Recipe Southern Fried Catfish

[caseydog]

Southern Fried Catfish

Ingredients

2 Catfish Filets (Farm Raised, About 12-16 OZ Each)
1 QT Container Buttermilk
Your Favorite Hot Sauce
1 Cup Yellow Cornmeal
1 Cup AP Flour
1 TSP Salt
1 TBSP Black Pepper
1 TBSP Cayenne Pepper
1 TBSP Granulated Garlic
Neutral Frying Oil (I used Peanut Oil)

Marinate

Place your filets in a baking dish, and cover with buttermilk. Add a few dashes of your favorite hot sauce on top (I used Louisiana Brand). Place a sheet of plastic over the top of dish, and refrigerate a minimum of 2 hours -- overnight is okay.

Breading

Mix your cornmeal, flour, salt, black pepper and cayenne pepper together in a bowl. Remove your fish filets from the marinade, and wipe off excess marinade. Press the filets into the breading mix firmly to get a complete coating.

Cooking

Heat cooking oil about 1 inch deep in a cast iron pan (or similar heavy pan) to 330F to 350F. Place filets carefully into hot oil. Cook on one side for about 3 minutes, or until the bottom looks golden brown. Turn the filets over, and finish cooking.

Serve with a side of your choosing, I used Cajun Dirty Rice. Also serve with Tarter Sauce and fresh lemon wedges for the catfish -- those two condiments are essential.

CD

 

[Timenspace]

Sounds and looks real good.

 

[Morning Glory]

Very nice. I like the idea of marinating fish in buttermilk. I'd never thought of doing that.

 

[caseydog]

Very nice. I like the idea of marinating fish in buttermilk. I'd never thought of doing that.

Back before catfish farming became the norm, wild caught catfish pretty much HAD to be soaked in buttermilk to remove the muddy flavor. It is not necessary with farmed catfish, but the tradition carries on. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

CD

 

[Mountain Cat]

Back before catfish farming became the norm, wild caught catfish pretty much HAD to be soaked in buttermilk to remove the muddy flavor. It is not necessary with farmed catfish, but the tradition carries on. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

CD

Probably lake-dependent. When I was a kid, Dad and I fished for catfish and perch in a lake on the New Jersey/New York border. It wasn't muddy. But the buttermilk sounds like an interesting idea.

 

[caseydog]

When I was a kid, Dad and I fished for catfish and perch in a lake on the New Jersey/New York border. It wasn't muddy.

Just the occasional dead body.

Down South, a lot of the rivers that catfish love are muddy, and the lakes have mud bottoms. Not polluted, but muddy.

CD

 

[JAS_OH1]

Back before catfish farming became the norm, wild caught catfish pretty much HAD to be soaked in buttermilk to remove the muddy flavor. It is not necessary with farmed catfish, but the tradition carries on. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

CD

I've never given any thought as to why I tend to soak stuff in buttermilk (some types of fish, chicken, etc). I just figured it was a Southern thing. My dad did it, my grandma did it...I agree, if it ain't broke, don't fix it!

 

[PabloLerntKochen]

It may be the mild acid in the buttermilk, what is tenderizing the meat a little bit.

 

[JAS_OH1]

It may be the mild acid in the buttermilk, what is tenderizing the meat a little bit.

It also adds a depth of flavor. Catfish is pretty tender already so it must be a flavor enhancer for that. And like CD posted, to remove muddy flavor from a bottom feeding fish.