Pete's Catfish
Fish Recipes
A good catfish dish doesn’t have to be overly complicated, and this recipe is proof of that. It requires less than 10 simple ingredients—like catfish fillets, cornmeal, salt, pepper and oil for frying—and can be done in just a few steps. The only time-consuming bit? Soaking the catfish in a water brine overnight. After that, simply dredge, fry and enjoy.
Cooking Ingredients
- 6 large catfish fillets
- 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup cornmeal
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 quarts peanut oil
Cooking Direction
- Put the catfish a shallow pan and cover with water. Add a tablespoon of the salt, cover with plastic wrap and soak overnight in the refrigerator.
- Mix the cornmeal, flour, the remaining1 teaspoon salt and the black pepper in a plastic bag. Drain the water from the catfish and transfer the fillets one at a time to the bag with the cornmeal. Shake the bag to coat the fish and place on a sheet tray or platter.
- Heat the oil in a deep fryer or Dutch oven to 300 degrees F.
- Drop a few fillets into the hot oil. Do not overcrowd. Cook the fish until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Remove the pieces with a slotted spoon and keep warm in an oven while frying the remaining pieces.