Pan-fried Catfish

By criscrossqz

Even though I'm not really a fan of cooked fish, I DO love fried catfish. But, most of the time it has a very thick crust and is dried out. So, I tried doing it MY way and the fish is moist and tender, with a thinner crispy crust (less fat this way too)

Ingredients

• 4 catfish fillets
• 1/2 about 1/2 cup oil (I like olive oil but vegetable is fine)
• 2 tsp Creole seasoning (Tony Chachere’s or Zatarains, but
• regular seasoned salt is ok)
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• pepper
• 1 egg, beaten with about 2 TB water
• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup panko OR cornmeal (cornmeal is traditional, but I like
• panko since it’s a lighter crust)

Preparation

Step 1

Mix seasonings with flour and panko; dip fish in egg wash and lightly dredge in flour mixture. Start with about 1/4 cup oil in a heavy skillet (cast iron is best). Carefully lay fillets in skillet (don’t overlap) and fry until crisp and browned on the bottom (about 4 min); turn carefully and brown the other side ~ add more oil if you need it. Lift out and drain on paper towels. Serve with tartar sauce or lemon wedges ~

I like to make these easy GARLIC CHEESE GRITS with it:

Using INSTANT grits, make according to the box, but add about 1 heaping TB crushed garlic to the water. When the grits are done (according to package), add 3-5 TB butter and about 1 cup shredded cheese (whatever type you like). Stir until butter and cheese are