Fried Catfish Recipe

This fried catfish recipe turns 2 pounds of filets into cornmeal crusted golden Southern perfection in under 20 minutes flat.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Southern

Keyword fried catfish recipe

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 4

Servings servings

Calories 232kcal

Author Jason Decker

Equipment

Deep Fryer

Ingredients

2 pound catfish filets
2 teaspoons old bay seasoning
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
2 large eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 tablespoon hot sauce
Oil for frying

Instructions

Preheat a deep fryer or a Dutch oven with 4 inches of oil up the sidesto 350°F.
Oil for frying
Pat the catfish filets dry with paper towels and set them aside.
In a small bowl, stir together the old bay, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper.
2 teaspoons old bay seasoning, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon onion powder, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1 teaspoon black pepper
Season the fish on both sides with the spices.
In a shallow large bowl, stir together the rest of the seasoning mix, flour, and cornmeal.
1 cup all-purpose flour, 1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
In another large shallow bowl, whisk together the eggs, buttermilk, and hot sauce.
2 large eggs, 1/2 cup buttermilk, 1 tablespoon hot sauce
One at a time, place fillets into the cornmeal mixture and coat the fish in the flour. Shake off the excess.
Place it into the egg buttermilk mixture until coated, and let the excess drip off.
Lastly, place it back into the cornmeal crust mixture and coat well. Let the excess shake off and place it on a sheet tray. Repeat with the remaining filets.
When ready to fry, gently add 1 filet at a time to the hot oil and fry for 3-4 minutes until golden brown and an internal temperature reaches 145°F. Flip if needed, fish fries very fast, so keep an eye on it.
Place the fried catfish fillets on a paper towel-lined plate to soak up any excess oil, and then place it on a baking sheet with a wire rack on top. This will help keep the fish crispy.
Repeat with the remaining filet and serve with lemon wedges and sauce of your choice.

Notes

Nutrition is calculated without frying oil.

This makes 8 servings, but you can easily double it to feed more or halve the recipe as needed.
Tons of custom options, see my tips above on that.
This freezes well, see my tips above on how to store.
Use a pot with deep sides if you don’t have a deep fryer.
Use other thin, flaky fish in place of catfish.

Nutrition