While Italian or other European dishes appear on our table most days, once in a while I do like to cook a dish from the New World, too. American food has a less than stellar reputation abroad. For many Europeans, it usually brings to mind junk food, fast food and just plain bad food. The stereotype is not totally unjustified—like many stereotypes there is some truth behind the caricature—but what most non-Americans and even a lot of Americans don’t realize is that the US does have its own repertoire of wholesome, authentic traditional dishes. And not all of them are heavy, either, like this simple but tasty Southern dish: fried catfish.
In this recipe for fried catfish, thefillets are simply dredged in seasoned cornmeal and fried in vegetable oil. Since catfish, a bottom-feeder, can have a slightly gritty flavor, it benefits from pre-soaking in buttermilk (or just plain milk) before frying.
Ingredients
Serves 4-6
- 4-6 catfish fillets
- Buttermilk (or milk) to cover the fillets
- Cornmeal for dredging
- Salt and pepper
- 1-2 tablespoons of Old Bay seasoning (optional)
- Vegetable oil
- Lemon wedges (for garnish)
Directions
Place the catfish fillets in a wide bowl and cover with the buttermilk or milk. Let it soak for about an hour (although even 30 minutes will improve the flavor).
Remove the fillets from the milk and dredge them in the cornmeal. Pat them on both sides to make sure the cornmeal coating adheres well.
Fry the fillets in about an inch of moderately hot oil, about 5 minutes per side, until nice and golden brown. Serve hot with lemon wedges.
Notes on preparing Fried Catfish
As you can see, the recipe is simplicity itself. Like all frying, though, you do need to take care to regulate the temperature of the oil: too hot, and the coating will brown too quickly or even burn, not hot enough and your fish will turn out greasy. Your temperature is right when the oil bubbles in a lively but gentle fashion around the edges of the fillets.
The simplest recipes call for seasoning the cornmeal with just salt and pepper, but living as I do on the shores of the Chesapeake Bay, of course I add a dash of Old Bay seasoning. Many southern recipes I’ve seen, on the other hand, call for Lawry’s Seasoned Salt, cayenne pepper, paprkia or Cajun seasoning. Some recipes will tell you to mix flour with the cornmeal and/or add some baking powder, which I assume will give you a ‘puffy’ crust—although I have yet to try it.
The frying medium, too, can vary. While most recipes call for vegetable oil of some type, you will see recipes that use butter or another kind of oil (even olive oil, which I assume is a modern adaption) or—and I tend to think this is the most traditional—bacon drippings. Many (perhaps most) recipes call for deep frying but I think shallow-frying works just as well.
I like simplicity, so for me this dish needs nothing more than some lemon wedges as garnish, but, of course, some people will want to use ‘tartar sauce’, a combination of mayonnaise, capers, and finely chopped pickles and shallots (or onions). As a side dish, to keep it simple, I find a rice pilaf goes very well, followed by a simply dressed green salad. More classic accompaniments to fried catfish include ‘hush puppies’, deep-fried cornmeal beignets, braised collard greens and—what else?—macaroni and cheese. Any of these will make for a much more substantial meal.
Print Recipe
Prep Time1 hour hr
Cook Time30 minutes mins
Total Time1 hour hr 30 minutes mins
Ingredients
- 4-6 catfish fillets
- Buttermilk or milk to cover the fillets
- Cornmeal for dredging
- Salt and pepper
- 1-2 tablespoons of Old Bay seasoning optional
- Vegetable oil
- Lemon wedges for garnish
Instructions
Place the catfish fillets in a wide bowl and cover with the buttermilk or milk. Let it soak for about an hour (although even 30 minutes will improve the flavor).
Remove the fillets from the milk and dredge them in the cornmeal. Pat them on both sides to make sure the cornmeal coating adheres well.
Fry the fillets in about an inch of moderately hot oil, about 5 minutes per side, until nice and golden brown. Serve hot with lemon wedges.
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FAQs
Do You Need To Soak Catfish Before Frying? Soaking fish in milk or buttermilk will help remove an overly fish smell and flavor from a filet of catfish, salmon, or other fish. While you can incorporate this extra step into your preparation, it's certainly not necessary when you're making Crispy Pan-Fried Catfish.
What is the best oil to fry catfish in? ›
Best Oil to Fry Fish. Thanks to its neutral flavor, affordable price, and high smoke point, canola oil is the most popular oil for frying fish. Peanut, cottonseed, and coconut oil are also great fish frying oils.
Why do people put mustard on catfish before frying? ›
My fish of choice was Cod, but any white fish will do; Tilapia, bass, whiting, or catfish. The mustard batter is used to hold the breading on the fish, along with making the fish tender, and juicy while it cooks.
How do you keep fried catfish crispy? ›
Make sure to coat the catfish completely before frying. The proper oil temperature can help ensure a crisp coating, and cooling on a wire rack can help drain excess oil and provide good airflow that will help keep the fish crisp.
What's the best thing to soak catfish in? ›
Soaking the catfish in buttermilk helps to eliminate most of the weird flavors that catfish may have. Wild caught catfish, and sometimes farm raised, tend to have a some what muddy flavor to them. Therefore, soaking the fish in buttermilk before frying it is highly recommended.
How long to let catfish soak in milk? ›
Place the catfish fillets in a wide bowl and cover with the buttermilk or milk. Let it soak for about an hour (although even 30 minutes will improve the flavor). Remove the fillets from the milk and dredge them in the cornmeal. Pat them on both sides to make sure the cornmeal coating adheres well.
Why is my fried catfish tough? ›
When you overcook fish, it can become dry, tough, and lack flavor. Overcooked fish loses its natural moisture, which can result in a dry and chewy texture. The proteins in the fish also begin to tighten, which can make the fish tough and rubbery.
What does soaking catfish in milk do? ›
WHAT DO YOU SOAK CATFISH IN BEFORE FRYING? Catfish is soaked or dipped in milk before frying. Farmed catfish is less likely to have a muddy flavor than wild-caught catfish. Wild-caught catfish is typically soaked in buttermilk for at least an hour to get rid of the muddy flavor.
How do you make catfish taste better? ›
Indeed, to add an extra zing to the catfish recipe, you could drizzle lemon juice and accompany with tartar sauce or even hot sauce .
What is a good binder for fried fish? ›
My go-to method is a simple, light smear of yellow mustard and hot sauce, which acts as a binder, then go straight into a "breading" of cornflour, cornmeal, and seasoning. I really like this method unless I'm frying soft shell crabs, then I prefer AP flour.
Instructions
- Use scrunched up paper towels to pat the fish dry on both sides. ...
- Season the fish well on both sides with salt and pepper (key!).
- Mix the flour and paprika on a plate.
- Coat fish on both sides with flour, pressing down firmly so it adheres, but shake well to remove excess. (
For a rich, crispy crust, you need to make a batter. Panko breadcrumbs make the best batter for deep-fried fish. Beat one egg and 1/2 cup of dark beer or milk together in a shallow dish. Mix 1/3 cup flour and 1 teaspoon seasoning salt together in another shallow dish.
How do you get batter to stay on fried fish? ›
Corn starch is essential to fish breading.
Add a heaping tablespoon of it because it will help the batter adhere to the fish. Add a heaping tablespoon of baking powder as well. This will give the batter a extra pop of volume for a better bite.
How long should I soak fish in milk before frying? ›
Before cooking, soak the fish in milk for 20 minutes
In this scenario, the protein in the milk binds with the compounds that cause that fishy odor, in essence extracting if from the fish.
Do you rinse milk off fish after soaking? ›
Online research had recommended letting the fish soak submerged in milk for around 20 minutes, before rinsing and cooking in your preferred fashion.
Should fish be soaked in milk before frying? ›
In a 3-quart bowl, soak fish in milk for 15-20 minutes. The casein protein in milk binds to the trimethylamine in the fish flesh, reducing the “fishy” odor.
How long can you soak fish in milk before cooking? ›
It may sound bizarre, but, according to Epicurious, an effective way to combat fishiness is by soaking the protein in milk prior to cooking. To try this trick in your home kitchen, follow Cook's Illustrated's advice: before cooking, let your fish spend about 20 minutes sitting in milk to absorb any unwanted odors.
