Catfish recipes

I almost exclusively eat my catfish deep fried. Looking for some other recipes that don't involve frying in any way. What say you?

Blackened! A dab of blue cheese dressing on top, thank me later.

that's not a recipe. lol

Skin it but don’t fillet it. Stuff the cavity with fresh lemon slices, celery, onion, maybe apple slices. Be creative. Bake it in oven loosely wrapped in foil or gently smoke it over pecan or fruitwood. You’ll get white flakey meat that is very moist and tasty.

Big old bass also like this method.

Bake it with a light sprinkling of Tony's.

On the fly between doses of Vitamin Zzzzzzzzz here.

QWIK Oven BBQ Catfish:
Cut up into small pieces. Try to have evenly thickness, but not too thick. Spread out in pan w/ aluminum foil. Put some water in to keep moist. Be sure catfish is salt & peppered accordingly. Squirt a good dab of your BBQ sauce on each piece. Put in broiler. Flip when you think it needs to be. Another dap of BBQ sauce on each piece. Fish should fall apart with BBQ flavor. It should not take too long in broiler.


Grilled Catfish:
Take bigger chunks of bigger BlueCats or a slab (not thin filets, but back straps if smaller than a 4 pounder). Salt & Pepper & then sprinkle on Tony's Creole Seasoning accordingly to your tastes. Slap on the grill. For me, charcoal & hickory chips. Turn once, or several times, as needed. Will have that good smoked taste, catfish taste, BlueCat taste, and Tony's taste, all in one. It should literally fall apart. Dip bites in ice cold Del Monte ketchup. Or you could dab BBQ sauce on the chunks or dip bites as you eat it. But you will need tongs & a spatula (or the combo type), as fish will try to stick to grill.

Another way, is to double up on Aluminum foil & set smaller pieces (uniform thickness) & almost seal it up. It may or may not stick to aluminum foil. You might want to add a dash of water, so it won't dry out as much.


OK, here is another completely different way, as my first wife got tired of fried catfish. It has a tamer taste, but most interesting.
Chicken Fried Catfish:
Salt & Pepper liberally your pieces. Then dip into your batter that you would use for fried chicken. Then dip into flour. Again, dip back in the batter. And deep fry. As you go, scoops excess fried batter out to keep from burning in grease. Note that I say grease (see note below).


You can also batter your normal way & either grill outside or cook in oven. Or you could grill on the new inside grills. But remember that it is best to have your pieces all about the same thickness, so they get cooked about the same time (if in oven). Or you will play cat-n-mouse as to which are done first & later.


+++++++++++++++++
NOTE on oil vs. grease (shortening):
We had a discussion a few years back on this. It seems to be that while grease may not be as good for you as vegetable oils, there are some things that most do not realize. You can get the grease up to a higher temperature than the oils. By doing this, you fry faster & the meat is crispier & does not absorb as much. I always try to use Mrs. Tuckers, as to the best to use. I have tried Crisco, etc. etc. But of all, Mrs. Tucker's fries up the very best!!! And I try to always have ice cold Del Monte ketchup ready for dipping into.

As to normal deep fry, the very best of Catfish, is from BlueCats weighing about 12# to 14#. You shave the 2 back straps from the bone (not fillet them). You cut across to have what look like small "8" or "B" steaks. About 1.25 to 1.5 inches thick. After deep frying, your batter shell should be slightly crisp. But as you crack it open, the meat will flake. There is nothing better, if fried in Mrs. Tucker's & dipped in Del Monte. For some reason, the 12 to 14# pounders are the very best for this.

Tucker’s and others mentioned are all veggie oils and will smoke and get burnt taste if overheated. Use lard, or lard seasoned with bacon grease, or coconut oil, or peanut oil. All these fats can get hotter than most others and not taste burnt. These oils are also much better for you than veggie oils.

Thanks for all the ideas guys. I can say that I would enjoy every single one of these; there's not much seafood that I don't like. It's my GF that I'm concerned about. When I met her 2.5 years ago, she said she didn't like fish. Talking more I found out that she had never had fried catfish so she tried it and LOVES it. But fish cooked other ways is still hit or miss with her so I'm looking for new things to try out.

Thanks again for all the responses and keep em coming!!!

Cast, not for me. I have heart and cholesterol problems. Any fat that is solid at room temperature will clog your arteries. So I have to use Canola oils and such.

Willie, try coconut oil. It is liquid at room temp.

Rolled in Louisiana brand seasoned shrimp fry, yes shrimp fry, and deep fried with a dipping sauce of ketchup, Hellmans mayo, and Worcestershire. Fresh shrimp cooked the same way, and onion rings on the side

For my shrimp, I do a milk and egg wash then roll in the shrimp fry.

If she doesn't like fried catfish. you need to cut her loose.

Okay spazmo here is a great recipe with instructions lol.
Chili lime catfish
1tsp paprika
1tsp dried parsley
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/8 tsp cayenne
2 tbs olive oil divided
1 tbs unsalted butter
Juice of two limes and the zest of one
Two catfish filets
Cooked rice or whatever you like

Directions
Mix all spices
Brush fish with 1 tbs of olive oil
Rub fish with the spice mix (you will use all of the rub) let fish rest in the refrigerator for at least 45 minuets
Cook in a 450 degree oven until done, about 10 minuets be sure to use a non stick pan or spray foil with pam
In a small saucepan add the butter, olive oil, lime juice and zest. Heat it up and poor over filets.
I like to rest my fish on a 1/2 cup of cooked rice before cooking

This is an easy recipe that works well with any fish. I’m making it tonight using red snapper I caught last week.

Sorry it should say “I like to rest mine on cooked rice before SAUCING”

Tucker's has some animal fat mixed in, not pure vegetable oil.

Yes, "fmrmbmim" is correct. There may be some vegetable oil in it, but mostly animal fats. I've used Mrs. Tuckers since 1978 or so. And as my Uncle noted, my Grandmother used it as well. And she could make that old cast iron stove "sing" with great food!!!

I can get Mrs. Tucker's up to just about smoking, and skim a match in it & it will light up, and yank it away from the grease in a cast iron pot. Or I can wade it thru the top to get it wet. Then swish it back & forth in the air & light it up (out of the grease). That gives you an idea of just how hot it really is. If you were to drop a few battered pieces into the grease too close, that were stuck together, and some fell, the grease would climb the ladder tyo your fingers. By the time you drop the rest & pull your fingers back, you will have blisters & they will already have popped, by the time you stop trying to air cool them. I know from experience.

As you fry the first two or 3 batches, they will fry out darker, but they will pull the temp down just a bit to where it evens out & the batches will be golden brown from there.

Fry in cottonseed oil. It has a high flash point, and doesn't absorb any food taste. Use a fryer that has a space under the element so the corn meal will settle below it. It is the cornmeal that burns and gives the burnt taste. It also makes the fish a shade of brown instead of golden yellow. I fry in cottonseed oil at 375º and have never had any burnt taste.

I'm gonna look at Tucker's. Of course peanut oil is the good stuff.

I'd love to know who started the peanut oil farce. Other than being one that the highest number of people are allergic too I don't see anything it has going for it, especially not for the extra cost. Most of my fish is cooked in vegetable or canola oil, all have high enough smoke points to allow for frying with no problems. I use a counter top fry and change the oil maybe 2-3 times a year we fry all kinds of stuff in it, chicken, fish, homemade mozzarella sticks, fries/tots and on and on. Pick a suitable frying oil don't overheat it and you will never know the difference.

Sounds tasty. Pictures?

Sorry I don’t but it will look like a shade lighter than blackened when done. I like lime but some that I serve this to aren’t use to the tartness so I would go lighter with the lime juice and increase the butter. I cooked it last night and it was outstanding

https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/catfish-soup-recipe-1919052 This Asian style fish soup is ridiculously good. I've made it for multiple people and they love it. It's good with rice or just by itself. I like to add a couple of thai chili peppers and make it spicy, although habanero, serrano, and jalapeno do the job too.

Sounds really good.do you make the dashi?

I tried peanut oil once. Just was not fried catfish, as to my taste buds. Here is a snip from Mr's Tucker's 2015 label I jotted down a few years back when we were discussing it:
++++++++++++
Mrs. Tucker's Shortening
Net weight 42 oz. (2 lb., 10 oz.) 1.19 kg

prepared with Meat Fats, Vegetable oils, mono- and Diglycerides added: BHA,BHT added to help protect flavor.
Makes Flaky Pie Crust. Fries Crispy.
++++++++++++

KQT, I do make the Dashi. Really easy, but you have to find an Asian market. Or Amazon. Heb has the ingredients if it's a fancier one. There's also Dashi boullion cubes that do the job.

Ok I microwave catfish. I coat the fish in mayonnaise salt and pepper and microwave for five minutes. It is very tasty and is fast. Now I mostly fry and peanut oil is heart healthy.

Courtbullion (Coo-bee-ohn)


First you make a roux. Approximately equal volume of oil and flour. Cook until penny brown.

Add the holy trinity, onion, bell pepper and celery. Cook til tender.

Add 1 can of spicy Rotel, 1 small can of tomato paste, then either 16 oz of tomato sauce or diced tomatoes.
If using diced tomatoes will take a little longer to cook down.

Simmer with occaissinal stirring until sauce has smooth consistency with few tomato chunks.

Taste for seasoning. Make sure seasoning is just right, adjust for your preference.

Once seasoning is perfect, add bite size pieces of fish, bigger fish esp flatheads (goujon) are better. Simmer and delicately stir for 30 minutes. Be careful not to break up fish too much.

Serve over white rice.