Cajun catfish prepared with the ideal amount of seasoning and flavor. This dish is ideal for a quick, delicious way to experience the distinctive flavor of catfish combined with the traditional down-home cooking technique, simply without all the fat. Served with white rice on top.
| Prep Time: | 10 mins |
| Cook Time: | 40 mins |
| Total Time: | 50 mins |
| Servings: | 4 |
| Yield: | 4 servings |
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
- 2 teaspoons lemon pepper
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons pepper
- 1 pound catfish fillets
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 cup Italian-style salad dressing
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a medium baking dish.
- In a shallow, medium bowl, mix cayenne pepper, lemon pepper, garlic powder, salt and pepper.
- Brush both sides of catfish fillets with butter. Rub fillets with the cayenne pepper mixture on both sides.
- Heat a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat until really hot. Add fillets, and fry approximately 2 minutes on each side, until slightly blackened.
- Arrange blackened fillets in a single layer in the prepared baking dish, and coat with Italian-style salad dressing. Bake 30 to 35 minutes in the preheated oven, until fish is easily flaked with a fork.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 368 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 9 g |
| Cholesterol | 72 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 1 g |
| Protein | 17 g |
| Saturated Fat | 8 g |
| Sodium | 2478 mg |
| Sugars | 5 g |
| Fat | 30 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |
Reviews
All I could taste was salt.
I made exactly as written, using frozen catfish and it was simply fantastic !! making again tonight with some fresh catfish – cant wait !!
Absolutely loved this recipe. If you live to eat spicy food, this isn’t too spicy. Most everything I cook is Spicy. This didn’t bother me one bit. Even added a couple pinches of white pepper & old bay. Used this on Snake Head Fish. Delicious!
Absolutely loved it, but hotter than heck. Definitely cut salt and cayenne in half. I used Brianna’s Champagne Vinaigrette instead of italian dressing (didn’t have any), and it worked really well.
I used ghee instead of butter on the fish (easier to spread), less cayenne and no Italian dressing because I didn’t have it. It’s a really good foundational recipe that you can freestyle with. I loved it. I’ll definitely be making this more often.
This was excellent! I followed the advise from other reviewers and halved the quantity of salt and cayenne pepper – a very good move because it didn’t need more. Even my husband, who is a trained chef with high standards, gave it a thumbs up. Will be sharing the recipe with friends and look forward to serving it again.
this came out amazing! I personally added a little more seasoning but pay attention to how much cayenne pepper you use. Mine came out slightly more spicier than expected but nonetheless absolutely delicious !
Great recipe! I made some slight changes: instead of making the seasoning mix myself I just used Tony Chachere’s Cajun Seasoning. I also made my Italian dressing from scratch with lemon juice and lemon zest, vegetable oil, diced bell peppers & carrots, a little sugar and Tony Chachere’s Cajun seasoning.
I cut back cayenne pepper to 1 tsp. Which was perfect for my spicy don’t want extreme heat tastebuds. I thought the dressing was too oily. Next time I will eliminate or cut back on italian dressing. Easy recipe and good flavor.
I have made this dish a couple of times now. Still a favorite. Thanks
Best catfish I have ever made
Based on other reviews, we reduced the cayenne to 1 tsp but should have used only 1/2 tsp. Reduced the salt to 1/2 tsp. Used about 2 Tbl Italian dressing per filet. Omitted the butter brushing olive oil on filets. We followed the directions to only slightly blacken and thus avoided excess smoke. Baked these to perfection for 15 minutes. Served over small squares of reheated polenta along with a side of sautéed spinach, onion and mushrooms. We will definitely make these again.
Better with Cod fish (I don’t like Catfish) and I used Greek salad dressing because we didn’t have Italian and it was fantastic. My kids like the Catfish made this way.
This came out nicely. I am not a fan of catfish but bought several pounds on sale. This recipe was good and corrected my own cooking problem of not cooking it long enough. The blackening in a frying pan and finishing in the oven was perfect.
What can I say ….. the whole family loved it, half the batch I cooked as directed the other just half the cayenne and rubbed both sides with bacon fat instead of butter! Made street tacos and the meal was wiped out …… thanks for the recipe and a great meal!
I lowered the cayenne and black pepper to 1 tsp. each. I also upped the butter to 4 T. I generously sprinkled the spices on the fish and added lemon slices after I drizzled the dressing. I only baked it for about 17 minutes. This was awesome! Perfect spice amount for us. Thanks for sharing.
LOVED this. The only changes were to cut down on cayenne as I knew 2 tsp would be way too much. I used only 1/2 tsp and it was perfect for my family. This is so easy and tastes like a restaurant meal. Thanks, IndianaBarlow for a wondferful way to eat catfish.
Amazing catfish just as the recipe states! You might consider a little less red pepper for the family members who can’t handle the spice cause it’s a little on the warm side!
I followed the instructions to a tee, and almost had to call the fire department. The seasoning was good, but it was much too difficult to make. I’ll bake or sear the fish next time. Blackening is NOT a process for me, based on these instructions!
The first time making the recipe, I made no changes and it was VERY spicy. I like spicy things, but it was too much cayenne for us. The second time making the recipe, I decreased the cayenne by 1/3, decreased the salt by 1/2 and just drizzled the Italian dressing over the fish instead of the full cup. It was still spicy, but not overwhelming. Good recipe with modifications and will be making again.
This was really really good. I followed the recipe except I cut the cayenne in half and I’m glad I did. The recipe made enough to cover 4 catfish fillets (2lbs) so that’s what I did. If you were to coat 1lb with all the ingredients it would be way too much. I also used unsalted butter because there was no need to add more salt. I used white rice and sprinkled in a dash of lemon pepper. This is a keeper for sure!