Crispy Southern Fried Catfish

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Crispy Southern fried catfish is an easy recipe ready in less than 30 minutes. This tender fish is perfectly seasoned and coated in a tasty cornmeal and flour coating that fries up in a flash. The result is a restaurant-quality fish fry perfect for serving with hush puppies and coleslaw!

Fish fries are a Southern tradition and fried catfish is often the star of the show. This light and flaky fish is delicious coated with a crisp cornmeal crust made from scratch, no boxed mixes here!

Why I love this recipe

• this is a fast meal, the fish only needs to fry for about 5-7 minutes
• the taste is absolutely restaurant quality
• the crisp cornmeal crust has the perfect blend of seasonings to complement the tender fish

Ingredients

• catfish filets – choose fresh fish or frozen and thawed filets
• flour
• yellow cornmeal
• seasonings – cayenne pepper, salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder

Step by step

This recipe is very easy! If you are new to frying be sure to check out the tips in the section below to help you out.

1. Fill a deep saucepan with at least 2 inches of oil and heat to 350 degrees.
2. Meanwhile, in a wide bowl combine flour, cornmeal, and cayenne pepper. Stir to mix.
3. In a small bowl combine the salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder.
4. Season both sides of the filets generously with the salt and pepper seasoning mixture.
5. Dredge the catfish filets in the seasoned cornmeal mixture and carefully place into the hot oil. Cook until golden, about 7 minutes. Remove from the oil with a wide, slotted spatula. Set on a paper plate lined with paper towels to drain any excess oil.

Tips for frying catfish

Choose the right pan, I recommend a large cast iron skillet or a large dutch oven. You want the sides to be high so the oil doesn’t splatter and make a mess.

Use the right oil – you need a high heat, low smoke oil like vegetable oil, canola oil, or peanut oil. Do not use olive oil for deep frying as is has a low cmoke point and burns at high temperatures.

Use the right temperature – keep the oil temperature between 325 and 350 degrees. An easy way to test the oil’s temperature if you don’t have a deep-fry thermometer is to sprinkle a little cornmeal into it and listen for the sizzle. If it sizzles your oil is the correct temperature and you can get cooking, if there’s no sizzle turn up the heat and try again.

Don’t crowd the filets and don’t touch them while they are frying, this reduces the likelihood the cornmeal coating will rub off. Work in small batches so you have enough room.

Never tent fried fish in foil after frying, it will cause the breading to get soggy and no one likes soggy fish! Always let them sit uncovered. If you are worried about the filets getting cold as you fry additional batches you can place them in an oven at 200 degrees.

Why do my fried catfish filets get darker each batch?

The first batch is cooked in new, clean oil so it is completely normal for subsequent batches to look a little darker as you continue to use the same oil. It doesn’t affect the taste at all.

Serving suggestions

Serve fried catfish with tartar sauce for dipping or simply with lemon wedges and a little hot sauce. I like to serve coleslaw, potato salad, and hush puppies with mine or add in some sweet potato french fries, collards, or Southern style green beans.

Need more ideas? Check out our 15 favorite sides for fried catfish.

Storage

Store leftover fried catfish filets in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Reheat in an air fryer or the oven to keep the outside crispy.

If you try this recipe please comment and rate it below, I love hearing from you!

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