Southern Fried Catfish
Ingredients
- 1 quart peanut oil
- 1 cup stone ground fine cornmeal
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 tsp Old Bay seasoning
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- ¼ tsp smoked paprika
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 6 Catfish fillets patted dry
- ¾ cup low fat buttermilk
Instructions
- Heat peanut oil in a large Dutch oven over high heat until it reaches 350℉. Adjust the heat to maintain temperature.
- Combine the Old Bay, salt, paprika, and pepper in a small bowl.
- Season the catfish evenly on both sides with spice mixture.
- Whisk the cornmeal and flour together in a shallow dish.
- Pour the buttermilk into another shallow dish and dip each fillet into buttermilk. Flip once to coat both sides. Then coat both sides in cornmeal mixture. Set on cooling rack and let rest 5 minutes.
- Gently add fish to hot oil – do not overcrowd pan.
- Fry until golden brown, about 5-6 minutes. Remove the fish to cooling rack set over a newspaper lined sheet pan.
- Serve immediately.