Fried Catfish

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •12-inch cast iron skillet
• •Instant-read thermometer or deep-fry thermometer
• •Wire cooling rack
• •Sheet pan
• •Spider strainer or slotted spoon

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the remoulade

   Combine mayonnaise, Creole mustard, horseradish, lemon juice, hot sauce, green onion, garlic, paprika, and cayenne in a bowl. Whisk until smooth and taste for seasoning. Add salt as needed. The remoulade should have a pleasant kick that wakes up your palate without overwhelming the fish. Cover and refrigerate while you prepare everything else. The flavors will marry and improve as it sits.

   Make this a day ahead if you can. The flavors deepen overnight and the sauce thickens to the perfect consistency.
2. 2

   Soak the catfish

   Place catfish fillets in a shallow dish and pour buttermilk over them. Add the hot sauce to the buttermilk and turn the fillets to coat completely. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, or up to 4 hours. The buttermilk tenderizes the fish and helps the cornmeal coating adhere. You will see the fillets turn slightly opaque at the edges. That's the buttermilk working its magic.

   If your catfish smells strongly fishy, the buttermilk soak will mellow that out. Fresh catfish should smell clean, like a pond on a cool morning.
3. 3

   Season the dredge

   Whisk together cornmeal, flour, salt, black pepper, cayenne, garlic powder, onion powder, and white pepper in a wide shallow bowl or pie plate. Taste a tiny pinch. It should taste well-seasoned, almost aggressively so. Remember, most of this coating stays in the bowl. The fish only takes what clings to it. This is where you build flavor, so don't be shy.

4. 4

   Heat the oil

   Pour oil into a 12-inch cast iron skillet to a depth of about one inch. Heat over medium-high until it reaches 350 to 360 degrees. If you don't have a thermometer, drop a pinch of cornmeal into the oil. It should sizzle immediately and float to the top, dancing across the surface. If it sinks and sits quietly, your oil is too cool. If it burns instantly, too hot. Adjust your flame accordingly.

   Peanut oil has the best flavor for frying fish and a high smoke point. Vegetable oil works fine, but I've been using peanut oil at Lagniappe for twenty-five years.
5. 5

   Dredge the fillets

   Remove one fillet from the buttermilk and let excess drip off for a few seconds. Lay it in the seasoned cornmeal and press gently to coat. Flip and coat the other side, pressing again. Shake off excess and set on a wire rack. Repeat with remaining fillets. Let them rest for 5 minutes before frying. This brief rest helps the coating set and adhere better during frying.

6. 6

   Fry until golden

   Carefully slide two fillets into the hot oil, laying them away from you to prevent splashing. The oil will bubble vigorously. That's steam escaping from the fish, and it means good things are happening. Fry for 3 to 4 minutes per side until the crust is deep golden brown and the fish is cooked through. The internal temperature should reach 145 degrees. You will know it is ready when the crust looks like burnished gold and the edges are darker, almost amber.

   Do not crowd the pan. Two fillets at a time is plenty. Crowding drops the oil temperature and gives you soggy fish.
7. 7

   Drain and season

   Transfer fried fillets to a wire rack set over a sheet pan. Season immediately with a light sprinkle of salt while the crust is still glistening. The hot oil will carry that final seasoning into every crevice. Let the oil return to temperature before frying the remaining fillets.

8. 8

   Serve immediately

   Arrange catfish on a platter with lemon wedges and a generous bowl of remoulade. Fried catfish waits for no one. The crust starts losing its crunch the moment it leaves the oil. Call everyone to the table first, then plate the fish. In my family, we eat standing up at the counter, fighting over the crispiest pieces. That's the bayou way.

Chef Tips

• •Farm-raised catfish has a milder, cleaner flavor than wild-caught. For this recipe, I prefer farm-raised. Save the wild stuff for grilling or blackening where the stronger flavor can shine.
• •Stone-ground cornmeal makes a noticeable difference in texture. It is coarser than the degerminated stuff and creates a crunchier crust with more character. Find it at farmers markets or specialty stores.
• •If your fillets are thick (over an inch), butterfly them or pound them gently to even thickness. Uneven fillets cook unevenly, and nobody wants raw fish inside a beautiful crust.
• •Save the seasoned cornmeal that's left over. Store it in a jar in the freezer and use it next time. Just add a little fresh seasoning to wake it up.
• •A squeeze of fresh lemon over the hot fish right before eating cuts the richness and brightens every bite. Don't skip it.

Advance Preparation

• •Remoulade can be made up to 5 days ahead and refrigerated. The flavor improves with time.
• •Catfish can soak in buttermilk for up to 4 hours in the refrigerator. Longer than that and the texture starts to break down.
• •The cornmeal dredge can be mixed up to a week ahead and stored in an airtight container. Add it to the buttermilk-soaked fish just before frying.
• •Fried catfish does not hold well. Plan to serve immediately. This is a cook-and-eat-now dish, not a make-ahead meal.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 305g)