| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 30 min |
| Prep: | 15 min |
| Cook: | 15 min |
| Yield: | 4 servings |
Ingredients
- Four 4-ounce catfish fillets
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2/3 cup cornmeal
- 1/2 cup pecans
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 2 chunks yellow onion (about 1/4 small onion total)
- 1 clove garlic, smashed
- 1/2 cup chicken stock
- 1/2 cup white wine
- 1 tablespoon steak sauce
- Juice of 1/2 lemon (about 3 tablespoons)
- 3 tablespoons sour cream
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- Rice or mashed potatoes, for serving
Instructions
- For the pecan-crusted catfish: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Sprinkle the fish with salt and pepper and set aside. Pulse the cornmeal with the pecans and some salt and pepper in a food processor until uniform and the size of breadcrumbs. Create a breading station with the flour on a plate, the milk and egg beaten together and the pecan-cornmeal mixture on another plate. Be sure to sprinkle salt and pepper on each part of the breading station. Dip the fish in the flour, then the egg, then the cornmeal mixture. Heat the oil in a large oven-safe saute pan over medium heat. Brown the coated catfish until golden on one side, about 3 minutes. Then turn the fillets over and place in the oven to finish cooking, about 10 minutes longer (a few minutes more if the fillets are thick).
- For the spicy cream sauce: Place the onions and garlic with the stock, wine and 1/2 cup water in a small saucepan. Boil and reduce for 5 minutes, gently pressing on the onions and garlic to release the flavors. Remove the onion and garlic and discard. Turn down the heat to low and whisk in the steak sauce and lemon juice, then the sour cream. Allow to cook and reduce 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, allowing the sauce to thicken slightly. (Place back on the heat for 10 seconds if needed to keep the temperature high enough.)
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 4 servings |
| Calories | 721 |
| Total Fat | 45 g |
| Saturated Fat | 11 g |
| Carbohydrates | 49 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 5 g |
| Sugar | 7 g |
| Protein | 26 g |
| Cholesterol | 134 mg |
| Sodium | 1008 mg |
Reviews
This recipe was missing something. The fish was delicate and cooked beautifully, but it and the sauce both needed something more. The sauce was not at all spicy, though it had some nice tang. I will make this again, but I’ll try to bump up the flavor more!
I used tilapia but didn’t like sauce. Next time I’ll just squeeze some lemon juice on the fish. Didn’t need anything else.
I followed this recipe closely but did not make the sauce. The texture of the fish was great, though I found that I needed to cook mine for longer than the recommended 3 mins. I browned on both sides in the oil, then baked on a baking sheet (the recipe doesn’t specify this, but I’m thinking it is a good idea to prevent significant smoking in your oven!. I felt like the pecan flavor didn’t come through very well; however, the outside of the fish was certainly crunchy from the cornmeal. A flavorful gravy-like sauce is a good idea–I’ll plan on trying one next time. Might add a little seasoning in the breading, too–maybe some chipotle chile powder or cayenne?
The fish is great! I used red snapper that I had frozen from my last fishing trip instead of Catfish and it turned out great! as far as the sauce… melissa is definitely cutting corners to get under ten bucks. add 2 teaspoons of corn starch to 1/4 cup of water and add it to the sauce right before adding the butter. thickens really nice and is absolutely delicious! Next time I make it I am definitely making some mashed potatoes to put it on.
I thought the breading was too thick and the sauce didn’t thicken for me either. I don’t think this is a redo.
When I saw today’s episode I decided to make it for tonight’s dinner. I’m not a meat eater so I substituted pressed tofu for the fish. The crust had some good flavor but it was a bit thick and heavy and overwhelmed the tofu. The sauce was also ok but it never thickened up like the one Melissa had on the show. I ended up having to add some cornstarch so it wouldn’t be watery. Overall it was good but not great.
I really enjoyed the cream sauce. I did add some bits of mushrooms to the sauce. Possibilities with the sauce for other recipes.