southern essentials: oven-baked catfish
I love catfish, and ate my share while teaching and lecturing down in the South. This is my third or forth recipe I’ve posted on catfish, and for this one I was determined to get a baked piece of catfish to produce that same crunch on the outside with that wonderful moist interior that’s produced by deep frying. With this recipe, I believe that I have accomplished that goal. The ingredients are simple, and the taste is awesome. So, you ready… Let’s get into the kitchen.
yield
4 serving(s)
prep time
20 Min
cook time
25 Min
method
Bake
Ingredients For southern essentials: oven-baked catfish
- PLAN/PURCHASE
- THE COATING
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1 ccornmeal, yellow variety
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1 Tbspcreole seasoning, i prefer tony chachere’s, or my own homemade creole seasoning
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1 tsppaprika, sweet or hot (your choice)
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1/2 tspwhite pepper freshly ground
- THE CATFISH
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1/2 cfresh buttermilk
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2 Tbsphot sauce, i prefer frank’s hot sauce
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1 lbcatfish fillets, washed and patted dry, 4 filets
How To Make southern essentials: oven-baked catfish
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1PREP/PREPARE -
2THE COATING
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3Gather your ingredients.
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4Add all of the coating ingredients to a large bowl, thoroughly mix, and reserve.
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5THE CATFISH
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6Gather your ingredients.
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7Place a rack in the middle position, and preheat the oven to 425f (220c).
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8Add the hot sauce and the buttermilk to a shallow dish large enough to hold the filets.
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9Place the filets in the dish, and allow them to sit for 8 minutes.
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10After eight minutes, flip the filets over for an additional 8 minutes.
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11Chef’s Note: In place of the dish, you could always use a large Ziploc sealable bag.
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12Chef’s Note: I tried several ways to make the wet ingredients for this recipe. I tried eggs; however, I didn’t like the taste of the eggs with the coating, and they made the fish feel mushy. I tried using regular and non-fat milk, but neither of them gave me the taste I was searching for. I finally settled on that old Southern favorite buttermilk… that and a bit of hot sauce did the trick.
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13While the catfish are soaking up that yummy buttermilk/hot sauce mixture, place a wire rack over a parchment-lined baking sheet.
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14One at a time take a filet, shake off the excess buttermilk, and thoroughly coat with the cornmeal mixture.
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15Place on the wire rack, and repeat for the remaining filets.
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16Place in the preheated oven and cook until golden brown, about 20 to 25 minutes.
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17Chef's Essentials: If you don’t have a wire rack that you can use in baking, I highly recommend that you purchase one. They are so useful. For example, if you don’t use a wire rack in this recipe, you should go in halfway through baking and flip the fish. In my opinion, this is an essential tool that all chefs should have in their kitchens.
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18PLATE/PRESENT
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19Serve up while still nice and warm with some homemade hushpuppies, some coleslaw, and maybe a few fries. Oh, and don’t forget good tarter sauce, and maybe more hot sauce. Enjoy.
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20Keep the faith, and keep cooking.
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21If you enjoyed this recipe, and would like to be notified when I post more yummy stuff, just click here to follow me: https://www.justapinch.com/my/favorites/add/id/747894
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