Fried Catfish

I consider myself a true expert when it comes to fried catfish. My mama fried it at least twice a week. I also grew up going to the best Southern fish frys in Mississippi. Trust me when I tell you to ditch the other recipes. I dredge the fish in a seasoned cornmeal breading then fry until they are as golden on the outside but tender on the inside. This recipe is about as authentic as it gets so get into it.

Fried Catfish Ingredients

• Catfish Fillets: Go for fresh farm-raised fillets which are available in most grocery stores too! You can grab whole, catfish steaks or nuggets if you want. Also if fresh isn’t available, frozen works great too!
• Yellow Cornmeal: This is the foundation of any authentic Southern fried catfish recipe. Grab fine so the grit doesn’t become too hard to chew.
• All-Purpose Flour: Replace that all-purpose flour with a 1:1 ratio gluten free flour if you need.
• Salt: Back in the day, we used seasoned salt but I find that using kosher salt instead allows me more freedom in building my spice blend myself.
• Black Pepper: It’s gonna provide a mild kick of spice.
• Cayenne Pepper: Feel free to lower this amount if you want. If you don’t have cayenne, just a few red pepper flakes will work just fine.
• Lemon Pepper: I like to brighten up my fried catfish batter with a little citrusy zest. Lemon pepper gives that plus a touch of peppery punch.
• Paprika: Smoked is my preference. No smoked paprika? Grab regular.
• Large Eggs: If you run out of eggs, you can easily use buttermilk.
• Hot Sauce: Feel free to leave out if you don’t want too much spice.
• Oil: Any neutral oil like vegetable, peanut or canola works here. They have high smoke points so they won’t burn at high temps. Don’t you dare grab the olive oil. It ain’t fit for this.

How to Fry Catfish

Step 1: Prep the Fish Fry and Egg Mixture

1

Shake up your cornmeal, flour, and all the seasonings (salt, pepper, cayenne, lemon pepper, and paprika) in a brown bag or zip-top bag.

2

Next, whip those eggs and hot sauce together in a large shallow dish.

Step 2: Dredge the Catfish

3

Give each catfish fillet a nice egg bath.

4

Then toss them in the seasoned batter. Let them chill on a baking sheet. Put the catfish in the fridge for 10-15 minutes.

Step 3: Fry it Up

5

Heat your oil (about 4 inches) in a dutch oven, pot, or deep fryer over medium-high heat until you hit 350°F to 375°F (175°C to 190°C). Fry in batches until golden brown.

6

Remove and let the excess oil drip off on racks or paper towels. Let it rest for at least 5 minutes before serving.

Fried Catfish Recipe

This classic southern fried catfish recipe is dredged in a perfectly seasoned and spiced cornmeal breading and fried until golden brown and tender.

4.33 from 68 votes

Print Pin Recipe

Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 25 minutes mins

Total Time 40 minutes mins

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Author: Jocelyn Delk Adams

Course: Main Course

Servings: 8 servings

Equipment

• Deep Fryer Pot

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 1/2 cup fine yellow cornmeal
• ▢ 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• ▢ 2 1/2-3 tsp seasoned salt
• ▢ 1 tsp black pepper
• ▢ 1 tsp smoked paprika
• ▢ 1 tsp lemon pepper
• ▢ 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper go up or down depending on your heat preference
• ▢ 2 large eggs
• ▢ 2 tsp hot sauce
• ▢ 1 lb catfish fillets patted dry with paper towels, you can also cut into smaller pieces
• ▢ lemon wedges, tartar sauce and hot sauce for serving

Instructions

• In a brown bag or ziploc bag, add cornmeal, flour, and spices and shake together.
• In a deep pie plate or large shallow bowl, whisk together eggs and hot sauce.
• Add each filet into beaten eggs on both sides then add to the cornmeal breading and shake liberally to coat well. Shake off excess coating and add to a parchment covered baking sheet. Repeat with each fillet.
• Let fish set for about 10-15 minutes before frying.
• In a large dutch oven, pot or deep fryer, pour in about 4 inches of oil and heat over medium high heat until the temperature reaches approximately 350-360 degrees.
• Working in batches, lower a few fillets into oil making sure not to overcrowd the dutch oven. Fry fillets until golden brown or about 2-5 minutes on each side depending on size of fish before turning over. Then remove and drain on a wire rack with a baking sheet with paper towls beneath.
• Cool for 5-10 minutes then serve with lemon wedges, hot sauce in a bottle on the side and hush puppies and a couple sprigs of parsley.

Video

Notes

How to Store and Reheat

• Fridge: Just be sure to put your Southern fried catfish in an air-tight container or ziploc bag. It will keep about 2 days.
• Freezer: f you would like to store your fish for longer, you can freeze the leftovers for up to a month.
• Reheating: Allow the catfish to come to room temperature while you preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the catfish on a baking sheet and bake for 10-15 minutes (or until heated through). Either use the oven or the air fryer so you can keep that crispy exterior.

Nutrition

Calories: 210kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 94mg | Sodium: 512mg | Potassium: 347mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 331IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 23mg | Iron: 2mg

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Recipe Tips

• Fresh is Best: Avoid any fish that has a fishy odor y’all. Fresh catfish should smell like clean water and be firm. Trust me, the odor is an indication of old, ill-tasting fish, and it tastes just as bad as it smells. 
• Pat it Dry: Before you dredge, pat the catfish with paper towels to remove as much extra moisture as possible. This will help create a perfect crispy coating.
• Shake it Off: After you dredge, shake off any excess batter so it doesn’t make the fish breading doughy when fried up.
• Let it Set: After dredging, let the catfish batter set before adding to the oil. It needs time to really coat and stick so it doesn’t fall off in the oil.
• Heat it Up: A temperature of at least 350-375 F is ideal for frying y’all. If the temp is too low, the fish will soak up the oil and get soggy. If its too hot, the crust will burn before that fish even cooks.
• Don’t Overcrowd the Oil: Fry in batches so you don’t lower the temperature of the oil and make soggy fish. A deep fryer is great for deep fried catfish and or cast iron skillet is definitely the move for pan-fried catfish.
• Drain on a Wire Rack: Add a baking sheet lined with paper towels under the wire rack so it soaks up the grease that falls. It’s gonna keep it super crispy.
• Serve Right Away: Now don’t let it sit too long. It’s best served up 5-10 minutes after frying while its still super crunchy and hot.

How to Serve

• Southern Fish Fry: Serve this up classic soul food style with french fries, coleslaw, and hush puppies and sweet tea.. Add the lemon wedges, hot sauce and tartar sauce ready boos.
• Fry Feast: Once you get frying, you might as well keep going. Serve up a fried feast filled with fried shrimp, fried pickles, fried onion rings, and fried okra. That’s some good eatin!
• Chicago Style: Now y’all know Chicagoans will tell you that fried catfish and spaghetti go together like peanut butter and jelly. And they are right! Serve that garlic bread on the side too.
• Southern Sunday Supper: Serve this along with collard greens, candied sweet potatoes, Southern baked macaroni and cheese and Southern cornbread. And don’t forget the soul food sweet potato pie.
• Country Breakfast: Serve a fried catfish fillet over a bed of grits and flaky biscuits and get your entire life! Make the cheesy grits if you want something even more decadent.
• Cajun Vibes: My Louisiana folks can get down on fried catfish too. It’s got a whole new personality when you dip it in remoulade and serve along with red beans and rice, dirty rice, and beignets. Or serve it up like this po’ boy!

Recipe Help

More Fish and Seafood Recipes

• Crispy Fish Sticks
• The Best Fish and Chips
• Crab Cakes
• Frogmore Stew
• Shrimp Po’Boy
• Oven Fried Catfish
• Catfish Stew

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