This perfectly flavorful Oven Fried Fish recipe has a spicy edge. Get that fantastic Southern flavor of Fried fish without the extra fat from frying.
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I’m not from the South contrary to popular belief (even mine sometimes). My roots are so deep in the South of Mississippi that I sometimes forget I was born in the urban city of Chicago and raised in the burbs. We love fish fries. We have them at family reunions and Thanksgiving and are even planning a fun family one this summer. This recipe is a tribute to those wonderful recipes but a little lighter. I make this recipe at least once a week because my daughter loves it so much.
The Heart and Soul of this Oven Fried Fish Recipe
Cuisine Inspiration: Southern
Primary Cooking Method: Baking
Dietary Info: Pescatarian-friendly, Nut-Free
Key Flavor: Savory with a touch of spicy warmth
Skill Level: Beginner to Intermediate
Sweet Highlights:
Crunch Factor: A golden, crispy crust that satisfies with every bite, without the grease of traditional frying.
Spice of Life: A seasoning blend that’ll make you feel like you’re down in the Delta, with the perfect mix of heat and herb.
Healthier Twist: You get all the soul-food vibes, minus the extra calories, making it a guilt-free indulgence.
Simplicity is Key: This dish may taste complex, but the preparation is super easy.
Family Favorite: Loved by folks of all ages
Ingredients
In this recipe, the flavor is perfectly spicy, the breading is crunchy, and the fish is flaky and moist yielding the most spectacular results.
This recipe works great with many fish. My favorites to use are catfish fillets. You get that crispy texture like in these fried catfish nuggets but without all the oil. It’s my Southern roots after all. They have a mild and not overpowering flavor that is the perfect canvas for the seasonings. It also has a wonderful texture. It is firm enough to hold up to the bake or even frying and becomes tender and flaky once cooked. It stays moist so its nice and juicy after the bake too. Also you can find it anywhere so its widely available.
If you aren’t a fan of catfish, you can also use tilapia, code, haddock, flounder and even halibut.
For the added flavor for this, I use these ingredients:
- Cayenne
- Paprika (smoked paprika is always a nice selection too!)
- Lemon pepper
- Hot sauce, you get all that Southern spice you crave without the guilt.
How To Make Oven Fried Fish
The reason why this recipe works so brilliantly is because it truly tastes like fried fish. This recipe achieves the crispy and crunchy exterior that we love along with the tender inside of the fresh fish. In order to create that, here are the methods that work so well:
Method 1: A mix of both flour and cornmeal helps with crunch! Combining both make a lovely exterior that gives that crispy bite.
Method 2: Using a dredge technique! By adding the fish into the cornmeal/flour mix into egg mixture and then back into the cornmeal/flour, it creates a lovely thick exterior which also creates a crispy bite. It bakes up golden as well!
Method 3: The oil spray! I use this instead of frying but the key is in liberally spraying the fish with this spray making sure that every area is completely covered.
How to Serve
Southern-Style Vinegar Coleslaw: Keep it cool and creamy with a side of slaw. This Southern staple adds a refreshing crunch that perfectly balances the spices of the fish.
Spaghetti: Now this is a classic combination in Chicago. Fish and Spaghetti are genius. Try this Baked Spaghetti, this Taco Spaghetti or the classic Spaghetti and Meatballs.
Hush Puppies: These little golden nuggets are a fish fry’s best friend. Dive into the sweet and savory depths of this beloved Southern side.
Fried Okra: Lightly seasoned and perfectly crunchy, this is another side dish that goes perfectly with this.
How to Store and Reheat
To store oven-fried fish, allow it to cool completely and then place it in an airtight container lined with paper towels to absorb any excess moisture. Refrigerate for up to 2 days. When reheating, warm it in the oven at 350 degrees F for about 10 to 15 minutes to help recrisp the coating and ensure the fish heats through evenly. Avoid the microwave as it can make the fish soggy.
More Fried Recipes to Try
Oven Fried Fish
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Ingredients
- 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
Instructions
- 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.
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I am a New Orleans girl & love fried catfish no doubt!! But needing to lose weight having anything fried is out. Came across ur recipe, thought it looked good, sounded easy enough & figured why not. Loved it!! My whole family loved it. Thank u for sharing. Matter of fact its gonna be on my Valentines Day menu. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
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.
Question for you, can I do this recipe with BASA fish as well
I haven’t tried it with that yet but I suggest any flaky fish filet of your choice to try it with.
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 fish is delicious and spicy just like I like it. All the flavor and crisp without the mess. Keeper for sure.
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.
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 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!!!
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 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!!
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.