Classic Southern cornmeal-fried catfish

Name: Classic Southern cornmeal-fried catfish
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 8 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1½ to 2 lb catfish fillets, cut into strips or left whole; 1 cup buttermilk; 1 tbsp Louisiana-style hot sauce; 1 cup fine yellow cornmeal; ⅓ cup all-purpose flour; 1½ tsp kosher salt; ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper; ½ tsp cayenne pepper; ½ tsp garlic powder; Peanut or vegetable oil for frying, about ½ inch deep; Tartar sauce and hushpuppies, to serve

Cornmeal-fried catfish is a Southern fish-fry staple. A short soak in buttermilk and hot sauce seasons the fish, and a dredge of fine yellow cornmeal fries up into a crust that stays crunchy.

Serve it hot, with tartar sauce and hushpuppies, and keep the oil at temperature so the crust crisps instead of soaking up grease.

About 40 min. Serves 4.

Ingredients

1½ to 2 lb catfish fillets, cut into strips or left whole
1 cup buttermilk
1 tbsp Louisiana-style hot sauce
1 cup fine yellow cornmeal
⅓ cup all-purpose flour
1½ tsp kosher salt
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
½ tsp cayenne pepper
½ tsp garlic powder
Peanut or vegetable oil for frying, about ½ inch deep
Tartar sauce and hushpuppies, to serve

Method

Whisk the buttermilk and hot sauce in a shallow dish. Put the catfish in, cover and refrigerate for 15 to 20 minutes.
In a second dish, whisk the cornmeal, flour, salt, pepper, cayenne and garlic powder.
Heat ½ inch of oil in a deep cast iron skillet or Dutch oven to 365°F.
Lift each piece out of the buttermilk, let the extra drip off and press it into the cornmeal mixture until it is coated all over.
Fry in batches without crowding the pan, 3½ to 4 minutes a side, until deep golden-brown and crisp. Drain on a wire rack and serve hot with tartar sauce and hushpuppies.

Notes

Use a thermometer for the oil, and let it come back to 365°F between batches.
Drain on a rack, not paper towels, so the underside stays crisp.
Cook fish to 145°F in the thickest part, which is the FDA’s temperature for fish. Check with a thermometer.
TPWD lists consumption advisories for some Texas waters. If you caught the fish, check the advisories for that water before you cook it.

Sources: FDA: Selecting and Serving Fresh and Frozen Seafood Safely (content current as of Mar. 5, 2024), TPWD: Fish Consumption Bans and Advisories.

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