Southern Fried Catfish
Classic Southern fried catfish is dipped in buttermilk, breaded in spicy seasoned cornmeal, and then fried to crispy perfection. Pair it with homemade spicy tartar sauce for a match made in heaven.
Fried catfish conjures thoughts of finger-licking goodness and crispy crunch in every bite. When I bought these fish fillets at the market, I intended to bake them with garlic and salt. But I couldn’t stop thinking about fried fish with hush puppies dipped in tartar sauce. So, I put the baked version on the back burner.
I remember living next to a local seafood restaurant and ordering everything on the menu, eating my way through the menu, from fried fish to calamari. The catfish was my fav.
Sadly, those days are long gone because I’m not a young chick anymore. But an occasional indulgence can hurt. You know it’s hard for me to completely give up food I really enjoy. Besides, deep frying adds a gorgeous color and wonderful crispiness to any fish.
Naturally Gluten-Free
Another reason to love this recipe? It’s gluten-free! The ingredient list here is surprisingly minimal, even if the level of deliciousness suggests otherwise.
There’s absolutely no flour in this recipe. Instead, I coat the fish in cornmeal. I find the crunch of the cornmeal adds to the appeal. The mouthfeel is pleasant and balanced when paired with the flaky fish meat.
How to Make Southern Fried Catfish
- Prep the fish, cutting it into bite-sized pieces or using the whole fillet. Season as desired. (Photos 1-2)
- Beat the eggs and buttermilk in a separate bowl. Then, pour it over the fish and coat well. (Photos 3-4)
- Mix the cornmeal, garlic powder, onion powder, cayenne, salt, and pepper in a shallow bowl. (Photo 5)
- Drain the excess buttermilk mixture from the fish. Then coat each piece with the cornmeal mixture. (Photos 6-7)
- Fry the fish a few pieces (whole fillets or nuggets) at a time, moving them around so they don’t stick, until brown and crispy. It will take 3-4 minutes per side or more, depending on the size. (Photo 8)
- Drain the excess oil from the fish with a slotted spoon and place them on a cookie rack to keep them nice and crispy. Repeat with the remaining fillets. (Photo 9)
- Serve the fish with lemon wedges and spicy tartar sauce. (Photo 10)
- Tartar sauce: Combine the mayonnaise, garlic, hot pepper relish, onions, mustard, a dash of hot sauce, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for at least an hour before serving. The sauce will thicken, and the flavors will develop better.
Recipe Notes and Tips
- Any firm white fish will work if you don’t have catfish. Tilapia and red snapper are two great alternatives.
- Leave the fillets whole, or cut them into pieces for nuggets and faster cooking.
- For baked, breaded fish, line a baking sheet with parchment paper, batter the catfish as instructed, and then place it on the baking sheet and spritz with oil. Bake at 425℉ (220℃) until the fillets are golden brown and flake easily with a fork, 15-20 minutes.
- You can do the same thing for an air fryer and cook them at 400℉ (205℃) for about 15 minutes, flipping halfway through. Check for doneness, and cook a little longer if needed.
Make-Ahead and Storage Instructions
As with most fried foods, you definitely want to make these fresh! However, you can prepare your seasoned cornmeal and buttermilk and dredge them the night before to save time. You can even freeze the breaded fillets for a month or two for a fast fix.
If you have leftover catfish, store it in an airtight container in the fridge. To reheat, pop it in the oven or air fryer at around 350℉ (180℃) until just heated through.
What Goes With Southern Fried Catfish
Make your whole meal Southern-themed with classic sides like hush puppies, cheese grits, turnip greens, and easy coleslaw. Remoulade and tartar sauce are a given.
More Fried Southern Delicacies to Try
- Southern Fried Chicken
- Easy Fried Okra
- Fried Cabbage
- Southern Style Fried Potatoes
- Sweet Corn Fritters
By Imma
Watch How to Make It
[adthrive-in-post-video-player video-id=”6EcLZ1Fs” upload-date=”Tue Aug 07 2018 11:39:31 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)” name=”Southern Fried Cat Fish” description=”Southern Fried Cat Fish- Classic Southern Fried Catfish dipped in buttermilk and breaded in spicy seasoned cornmeal and fried to perfection.”]
This blog post was originally published in October 2016 and has been updated with additional tips, new photos, and a video.
Southern Fried Catfish
Ingredients
The Fish
- cooking oil for frying (how much depends on the size of the pan, but plan on about a quart)
- 4 6-ounce catfish fillets
- salt, pepper, and Creole seasoning to taste
- 2 eggs (optional)
- 1½ cups (355ml) buttermilk
- 1½ cups (225g) cornmeal
- 1 tablespoon (5g) granulated garlic
- 1 teaspoon (2-3g) onion powder
- ½-1 teaspoon (1-2g) cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon (2g) white or black pepper
- 2 teaspoons (12g) salt (adjust to taste)
Spicy Tartar Sauce
- 1 cup (226g) mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon (3g) finely diced onion
- ½-1 teaspoon (3-5g) prepared mustard
- 3 tablespoons (45g) hot pepper relish
- 1 tablespoon (5g) granulated garlic
- hot sauce to taste
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat a deep-fryer to 375℉ (190℃). Or fill a large saucepan ⅓-½ full with vegetable oil and heat to 375℉ (190℃). There should be a good 3-4 inches of space to prevent it from spilling over when you add the fish.
- Use the fillets whole or cut them into bite-sized pieces—season as desired.
- Beat the eggs and buttermilk in a separate bowl. Then, pour it over the fish and coat well.
- Mix the cornmeal, granulated garlic, onion powder, cayenne, salt, and pepper in a shallow bowl.
- Drain the excess buttermilk mixture from the fish. Then coat each piece with the cornmeal mixture.
- Fry the fish a few pieces (whole fillets or nuggets) at a time, moving them around so they don't stick, until brown and crispy. It usually takes 3-4 minutes per side, depending on the size. (The large fillets took 6 minutes per side.)
- Remove from the hot oil with a slotted spoon. Place them on a baking rack to drain excess oil and ensure crispness. Repeat with the remaining fillets.
- Serve the fish with lemon wedges and spicy tartar sauce.
- For the sauce: combine mayonnaise, garlic, hot pepper relish, onions, mustards, hot sauce, salt, and pepper in a serving bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let the flavors mellow in the refrigerator for at least an hour before serving.
Tips & Notes:
- Fresh fish should smell like the ocean. Please do not buy fish that have a fishy odor. Cooking won’t improve it. Speaking from experience here.
- If it’s your first time frying fish, try cutting the fish into smaller pieces for easier cooking.
- For crispier results, I like using a cast-iron skillet or Dutch oven because they retain heat better.
- Overcrowding your cast-iron skillet or deep-fryer will lower the oil’s temperature, which can result in soggy fish. So, stick with a few pieces at a time.
- The oil’s temperature should be around 375℉ (190℃) before frying to ensure that the batter reacts and creates a barrier between the oil and the food. If your oil’s temperature is too low, the breading will soak it up.
- Once you remove the fish from the fryer, place it on a metal cooling rack above a sheet pan, so the excess oil can drain and prevent it from getting soggy.
- Please remember that the nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary significantly based on the products used in the recipe.
Thank you for the catfish frying tips!!
My pleasure, Kim!
This recipe was just what I was looking for. I followed the recipe exactly and the fish (cod) was great. It was a big hit with the family. Nice and crispy.
YAY! Thanks so much.
I’ve been looking for THE perfect coating for fried fish and this is definitely it! Used grouper as that was all I had. It tasted very much like the fish at a local restaurant we love. Thanks again for a keeper recipe.
So happy to hear it was a hit . Thanks for the feedback!
What if you don’t have buttermilk?
Check out this post here for buttermilk substitution. https://www.africanbites.com/how-to-make-buttermilk/.
I had this fried catfish tonight. It was so good. My grandfather had fried catfish and every Friday night. He made Ketchup, hush puppies, fries, and slaw with the filets. It was so good. I crave it a lot on Fridays.
Thank you for such a warm memory recipe.
Janet Willerson
Awwww.. the pleasure is mine too, Janet. I am so glad I was able to get you to walk down memory lane with this recipe. Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Your tartar sauce recipe calls for mustard sauce. What exactly are you referring to? Yellow mustard or something else! Thanks!
It’s dijon mustard .
I’ve used this recipe on catfish several times and it is amazing for CRAPPIE too!!! The only thing with Crappie is the butter milk makes it fall apart, it’s very brittle. So I forgo the buttermilk and sprinkle Tabasco sauce on the fish before dredging in corn meal. It’ll change your life.
Turned out quite good. I’m finding that when AfricanBites turns up in my recipe search it’s usually worth checking out. Nicely done.
Awesome .Thanks so much!!!
I have one catfish recipe that I always use but its not a buttermilk fried fish. I ‘ve always wanted to try buttermilk when frying fish. I tried one recipe and it was terrible. Me and other ppl who commented agreed that fried fish needed seasonings. So I will not be making that recipe again
Now, I have come across your recipe. And it looks and sounds mighty tasty. So I will give it a go. TFS
Looking forward for you to try this. And would love to hear your thoughts on this. Enjoy!
i dont like butter milk so can i use egg instead?
Yes, you can. But there’ll be just a difference with the taste.
I grew up eating catfish, rainbow trout, smelt and salmon fried this way. Haven’t had fried fish in years. I will be frying up some lingcod soon, this made me hungry! With fried taters and onions, green beans and deviled eggs….Nilla Vanilla wafer banana pudding for dessert! Wash it down with ice tea!
Loved this recipe! I used it for snapper, oysters and shrimp. I added some lemon pepper to the mix and that gave it a nice little kick. I didn’t have a problem with the cornmeal coming off. It was PERFECT on my first try. Thank you!
Do I use yellow or white corn meal?
Either works just fine.
OOOHH Girl, I love the way you think! LOL. Got this ol country boy from Louisiana smacking his lips and dreaming of some tasty catfish!
Why does it say cook time is 58 minutes, but when reading the instructions it says 3-4 minutes per slice?
I have updated recipe. The cooking time varies – 3-6 minutes per side depending on the size of the fish. Thanks for bringing this to my attention.
Can this be used with any other kinds of fish.
Hello Gladys. Yes, you could use other kinds of fish, but the cooking time would vary depending on the kind of fish.
I would love to have them can you email them to me
What are your thoughts on marinating the fish in milk or 1/2 milk and 1/2 buttermilk overnight. Some people do ya know. Does this recipe contain a lot of Heat?
I was wondering the same thing!
You don’t marinate fish overnight, 30mins is okay for the fish to soak in the marinade (remember it’s fillet, it’ll easily soak in, I’m less than 10mins, and in that case, you might need a deep fryer to get the crisps on the outside, and transfer to your wok,on a low heat to cook on the inside). Nevertheless, you want it firm and crispy on the outside so you don’t want to marinate overnight, believe me. I hope this helps!
Agreed. If you buttermilk the fish for more than an hour or two, it will start to dissolve due to the acid and *at best* you’ll have unpleasant mush instead of fish. Chicken (for fried chicken) can go overnight, but not fish.
What kind of cornmeal is best to use when frying the catfish?
I use regular cornmeal , available in most supermarkets.
White Lily white version
Phil
Can I use self rising cornmeal? I use it for my cornbread, or doesnit have to be plain corn meal? I dont use cornmeal mix because it has flour in it.
Love your catfish recipe! It’s the best! Thanks so much!
Hi Mary,
Thank you so much ! So happy to hear it worked out well for you.
your fryed fish sounds exserlent i am not good at spelling but you sound like a good cook
Yummy recipe ImmaculateBites. As soon as i get myself a fillet knife i will cook it up. Really excited.
Amazing recipe. Thank you for sharing. I wanna try this recipe