| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 45 min |
| Prep: | 25 min |
| Cook: | 20 min |
| Yield: | 6 servings |
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 45 min |
| Prep: | 25 min |
| Cook: | 20 min |
| Yield: | 6 servings |
Ingredients
- 1 quart peanut oil
- 1 cup stone-ground fine cornmeal
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon seafood seasoning (recommended: Old Bay)
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon hot smoked paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 6 (7 to 9-ounce) US farm-raised catfish fillets, rinsed and thoroughly patted dry
- 3/4 cup low-fat buttermilk
Instructions
- Heat the peanut oil in a 5-quart Dutch oven over high heat until it reaches 350 degrees F on a deep-fry thermometer. Adjust the heat to maintain the temperature.
- Whisk the cornmeal and flour together in a shallow dish. Combine the seafood seasoning, kosher salt, paprika, and pepper in a small bowl. Season the catfish fillets evenly on both sides with the spice mixture. Pour the buttermilk into another shallow dish. Dip each fillet into the buttermilk, flip once to coat both sides, hold over the pan and allow the excess to drip off. Coat both sides of the fillets in the cornmeal mixture. Set the coated fillets on a cooling rack and let rest for 5 minutes.
- Gently add the fillets, 2 at a time, to the hot oil and fry until golden brown, about 5 to 6 minutes. Remove the fried fillets to a cooling rack set over a newspaper-lined half sheet pan. Repeat method with remaining fillets. Arrange the catfish on a serving platter and serve immediately.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 6 servings |
| Calories | 861 |
| Total Fat | 60 g |
| Saturated Fat | 11 g |
| Carbohydrates | 38 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 2 g |
| Sugar | 2 g |
| Protein | 40 g |
| Cholesterol | 126 mg |
| Sodium | 440 mg |
| Serving Size | 1 of 6 servings |
| Calories | 861 |
| Total Fat | 60 g |
| Saturated Fat | 11 g |
| Carbohydrates | 38 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 2 g |
| Sugar | 2 g |
| Protein | 40 g |
| Cholesterol | 126 mg |
| Sodium | 440 mg |
Reviews
I came across this recipe five or six years ago and have used it regularly since. I double the seasoning for the same amount of fish but otherwise the recipe is excellent. You won’t go wrong with this one!
Love you Alton, but this has not aged well in terms of cultural sensitivity 🙁
I really liked this recipe but I would recommend a little more seasoning.
Amazing! So crispy and yummy
This fish is absolutely flavorless. Also, the flour to cornmeal ratio is not good. I prefer more southern style fish, full of flavor with cornmeal batter. This one definitely missed the mark. My husband eats almost everything and he hated it.
One MUST season the raw fish, the batter and the cornmeal to get some flavor into this very dense fish. I like a very flavorful fried piece of fish! So, Laury’s, McCormicks Chicken Spice, Black Pepper, and of course, Old Bay. Decide not to listen, you will have a “BLAH” piece of fish.
Just made this recipe last night and it was great. I don’t like a thick breading and this was just perfect. The seasonings were not overpowering. Will definitely make again. Fred
My husbands comment? Why would we go out for fish fry when I can make it as good as this was?
The outside was crispy and tasty, but none of that flavor made it into the fish. Nobody in my family liked it. We all agreed that next time I catch a catfish I will bring it home and clean it… and then we will give it to one of my wife’s friends so that when we keep the salmon and halibut for ourselves they won’t feel like we never share our fish.
Delish!