridge.

If you've been skipping catfish at the fish market, afraid of its muddy taste, don't turn it down again just yet. On the one hand, it is an affordable and nutritious fish, perfect to feed large families. On the other, the taste depends very much on where the fish fed and comes from. Not all catfish will have a muddy taste. Catfish is a bottom feeder, so it indeed eats dirt in the wild, but farmed catfish live in tanks without dirt, so farmed has a brighter flavor and is a fantastic source of nutrition. Most farm-raised catfish in the United States comes fromArkansas, Alabama, Louisiana,and Mississippi. Packed with protein, catfish is also rich in selenium, vitamin B12, and omega 3 and 6 fatty acids. A 3-ounce fillet of raw catfish has barely 100 calories, but 13 grams of protein.

Hush puppies, small onion-flavored cornmeal dumplings, are classic accompaniments for Southern-fried catfish. You can cook them simultaneously for a quick meal, but you are going to need a big frying pan. For a traditional fish fry, serve your fillets and dumplings along withtartar sauce, and coleslaw.

Don't Sleep on this Crispy Southern Fried Catfish Recipe (1)

Ingredients

6 catfish fillets, 6 ounces each
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup cornmeal, preferably yellow
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons table salt
1 teaspoon ground paprika
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 cup vegetable oil, for frying
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Steps to Make It

Gather the ingredients.
Preheat the oven to 200 F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and place a rack in the pan.
Arrange the catfish in a wide, shallow bowl or pie plate. Pour the buttermilk over the fish.
Combine the cornmeal, flour, salt, paprika, cayenne,and garlic powder on a pie plate.
Take the fish out of the buttermilk and dredge the fish fillets in the flour mixture to coat thoroughly. Shake off excess flour mixture.
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Heat up 1 inch of oil in a deep, heavy skillet or heavy Dutch oven over high heat.
The oil must be 350F. Use a candy thermometer or drop a pinch of the flour mixture into the oil—if it bubbles and floats, the oil is ready. Just be mindful of maintaining the oil temperature while cooking the fish. Don't overcrowd the pan, as doing so will lower the oil temperature.
Carefully place 2 to 3 fillets in the pan.
Cook for about 5 to 6 minutes, or until golden brown. If the oil isn't deep enough to cover the fish, turn the fillets carefully after about 3 minutes.
Remove the fish to the rack in the baking pan and place in theoven while you cook another batch. Repeat until all of the fish fillets are cooked. Serve hot with your favorite sides.

Muddy taste in wild-caught catfish?

Getting rid of the muddy taste in catfish is just a matter of time. You have two choices:

Dissolve half a teaspoon of baking soda per quart of water. Submerge your fillets in the mixture and allow them to soak for 30 to 45 minutes in the fridge. Drain well, rinse, and pat dry with paper towels before proceeding with the recipe.
Cover the catfish fillets in buttermilk, place in the fridge, covered, for one hour. Drain, rinse, and pat dry with paper towels before soaking it again in the clean and unused buttermilk our recipe calls for.

What's the best oil for frying catfish?

Any vegetable oil will do a great job, but peanut oil is recommended because it has a high smoking point and gives the fish a tasty, nutty flavor. The most important thing when frying fish is to keep the temperature steady to guarantee a crispy crust. Oil at lower temperatures than 350 F will yield soggy and wet fillets.

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Nutrition Facts (per serving)
629	Calories
38g	Fat
34g	Carbs
37g	Protein

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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 6
Amount per serving
Calories	629
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 38g	49%
Saturated Fat 5g	24%
Cholesterol 114mg	38%
Sodium 1063mg	46%
Total Carbohydrate 34g	12%
Dietary Fiber 2g	8%
Total Sugars 2g
Protein 37g
Vitamin C 1mg	3%
Calcium 69mg	5%
Iron 2mg	13%
Potassium 782mg	17%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

Recipe Tags:

Fish
entree
southern
family dinner

Don't Sleep on this Crispy Southern Fried Catfish Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How do you keep fried catfish crispy? ›

Here's what to do: Before you fry the fish, preheat the oven to 200˚F. Set a wire rack inside a large rimmed baking sheet and place inside the oven while it preheats. After you fry each batch of catfish, transfer the filets to the wire rack and return the pan to the oven.

Why do you soak catfish in milk before frying? ›

Soaking fish in milk or buttermilk will help remove an overly fish smell and flavor from a filet of catfish, salmon, or other fish. While you can incorporate this extra step into your preparation, it's certainly not necessary when you're making Crispy Pan-Fried Catfish.

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What is the best cooking method for catfish? ›

Season catfish with salt and pepper, then dredge fish in seasoned cornmeal, pressing to coat. Step 2Place fish on prepared baking sheet and drizzle with remaining 2 tablespoons oil. Bake until golden and fish flakes easily with a fork, 15 minutes. Serve with lemon wedges.

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Do you soak fish in buttermilk before frying? ›

Before frying, you can soak your fish in a buttermilk marinade or an ice water marinade. The buttermilk will make your fish tender and add a tangy taste to it. While the ice water marinade is a great way to add flavor to large fish fries. You will have to over season the water to get maximum flavor.

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How to get a good crust on fried fish? ›

To give the fish a crispy crust, you'll need to make a coating for it. Beat one egg and 2 tablespoons of milk or water together in a shallow dish. Mix together 2/3 cup dry breadcrumbs or cornmeal with a dash of pepper and ½ teaspoon salt in another shallow dish.

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Do you rinse fish off after soaking in milk? ›

Online research had recommended letting the fish soak submerged in milk for around 20 minutes, before rinsing and cooking in your preferred fashion.

How long do I let catfish soak in milk? ›

Start by seasoning the catfish fillets with some kosher salt, then cover them with buttermilk to soak for at least 10 minutes but up to 8 hours. You could also use an egg wash with beaten eggs and milk instead, but in my experience the breading sticks better with buttermilk and I love the tangy flavor.

Should catfish be rinsed before cooking? ›

It is not necessary to rinse or wash raw Siluriformes fish. Any bacteria that might be present are destroyed by cooking to lethality.

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What's the best thing to soak catfish in? ›

WHAT DO YOU SOAK CATFISH IN BEFORE FRYING? Catfish is soaked or dipped in milk before frying. Farmed catfish is less likely to have a muddy flavor than wild-caught catfish. Wild-caught catfish is typically soaked in buttermilk for at least an hour to get rid of the muddy flavor.

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Can you put lemon juice on fish before frying? ›

Directions. Place flounder fillets in a small glass dish. Mix lemon juice, garlic, cumin, and paprika in a small bowl; pour over flounder fillets. Cover dish with plastic wrap and marinate flounder in refrigerator for 2 hours.

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Why put fish in milk before frying? ›

The casein protein in milk binds to the trimethylamine in the fish flesh, reducing the “fishy” odor. Flour bowl: In a 3-quart bowl, whisk together. Set aside. Flour helps the other coatings bind to fish.

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How do you keep fried catfish from getting soggy? ›

Working in batches lets each catfish filet fry more evenly without getting soggy from oil that isn't hot enough. Use a wire cooling rack instead of paper towels.

How do you keep fried fish crispy overnight? ›

Place a wire rack in a rimmed cookie sheet and place the fried fish on the rack. Don't crowd the fish. It will stay crispy. This works for all fried foods.

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How do you keep fried fish crispy when reheated? ›

Always cover your fish with foil before placing it in a toaster oven and set it between 275 or 350 F (No higher than 350!) and continuously check that it is heated and remove as soon as it's warmed to your taste. Oven: Preheat your oven to 275 or 350 F (But do not go higher than 350).

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