Fish and Spaghetti Recipe

Closeup of spaghetti with meat sauce and a crispy fried fish fillet on a plate

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Fish and Spaghetti with crispy fried catfish and spaghetti tossed in a meat tomato sauce made with ground beef, sausage, crushed tomatoes, and Italian seasoning.

Prep Time20

Cook Time55

Total Time1 15

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Servings: servings

Calories: 1068kcal

Author: Jocelyn Delk Adams

Equipment

Ingredients

For the Fish

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
Lemon wedges, tartar sauce and hot sauce for serving

For the Spaghetti

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 lb ground beef or ground turkey
1 lb Italian sausage or chicken sausage
Seasoned salt to taste
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 cup chopped onions
1/2 cup chopped green peppers
1 tbsp minced garlic
48 oz canned crushed tomatoes 1 1/2 28 oz cans
29 oz canned tomato sauce
2 tbsp red wine
1/4 cup chicken stock
1 tbsp Italian seasoning can make it homemade
2 tbsp granulated sugar plus 1 teaspoon
1/8 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
16-24 oz spaghetti

Instructions

For the Fish

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.

For the Spaghetti

Add olive oil to large pot over medium high heat on stove.
Add ground beef, Italian sausage, onion, green pepper and salt and pepper. Brown until cooked.
Next add garlic and cook for 1 minute.
Then add in crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, red wine, chicken stock, Italian seasoning, sugar, and red pepper flakes. Lower heat to medium low and continue to simmer until sauce has thickened about 40-50 minutes.
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to boil then add spaghetti and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente. Don't cook all the way. Drain noodles and rinse with cold water. Add spaghetti to sauce (use as much or as little as you want) and toss to combine then serve.

To Serve

1 Add spaghetti to one side of plate and fish on the other and serve.

Notes

How to Store

Fridge: Store leftover catfish and spaghetti in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. I recommend keeping the fish and spaghetti separate so the fish stays crispy and doesn't get soggy from the sauce.
Freezer: Freeze the spaghetti and fried fish separately. The spaghetti can be frozen in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Wrap the fried fish tightly in plastic wrap, then foil, and freeze it in a freezer-safe bag for up to 2 months. Thaw both in the fridge overnight before reheating.
Reheating: Warm the spaghetti in a saucepan over medium-low heat with a splash of water to loosen the sauce. For the fish, skip the microwave. Reheat it in a 375°F oven or air fryer for a few minutes until hot and crispy again.

Nutrition