How to cook catfish fillets

Season catfish with salt and pepper, then dredge fish in seasoned cornmeal, pressing to coat. Place fish on prepared baking sheet and drizzle with remaining 2 tablespoons oil. Bake until golden and fish flakes easily with a fork, 15 minutes. Serve with lemon wedges.

Wild-caught catfish is typically soaked in buttermilk for at least an hour to get rid of the muddy flavor.

Simply soak the catfish in milk for an hour before frying to eliminate any leftover fishy taste. The cornmeal crust creates a perfect light and crispy texture. Jack says the catfish are done when “most of the bubbling stops and the fillets begin to float.”

Fried catfish is traditionally prepared by skinning the fish, keeping it whole (except the head), or butchering into fillets, dredging the pieces in seasoned cornmeal and frying in hot oil in a cast-iron skillet. If deep-frying the fish, you can tell it’s done when it floats to the top.

The key to frying a fresh fillet of fish is the temperature of the oil. In my kitchen test, both the corn meal and flour came out perfect although the cornmeal tended to be more uniformly golden across the fillet.

The best way to tell if your fish is done is by testing it with a fork at an angle, at the thickest point, and twist gently. The fish will flake easily when it’s done and it will lose its translucent or raw appearance. A good rule of thumb is to cook the fish to an internal temperature of 140-145 degrees.

Points to remember when cooking fish

Any harmful bacteria will be on the outside of the fish, and not in the middle. So, you can cook whole fish to preference or pink in the middle, as long as the outside is fully cooked. This is because they can contain harmful bacteria throughout.

Foodborne illness can result in severe vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal pain, among other symptoms. Major types of food poisoning that can result from eating raw or undercooked fish and shellfish include Salmonella and Vibrio vulnificus.

In addition to being low in calories and sodium, catfish is packed with protein, healthy fats, vitamins, and minerals. Catfish is a low calorie, high protein seafood that’s a great source of nutrients, including vitamin B12, selenium, and omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids.

Fresh catfish meat is white to off-white, sometimes pinkish, with noticeable translucency and iridescence. Cooked meat is opaque and white. Don’t buy it if it is reddish or slightly yellow. Also, don’t expect it to have the oceany odor of marine fish; uncooked catfish smells almost like raw chicken.

Fry the fish, two or three pieces at a time, in the hot oil until the coating is golden and fish begins to flake when tested with a fork, turning once. This takes about 3 or 4 minutes per batch. Drain the deep-fried fish on paper towels, flipping the fillets to drain both sides.

Heat & lights

Catfish require warm water that’s between 74 and 78 degrees Fahrenheit. Choose an aquarium heater with 5 watts of power for each gallon of water in the aquarium. A large aquarium may need a heater at either end. Wait 15 minutes after filling the tank before turning on the heater.

Maintaining the oil temperature is crucial. Most seafood should be fried between 350 to 375 degrees.

Is It Done Yet? No matter how you cook it, you’ll know fish is done when it flakes easily and is no longer translucent. Deep fried fish will float to the surface when thoroughly cooked. Fish cooks best when it’s evenly cut in a thickness of one inch.

Starch Coatings for Frying

Cornstarch and potato starch are two Asian-influenced alternatives that create a golden and crisp coating on fried whiting without the use of flour. Season whiting fillets generously before dredging them in one of these starches; shake off excess starch before frying.

You can make crispy and crunchy fried chicken without using flour. There are other things that can be used to achieve similar, even better results. Egg and breadcrumbs and Cornstarch can be used to get crispier chicken. Most Asian restaurants don’t use flour when frying, and they still have crispy final fried chicken.

“Heating your pan properly is a key factor for keeping your fish from sticking and will give you a flavorful crust. Heat your pan on a medium-high heat, then add a small amount of oil or clarified butter. When the fat is shimmering, the pan is hot enough to add your protein.

“Extra-virgin olive oil is an excellent choice for cooking, even for high-heat methods like frying,” she says. “Pan-frying fish in olive oil gives it a wonderfully crispy crust, and it’s a divine light choice since you don’t have to lather it in batter or leave it in marinades for hours on end.”