This classic southern Fried Catfish recipe is dredged in a perfectly seasoned and spiced cornmeal breading and fried until tender on the inside and crispy golden brown on the outside!! Serve up this delicious fish fry with my Fried Shrimp and serve with a side of lemon wedges, tartar sauce and coleslaw for good measure! If you love this catfish, try this tutorial on How To Fry Fish and these recipes for Oven Fried Catfish and Fish and Chips!!

Since the beginning of the New Year, I’ve been going through quite the “fish phase”. Almost everyday I find myself craving tender, moist and flaky fillets of just about any seafood I can lay my hands on. I mean, what’s there to not like? It can be baked, sauteed, grilled and best of all, fried.

A Southern girl knows her fried fish: shrimp, snapper and catfish alike. I grew up attending church sponsored fish frys and watching my grandmother and family members dredge fillets in spicy-seasoned cornmeal. The fish was always served hot and crisp with just enough oil to coat your fingertips. Just how I like it.

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup yellow cornmeal
• 1/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp seasoned salt up to 2 teaspoons/ taste the seasoned cornmeal and adjust
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tsp lemon pepper
• 1/4 tsp paprika
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tsp hot sauce
• 1 lb catfish fillets
• lemon wedges, tartar sauce and hot sauce for serving

Instructions

In a brown bag or ziploc bag, add cornmeal, flour, salt, pepper, cayenne, lemon pepper, and paprika and shake together.
In a deep pie plate or large shallow bowl, whisk together eggs and hot sauce.
Add each filet into beaten eggs on both sides then add to the cornmeal breading and shake liberally to coat well. Place the fillet on the coated baking sheet. Repeat with each fillet.
Let fish set for about 10-15 minutes in the refrigerator then remove.
In a large dutch oven, pot or deep fryer, pour in about 4 inches of oil and heat over medium high heat until the temperature reaches approximately 340 degrees.
Working in batches, fry fillets until golden brown then remove and drain on racks or paper towels.
Cool for 5-10 minutes then serve with lemon and chopped parsley.