Southern Fried Catfish

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. I love to serve my fried fish with creamy tartar sauce and crispy fried okra – with some fries on the side. YUM.

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.

🥘 Ingredients Needed

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)

In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients – flour, cornmeal, salt, paprika, pepper, and lemon pepper. (And cayenne pepper 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.

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 fillets are golden brown and the internal temperature is 145°F. (For thinner fillets, it can take less time so watch them – we cut them thick.)

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

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.

Cook for 7 – 10 minutes – until the fillets are golden brown and the internal temperature is 145°F. (For thinner fillets, it can take less time, so watch them – we cut them thick.)

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

🙋‍♀️ Frequently Asked Questions

🍳 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.

🥫 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.)

✏️ Helpful 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.

What Can You Serve with Fried Catfish?

Too much fried food can be kind of heavy and greasy, but a good creamy side dish can balance that out. There are a lot of popular side dishes to serve at fish fries – here are our favorites:

• Collard Greens
• Creamy Coleslaw
• Southern Potato Salad

You can find more recipes to serve with fried catfish here.

🍳 Other Yummy Southern Recipes

• Red Beans and Rice
• Skillet Cornbread
• Green Onion Rice
• Shrimp Creole