Chicken Fried Catfish Recipes

CLASSIC FRIED CATFISH

Steps:

• Whisk together buttermilk and hot sauce.
• Place catfish in a single layer in a 13- x 9-inch baking dish; pour buttermilk mixture over fish. Cover and chill 8 hours, turning once.
• Combine cornmeal and next 6 ingredients in a shallow dish.
• Let fish stand at room temperature 10 minutes. Remove from buttermilk mixture, allowing excess to drip off. Dredge fish in cornmeal mixture, shaking off excess.
• Pour oil to depth of 2 inches into a large, deep cast-iron or heavy-duty skillet; heat to 360°F.
• Fry fish, in batches, 2 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Transfer to a wire rack on a paper towel-lined jelly-roll pan. Keep warm in a 225°F oven until ready to serve.

FRIED CATFISH

Steps:

• Heat oil in pan, heat warming oven: In a heavy frying pan (I prefer to use cast iron), pour enough oil to come 1/2 inch up the sides of the pan. Heat the pan on medium-high. Heat your oven to 200°F and lay a cookie sheet inside. Place a wire rack on top of the cookie sheet.
• Mix together cornmeal, flour, spices for dredging: Mix the cornmeal, flour and spices together. (Or you can substitute your favorite seasoning instead.) Place in a shallow dish for dredging.

SOUTHERN FRIED CATFISH

Steps:

• In a small bowl, mix buttermilk, water, salt, and pepper. Pour mixture into a flat pan large enough to hold the fillets. Spread fish in one layer over bottom of pan, turning to coat each side, and set aside to marinate.
• In a 2 gallon resealable plastic bag, combine the cornmeal, flour, and seafood seasoning. Add fish to mixture, a few fillets at a time, and tumble gently to coat evenly.
• Heat oil in deep fryer to 365 degrees F (185 degrees C).
• Deep fry fillets until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Avoid overcrowding so fillets have room to brown properly. Fish should be slightly crisp outside, and moist and flaky inside. Drain on paper towels.

CHICKEN FRIED CATFISH

Steps:

• Combine the buttermilk, red onion, scallions, dill, garlic, zest, and chile paste in a baking dish. Whisk or stir well.
• Lay the fillets in the marinade, making sure you've got them completely coated. Cover with plastic and marinate in the refrigerator for at least one hour.
• Remove the fish from the marinade and season it with salt and pepper. Coat the fillets well with flour.
• Heat 1/4 inch of oil in a heavy skillet (cast-iron is best) until very hot but not smoking. Fry the fish in batches for about 1 1/2 minutes on the first side, then turn and fry for another 45 seconds. The crust should be golden.
• Drain on paper towels and serve with the tartar sauce.

FRIED CATFISH

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a deep saucepot or small fryer to 350 degrees F.
• Next, in a bowl, whisk together the eggs and milk, ensuring to mix well. Then place in a shallow pan.
• To bread the fish, evenly sprinkle both sides of the fillets with the salt and pepper, then dip in the seasoned flour and tap off any excess. Follow with the egg wash and finish with the cornmeal. The breading should be evenly over the fillets. Proceed to place in the heated oil and cook for 3 minutes. Then flip and finish for 2 minutes. The crust should be golden brown and crisp. Then remove from the oil and place on a paper-towel-lined platter.
• To finish, drizzle with lemon juice and serve.