Fried Catfish Recipe

Perfectly fried catfish fillets with hot sauce, lemon wedges and tartar sauce

4.26 from 62 votes

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

Prep Time15

Cook Time25

Total Time40

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: soul food, south, Southern

Servings: servings

Calories: 210kcal

Author: Jocelyn Delk Adams

Ingredients

1 1/2 cup fine yellow cornmeal
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp garlic powder
3/4 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp lemon pepper
1/4-3/4 tsp cayenne pepper go up or down depending on your heat preference
3 large eggs
2 tsp hot sauce
1 lb catfish fillets
lemon wedges, tartar sauce and hot sauce for serving

Instructions

In a brown bag or ziploc bag, add cornmeal, flour, salt, pepper, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, lemon pepper and cayenne 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.

Notes

Fried catfish will keep in the refrigerator for about 2 days. If you would like to store your fish for longer, you can freeze the leftovers for up to a month. Just be sure to put the fish in an air-tight container or ziploc bag.

To reheat, 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). The oven is the best way to keep that crispy exterior.

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