Southern Fried Catfish

Name: Southern Fried Catfish
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 45 min
Ingredients: 1 - 2 pounds catfish filets (cleaned and deboned); 2/3 cup cornmeal; 1/4 cup whole wheat flour; 1 1/2 teaspoons seasoning salt; 1/2 teaspoon lemon pepper seasoning; 1/4 teaspoon paprika; 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper ((optional)); 2 eggs; 3 tablespoons buttermilk; 2 teaspoons Tabasco Sauce; lemon wedges; tartar sauce; extra Tabasco sauce

RECIPE ↓

Southern Fried Catfish is a staple in every Southern kitchen. You can’t beat freshly caught catfish filets, dredged in perfectly seasoned cornmeal breading and fried until the inside is perfectly tender and the outside is a crisp, golden brown.

I grew up catching fish with my dad and on the rare occasion, we would fry them. I was picky about fish as a kid - they used to tell me that every fish was lane snapper so that I would eat it. As an adult, I am less picky about my fish but I also learned how to fry fish and I think it is one of the best ways to cook it. There is not much better than a hot and crispy piece of fish that leaves just the right amount of grease on your fingers so that you can't be bothered to touch your phone during dinner.

This recipe is the ultimate Southern Fried Catfish - a recipe that every Southern cook should know how to make. It is salty, flaky, crunchy, and a little spicy.

two fried catfish filets on a red and white towel

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🥘 Ingredient Notes

the ingredients needed to fry catfish, labeled

Catfish Fillets (Fresh is best - fish, of course, will smell fishy, but it shouldn't smell awful. If it doesn't smell right, ask for a second opinion before cooking it.)

Wet Ingredients

Eggs
Buttermilk ( You can also use regular milk or water.)
Hot Sauce ( I like to use Tabasco.)

Dry Ingredients

Cornmeal ( I like to use my homemade cornmeal.)
Whole Wheat Flour ( You can also use All-Purpose Flour, but I like the grittiness of wheat flour.)
Seasoning Salt
Black Pepper
Lemon Pepper Seasoning (You can either buy this or make it - I like to make it by dehydrating lemon peels, then grinding them in a spice grinder with black peppercorns.)
Paprika
Optional - Cayenne Pepper

🍽 Equipment Needed

Two Large Bowls
Measuring Spoons
Measuring Cups
A Deep Fryer

🥣 How to Make It

Fried catfish is a signature dish that every Southern cook should know how to make.

Combine the wet ingredients in a large bowl - whisk the eggs, buttermilk, and hot sauce together. (Picture 1 - 2)

Now, soak the catfish fillets in the egg mixture. Make sure the fillets are fully coated. Let this sit while you mix up the dry ingredients. (Picture 3 - 5)

a process collage of images for frying catfish, steps 1 - 5

In a large bowl combine the dry ingredients - flour, cornmeal, salt, paprika, pepper, and lemon pepper. (And cayenne if you are using it.) Mix well to ensure an even distribution of seasoning. (Pictures 6 - 7)

Now, dredge the soaked fillets in the cornmeal mixture and make sure they are fully coated. Shake off any excess breading. Place the fillets on a plate and cover.

Let them sit in the refrigerator for 10 - 15 minutes while you heat your oil - this will help the breading stick to the fish.

a process collage of images for frying catfish, steps 6 - 10

To Fry Catfish in a Deep Fryer

Heat a deep fryer to 350°F.

When oil is hot, drop filets in and cook for 7 - 10 minutes - until the filets are golden brown and the internal temperature is 340°F.

Rest the cooked fillets on a wire cooling rack - not a towel - this will allow for the crispiest fish.

a process collage of images for frying catfish, steps 11 - 15

To Fry Catfish on the Stove

In a large pot or dutch oven, heat 3 to 4 inches of oil over medium heat. The oil should be hot enough when you can splash water on it and it sputters back at you. If you can smell the oil, it is likely too hot. (If the oil is too cold, the breading will absorb the oil and the fish will be soggy. EW! Too hot and the outside will cook before the inside.)

Fry the fillets in small batches so that you don't crowd the oil - if you put too much fish in the oil at one time, it will lower the temperature and the fish won't cook.

🙋‍♀️ Frequently Asked Questions

What kind of oil should you use to fry catfish?

If using a deep fryer, we use peanut or canola oil. They are not my favorite kinds of oil, but they really are the best for frying. If I am doing a shallow fry on the stove, I like to use avocado oil.

Can you use this recipe to fry other fish?

Yes! We use this same recipe to fry perch, snapper, grouper, striped bass, and shell crackers. Just adjust the cooking time for larger or smaller fillets.

two fried catfish filets in front of a fryer on red brick steps

🍳 Serving Suggestions & Uses

We love to serve fried fish with some slices of lemon and tartar sauce, but my real favorite way to enjoy fried catfish is by making Catfish Atchafalaya. It is a huge plate of Fried Catfish smothered in Crawfish Étouffée with a heaping scoop of Green Onion Rice. Easily one of my favorite dinners of all time.

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🥫 Storage/Shelf Life/Reheating

If you don't finish fried fish in one meal, store it in an air-tight container in the refrigerator after letting it cool. I like to reheat it in the air-fryer to crisp back up - if you do not have an air-fryer, you can use the toaster oven or the regular oven, just put some foil under the fish to catch any drippings so you don't end up with a toaster that permanently smells like fish.

If you aren't going to be able to finish all of your fried fish, you can freeze it, just be sure to put the fish in an air-tight container or plastic bag. (Vacuum seal it if you can - this will prevent freezer burn.)

📋 Tips

Heat your oil properly. Make sure your oil is hot enough before putting your fish into it. If you do not have a thermometer that you can use in oil, another way to test that oil is hot is by flicking a drop of water into it. If the oil spits and sputters back at you, the oil should be hot enough. If nothing happens, give it some more time. If the oil is cold, the fish will soak up a ton of oil and just get really soggy and greasy. If you put your fish in and you realize that the oil is too cold, you can still save it - take it out right away and wait for the oil to heat up. The flip side of this is if your oil is too hot, the outside of the fish will burn before the inside has a chance to cook. (You can generally smell when oil is burning.)
Do not overcrowd your oil. If you put too much in the oil, it will start to cool down and the fish will get soggy. If you can't fit all of your fish in at once - be patient and fry it in batches. (If you have to fry a lot of fish, place a cookie sheet in the oven over a baking sheet and turn the oven onto a "warm" or super, super, super low setting and keep the fish in there. This will help it stay warm and crispy.)
Use a wire rack. Instead of draining grease off of your fish onto a paper bag or a towel, place it on a rack as you would use for cooling cookies. (With the paper or a towel underneath to catch drippings.) The fish will cook a little longer as the oil drips off and will get nice and crispy.
Use fresh fish. Make sure that your fish is not old - if it smells off at all, be cautious eating it. Catfish smells a little fishy, but should not have a very strong odor.

Southern Fried Catfish