Oven Fried Catfish
A Southern Favorite: Oven “Fried” Catfish.
Ingredients
1 pound catfish fillets, cut into smaller pieces or halved
1 cup yellow cornmeal
¼-1/2 all purpose flour
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon lemon pepper
2 teaspoons hot sauce
1 ½ cups low fat buttermilk, plant based milk, or cow’s milk
1-2 large eggs
(Or 1-2 Tablespoons Salt-Free Cajun Spice Blend instead of separate spices - contact us for our DIY Salt Free Spice Blend Recipe)
*If your prefer fewer seasonings on your fish, use salt and pepper
*It’s best to cook this fish on a baking or cooling rack to increase the crispiness. Cooking this fish on a baking sheet alone can cause the fish to be soggy.
Pat the catfish dry, cut it into smaller pieces, or halve it.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Prepare a sheet pan with the baking/cooling rack. If you like, line the pan with foil. Spray the baking/cooling rack with nonstick spray.
Add cornmeal, flour, and seasonings to a brown paper or gallon plastic bag and shake gently.
Mix milk, eggs, and hot sauce in a shallow pan.
Place the fish in the liquid mixture and coat both sides.
Add the fish to the cornmeal mixture and coat.
Place the fish on the prepared sheet pan. Ensure proper spacing and no overlap.
Spray the fish with nonstick cooking spray. Spray generously so as not to leave any dry spots.
Place in the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes until golden brown and an internal temperature of 145 degrees.
Tips:
Try air fryer crispy catfish, following the same recipe. Follow your air fryer directions for cooking the fish.
If you only have a sheet pan (no baking or cooling sheet), broil the fish once it is done. To enhance crispiness, place the oven on broil for 3-5 minutes, watching the fish closely to improve crispiness.
Any white fish is a great option.
You can skip the milk and egg mixture if you’d like and try this recipe with dry ingredients, hot sauce, and spices.