Great recipe. The quantity of coating is huge, so you'll have enough for about 5 dinners. And I think it tastes better fried in peanut oil, but it's really tasty with canola oil as well. I fry mine for 7 minutes. Forget the tartar sauce, you won't need it.
Fried Catfish
The cooks at Carmack Fish House in Vaiden, Mississippi, serve this dish with tartar sauce and a side of hush puppies. Our kitchen director, Hunter Lewis, who hails from the South, wrote about catfish in “Pride of the Delta” (March 2009).
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Credit: André Baranowski
Canola or peanut oil, for frying
2 cups yellow cornmeal
1 1⁄3 cups flour
1⁄4 cup seasoned salt, such as Lawry's
2 tbsp. baking powder
1 tbsp. freshly ground black pepper
4 3–5-oz. boneless, skinless catfish filets
1⁄2 lemon, cut into wedges
Tartar Sauce, for serving
1. In an 8-qt. pot, pour in oil to a depth of 3". Heat oil over medium-high heat until it registers 350˚ on a deep-fry thermometer.
2. Meanwhile, combine cornmeal, flour, seasoned salt, baking powder, and pepper in a large bowl. Add the catfish and toss to coat. Gently shake off the excess cornmeal mixture and transfer catfish to a rack.
3. Working in 2 batches, fry the catfish in the hot oil until golden brown and cooked through, about 6 minutes. Using tongs, transfer catfish to a wire cooling rack set over a rimmed baking sheet to let drain. Transfer fish to 2 plates and serve with a lemon wedge and tartar sauce.
SERVES 2
