Grandma's Crispy Southern Fried Catfish Recipe (15 Minutes, 3 Ingredients) by Donna John
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When eating at a seafood restaurant, I rarely order fried fish or shrimp. I blame my grandma and grandpa. Growing up, my grandparents routinely had fish fries at their house. The fish was simply seasoned with salt and black pepper, dredged in cornmeal, dropped into hot oil and fried until golden and crispy. Fish perfection. A lot of restaurants use flour-based dredges, which I think is too heavy for fish and shrimp. Again, grandma knew what she was doing!
To make crispy fried catfish like my grandma used to make and I do now, you will need a very short list of gluten-free ingredients. Here is your shopping list: catfish fillets, cornmeal, salt, black pepper and vegetable oil for frying. The fish is simply sprinkled with salt and black pepper, then dredged in cornmeal. Heat some oil in a skillet and fry the fish until cooked through, golden and crispy.
This crispy high-protein fried fish is the perfect southern dinner served with tartar sauce and your favorite side dishes. Grandma always made homemade french fries, hushpuppies and cole slaw (try grandma's cole slaw recipe).
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 1 pound catfish fillets
- 1/3 cup cornmeal
- vegetable oil, for frying
Here's how to make it:
- Heat about 1/4 inch of vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
- Cut the fish, if needed, into smaller fillets. Put the cornmeal onto a plate. Season the fish on both sides with salt and black pepper. (You can cook other types of fish instead of catfish. Try snapper, whitefish, sole, haddock, cod or whatever fish you like.) Dredge the fish in the cornmeal. (You may need more of less cornmeal depending on thickness, amount and how much you dredge the fish.)
- Put the fish into the hot oil and cook on one side until golden brown. (Do not crowd the pan when frying the fish. If necessary, fry in two batches.)
- Flip the fish over and continue to cook until cooked through and golden on the other side. (Use tongs to turn the fish. I find the oil can splatter if you use a spatula.) Remove to a paper towel and sprinkle with more salt, if desired. Serve immediately.
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