I’m not from the South contrary to popular belief (even mine sometimes). My roots are so deep in the South that I sometimes forget I was born in the urban city of Chicago and raised in the burbs. I’ve got Midwestern written all over me but Southern flavor flowing through my veins. It’s hard when both of your parents are from Mississippi and frequent time is spent there visiting my grandparents and catching up with family. One of the things I feel most connected to in the South are the fish frys.
We have them at family reunions and Thanksgiving and are even planning a fun family one this summer. We get the best fillets (my daddy loves bringing back as much as he can when he is down in the Delta), and we fry them up along with other fish, hush puppies and fries and serve with my garlic bread recipe. It’s a soul food feast for the ages if I do say so myself.
A few years back, I started to crave my roots but with a healthier spin. That’s how I ended up creating this Spicy Oven Fried Catfish recipe. No frying is necessary for it, and you won’t even miss it, trust me! The flavor is perfectly spicy, the breading is crunchy, and the fish is flaky and moist yielding the most spectacular results. Thanks to cayenne, paprika, lemon pepper and a hint of hot sauce, you get all that Southern spice you crave without the guilt.
Because this oven fried catfish recipe is so on point, I’m thinking about throwing my family’s first fish un-fry. And I might add this Grilled Catfish recipe to the mix as well. Wonder how THAT will go over!
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- Non-stick olive oil spray
- 2/3 cup yellow cornmeal
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2-2 teaspoons seasoned salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon paprika
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons hot sauce
- 1 pound catfish fillets cut into smaller pieces
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper liberally sprayed with non-stick olive oil spray.
- In a brown bag or ziploc bag, add cornmeal, flour, salt, pepper, cayenne, lemon pepper, and paprika and shake together.
- In a deep pie plate or large shallow bowl, whisk together eggs and hot sauce.
- Add each fillet to the bag of cornmeal breading to coat then dip into beaten eggs on both sides, then lastly add back into the cornmeal breading and shake liberally to coat well. Place the fillet on the coated baking sheet. Repeat with each fillet.
- Liberally spray the tops of each fillet with non-stick baking spray coating the fish well until completely covered in spray. Bake for 25-30 minutes depending on thickness of fillets until golden brown but still juicy in the inside.
- Remove fish and cool for 5 minutes then serve with lemon and chopped parsley.
Recipe Video
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I love the idea of a fish unfry! I would have never guessed that this fish was baked. It looks amazing, Jocelyn!
Thanks so much Jen!
I’m not a huge fan of deep frying because of the mess — I think I need to suck it up and do it more! With this perfect oven-baked catfish, it doesn’t look like I need to yet! haha Pinned. 🙂
Yep the mess can totally deter you from frying. I know the feeling Marcie.
This seriously looks fried. You did an amazing job, and it’s so much healthier! Now I just want some hot weather and sunny skies to eat this under!
Yep that sounds good to me girl!!
holy moly this looks good!
Thanks so much Kelsey!
I swear every time you post something new, I want to devour my computer screen. Stop it will you! This spicy oven fried catfish looks amazing and I love that it’s all done in the oven! Pinning!
Woot woot hooray!!
Oh my gosh! This fish looks fried, and I could devour it right now! My dad always cooked catfish, which he fished for, brought it home, and cooked it for my family. The cornmeal was what made it so delicious!
There is something oh so special about cornmeal right?
You could fool me that you weren’t a born and bred southern gal! 🙂 And fried catfish is about as southern as it gets! I love that you oven fried this and added a little spice! Yum!
Thanks so much Robyn!!!! From one almost Southern gal to another!
Fun fact of the day, my hometown is home of the World’s Biggest Fish Fry. I am so not kidding! haha!
We have catfish races, a parade and everything. The whole town shuts down for fish fry!
This catfish looks SO good! And it made me miss home! 🙂
OMG Annie seriously? Girl I need to visit your hometown like yesterday!
This looks ridiculously crispy and delicious. Need to pin this to try later!
Oh yeah!
I love the idea of oven fried! I don’t make catfish nearly as often as I should and can’t wait to try this recipe!
I think I will probably be making this all the time now that I have lightened it up without sacrificing flavor.
Chile all I need is some hot sauce! Bravo for oven fried too, love it!
How you’re singing my song, Jocelyn. You know this Mississippi boy has eaten his weight in catfish over his life! Seriously, your version of this southern classic looks fantastic!
Dude, I love that you baked these!! You should totally make this for your family!!! Looks so good!!!
I could live on fried fish, no joke. I love that this is oven fried — that way I can eat as much as I want of it, right? 😉
Exactly Stephanie!
OMG! I grew up eating deep fried catfish. I don’t make it a lot b/c of the mess and the “unhealthyness” of it. THIS RECIPE is the bomb! I will definitely have to add it to my rotation. Thank you so much!
Absolutely! It is really delicious!!
This looks gorgeous! I love to be able to enjoy family recipes that are a little healthier!
I’m seriously drooling. I want some of this for dinner!
Ooh, this recipe sound SO delicious. I love this healthy alternative to frying and I want to try this out!
My husband and I are catfish lovers. I’m definitely going to try this.
I agree this fish looks delicious, but has anyone actually made this recipe besides Jocelyn?
Hi Lee, a few people have posted photos of their finished oven fried catfish on instagram and fb and theirs turned out great!
I have made the dish and my family LOVED it!!! So yummmmmy
Hooray!
This was SO very good. I am not big on seafood, but I love fried fish. However, I don’t like the mess or the lingering smell that accompanies it. I saw your recipe a while back and just couldn’t believe from the pictures that this was done in the oven. I finally got around to making this last night and it was so good. I don’t think I’ll ever make my “fried” fish any other way. It was perfectly crispy, the fish was flaky and juicy and clean up afterward was a breeze. I switched up the spices in my cornmeal batter because, for me, Southern fried fish has to have Old Bay. It’s the reason everyone’s in LOVE with my Uncle Gino’s fish. Thank you for this recipe. Look forward to trying others!
Thank you so much Nique! I’m so glad you enjoyed it. Honestly I haven’t fried catfish in years. This is the only way I make it now!
LOVED this recipe! I used sriracha as my hot sauce and subbed the salt for garlic salt. I can’t get enough of this fish, and it’s got a great crispness to it while still being tender and juicy inside. Thanks so much, sharing this with all my fellow fried fish aficionados!
Hooray that sounds absolutely wonderful Alexandra. I might need to try it with sriracha next time!!!
Can you use another fish other then catfish for this recipe????
Surely! Try different fish and see what works for you!
Pinned! I actually had the fish battered and ready to bake, but decided to deep fry anyway because I already had the oil in the pan. Well, it was fabulous deep fried!!! I used tilapia, excellent! I’m a Georgia boy & this was wonderful!!! Next time I’ll try the oven, maybe!!!
Fantastic! I am so glad you enjoyed it!
This was an excellent recipe. Thanks for sharing…shoot I even made shrimp. Whew, that was a good neal. 🙂
Fantastic!!!! I have to try it with shrimp next!!
I followed the recipe exactly as stated, and i was not successful in appearance or flavor maybe frying is a better choice.
Hi Michelle, I’m so sorry you had trouble with the recipe. So many people write to me via email or social media or even below in the comments talking about how good the recipe is and how delicious it turns out. Not quite sure what went wrong. Did you make any substitutions or changes at all?
Made this for lunch today. Great seasoning and flavor! The crust is just crunchy enough (although I prefer the true fried, crispy crunch, thiis is a great alternative.) Thanks for this recipe!
Thanks so much Nicole! I’m glad you enjoyed this!
My daughter shared this recipe with me. I cook catfish every week. Can’t wait to try this recipe. Will let you know how it turns out.
Yes let me know how it goes. I love this recipe!
Made this tonight and it was a great! Thank you for sharing!
Hooray! I’m so glad you enjoyed them!!
Can I try this recipe with shrimps???
Hi Mizz, I don’t think these will be exactly the same. I would try a fattier fish for this recipe instead.
Finally a perfect recipe I’ve been needing and not fried? Thank you!!! Can’t wait to try!
I hope you enjoy it!
Absolutely love this recipe. Made it last night for dinner and it was so perfectly golden brown and crispy on the outside and light moist and flaky on the inside!! I am so curious how the nutrition compares to the traditional fried…anyone know?
P.s. regardless of calories i will continue to use this recipe cleanup was a breeze! Thanks Grandbabycakes!!!
Hooray I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
This was absolutely delicious, tried the recipe exactly as written. Thank you for sharing!
Hooray I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
This looks great. From the pictures I never would have guessed it was baked. I love fried fish. We will try this here come Sunday.
Awesome! Let me know how it turns out for you. It is one of my family’s favorite recipes!
This was very good and super easy to whip with ingredients that are always on hand. I used whole swai fillets and made them into sandwiches on a soft long roll, with a plentiful helping of homemade tartar sauce. They turned out beautifully and were super delicious. People, don’t be afraid to follow the directions and liberally coat with cooking spray after the coating. Looking forward to making these again. Thanks for sharing this. Five Stars!
Hooray! So glad you enjoyed this recipe so much!
Do I have to cut the fish in half?
No you don’t.
Just made this recipe. It came out just like the picture, perfectly breaded, deep fried looking, crispy on the outside, tender and juicy inside, but… the amount of salt is unbearable. I will make this recipe again soon, and will use 1/4 or 1/3 of salt in the recipe here. Thank you for this great idea!
Hi Marina, what type of salt did you use for this recipe? That makes the difference. I use seasoned salt and just updated the recipe to reflect this.
Would you recommend using Swai or “Basa” rather than catfish? Wanted to use what I have on hand. And I prefer the mild taste and flaky texture of Swai.
Yes definitely give it a try and let me know how it turns out for you.
Thank you Jocelyn for another great recipe. I LOVE fried catfish but hate frying in oil since I trying to eat healthier. The oven fried catfish was amazing. It looked and taste like fried catfish. The outside was crispy and the fish was so moist on the inside. My husband loved it and we made Po’ Boy sandwiches with the leftovers the next day.
Hooray!!!! I’m so so glad you enjoyed it! This is definitely one of my fave recipes too!
Got me a batch in the oven, smelling great, I’m thankful I found this. I just made a half batch considering its just me, got to fix the picky one steak on the grill. Fixing fries in a cast iron skillet with cheese and jalapenos on one side.
Sounds delicious!
I tried this recipe tonight and it did not turn out well. The batter had a weird texture and you couldn’t taste to much of the seasoning.
I love this!!! You’ve become my new fav cook to refer from!! Thanks girl!
Absolutely and thank you for the sweet message! I hope you enjoy!
The breading looks like perfection. Can’t wait to try this!
Thank you so much doll!
I made this for my wife and I tonight – WONDERFUL! Crispy, flavorful, it had it all. Thank you for putting this recipe out there. I love fried fish and love the fact that this “fried” fish is not fried. Nice heat too! The only downside was that I forgot to grab a darned lemon!
Oh fantastic! I’m so so glad you enjoyed it! It is a fave in my house as well!
CANNOT believe this is baked! Looks so crispy!
Yes girl! It is like magic!
Trying this tonight!!! Can’t wait to see my husband and mother’s face when I tell them it’s baked!
Hooray I hope you enjoyed it Marita!
Jocelyn, could you substitute egg whites for one or both of the eggs? Thank you,
Ann
Sure thing! Let me know how it turns out.
I made this tonight – didn’t have catfish so I used Pollock filets. My wife can’t take the heat so I left out the cayenne, lemon pepper (because I didn’t have any) and the hot sauce. They were absolutely delicious. I love my deep-fried fish and this is even better and will be the go-to recipe from now on. Can’t wait to try catfish. I love traveling the south and getting all that great fried catfish. Up here in the north, for some reason, they just can’t get it to taste the same. I read an earlier comment about adding Old Bay – I will try that, too. Wish I could give this recipe even more stars than 5!!
This is the best fish recipe for the oven I’ve ever used! I’ve tried many that looked promising but turned out soggy. This one does not disappoint. My husband and I love it and it’s replaced how I cook fish at home.
Hooray Debra!!!! I’m so so glad you enjoyed it. It is certainly my fave recipe!
I have made this 3 times since discovering the recipe. Love it! Tonight, on a whim, I decided to try and use this same recipe for onion rings. They were FABULOUS. Unfortunately, 25 min was almost too long in the oven for the rings – maybe if I made them a little bigger – they were 1/2 inch slices – they wouldn’t get too brown. Nonetheless, we loved the rings and from now on – it is this recipe for fish and onions.
OMG I must definitely try this for onion rings. I bet it is incredible!!!
Hi Jocelyn, I made this fish for New Year Eve, and It was great , I paired it with broil shrimp in chili sauce, rice and broccoli. My Hubby really enjoyed it. My catfish pieces were really large so what we didn’t eat that night we ate with grits the next morning. I will be making it again. Thank you,
Gosh that sounds absolutely amazing!!!!
I’ve never cooked fish in my life. My husband fishes and he will fry it up but I’m clueless. Can I use thawed out filets from the store (we have none on reserve) or do you suggest fresh fish?
Filets from the grocery store’s fish market area is best if you can do it.
Fellow Mississippi girl here to. I was just tellng myself the other day that I needed to come up with a recipe for “baked, fried” catfish. Well, I ran across this and it looks perfect. Ill be going home to MS for a week to take my daughter to college and I am hosting dinner at a cottage in town. I am going try this which will turn some heads and turn up some noses because it’s not fried but I am certain they are going to like it.
This recipe looks so good! I love fried catfish (I’m not southern either, but growing up in Oklahoma, I definitely picked up a taste for some southern-ish food). I’m absolutely trying this!!!
Hooray let me know how it turns out.