Name: Fried Catfish with Hushpuppies
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 4 fillet catfish fillets; 1 3/4 cup buttermilk; 1 tbsp hot sauce; 2 cup yellow cornmeal; 1 cup all-purpose flour; 2 tsp paprika; 1 tsp garlic powder; 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper; 1 tsp black pepper; 1 tbsp kosher salt; 2 tsp baking powder; 1 tbsp granulated sugar; 1 small yellow onion; 1 whole eggs; 8 cup vegetable oil; 1 whole lemon

← Recipes · Deep Fried · Fried Catfish with Hushpuppies

820 cal38g protein68g carbs44g fat1280mg sodium

Estimated, per serving — stays per-serving no matter how many you cook for.

From scratch50 min activeShortcut40 min active

Everyday 25nothing beyond the everyday cabinet

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Fried Catfish with Hushpuppies

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Deep Fried50 minComfortable cook

Serves−4+· written for 4 — change it and the ingredients follow

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Ingredients

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catfish filletsabout 6 oz each, patted dry4 fillets

buttermilk1 cup for soaking the fish, 3/4 cup for the hushpuppy batter1 3/4 cups

hot sauceplus more for serving1 tbsp

yellow cornmeal1 cup for the fish crust, 1 cup for the hushpuppies2 cups

all-purpose flour1/2 cup for the fish crust, 1/2 cup for the hushpuppies1 cup

paprika2 tsp

garlic powder1 tsp

cayenne pepper1/2 tsp

black pepper1 tsp

kosher salt2 tsp for the fish crust, 1 tsp for the hushpuppies1 tbsp

baking powder2 tsp

granulated sugar1 tbsp

yellow oniongrated on a box grater1 small

eggs1 whole

vegetable oilfor deep-frying, about 2 inches deep in the pot8 cups

lemoncut into wedges1 whole

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Sides

Most sides finish faster than the main — start the quick ones last so everything lands hot.

Steps

1Whisk 1 cup of the buttermilk with the hot sauce in a shallow dish. Slip in the catfish, turn to coat, and let it soak while you make everything else, at least 15 minutes.

2Make the hushpuppy batter: in a bowl, stir 1 cup cornmeal, 1/2 cup flour, baking powder, sugar, and 1 tsp of the salt. Add the grated onion, egg, and remaining 3/4 cup buttermilk and stir just until combined. The batter should be thick and scoopable. Let it rest 10 minutes.

3In a wide shallow dish, mix the remaining 1 cup cornmeal, 1/2 cup flour, remaining 2 tsp salt, paprika, garlic powder, cayenne, and black pepper.

4Heat your oven to 200°F and set a wire rack over a sheet pan. Pour the oil into a dutch oven so it is about 2 inches deep, with at least 3 inches of room above it, and heat to 350°F on a deep-fry thermometer.

5Fry the hushpuppies first: drop in rounded tablespoons of batter, 5 or 6 at a time, and fry 3 to 4 minutes, turning once or twice, until deep golden and cooked through. Lift out with a spider onto the rack, salt lightly, and keep warm in the oven. Let the oil climb back to 350°F between batches.

6Lift each catfish fillet out of the buttermilk, let the excess drip off, and press firmly into the cornmeal mixture on both sides until thickly coated. Rest the coated fillets on a plate for 5 minutes so the crust sticks.

7Raise the oil to 360°F. Lay in 2 fillets at a time, away from you, and fry 3 to 4 minutes per side, until the crust is deep golden and the fish flakes easily and reads 145°F in the thickest part. Drain on the rack, sprinkle with a pinch of salt, and keep warm while you fry the rest.

8Serve the catfish right away with hushpuppies, lemon wedges, and extra hot sauce.

9Turn off the heat and let the oil cool completely in the pot. Because it now holds cornmeal, flour, and buttermilk crumbs, do not save it for reuse: strain out the solids, pour the oil into a sealable container, and discard it with your trash. Never pour it down the drain, because it hardens in the pipe.