37 Reviews of Classic Fried Catfish

From: Susie in Texas

On Jul 26, 2002

I have used this recipe for years! My only modification is that I use 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper and 1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper instead of the 1 teaspoon red pepper. Also, because where we live in SE Texas, we are usually cooking fresh catfish, I soak the fish in buttermilk about 30 minutes before frying. This method may be used for catfish filets or frying whole, pansized catfish. Yummy!

From: Gingerbear

On May 6, 2002

This is a great recipe. This one is a keeper. It was absolutly delicious. I added the salt to taste to the coating. We will be making this one for good. Thank you for posting it.

From: Aunt Willie

On Jul 8, 2002

Used this to coat catfish DH and I caught while camping. Took the coating with us in a ziploc, breaded fresh catfish fillets (that I had soaked in buttermilk for a few hours) and cooked them in a cast iron skillet over a fire! Yummy! Thank you for sharing!

From: its_me_susan

On Dec 11, 2002

This recipe was easy & delicious. I have never eaten or prepared catfish before, but I was impressed with this recipe. *** I dipped in milk first.

From: Cynna

On Dec 11, 2004

Delicious, but I did alter a few things to suit my tastes. I added 1/4 cup of grated Parm/Romano cheese and used fresh ground black pepper instead of the red. Cooked em in the fry daddy @ 350 degrees for the same amount of time....mmmmm....deee-licious! Thanks so much!

From: Browntrees

On Apr 22, 2005

Great recipe for a delicious fish coating!! I substituted slightly, by using 1/2 teaspoon Garlic powder & adding 1/4 teaspoon Onion powder to the mixture. I also left out the 1/4 teaspoon of salt & sprinkled the Catfish with a little Seasoned Salt, Garlic powder & Onion powder before dredging in the mixture. The Catfish was a beautiful golden brown and quite TASTY!! This one is a winner! Thanks Bev!

From: justcallmejulie

On Feb 7, 2005

The last time this non-Southerner tried to fix catfish, it was nasty! This recipe, however, unlocked the mystery of good catfish for me. I used the full teaspoon of hot red pepper, and on two of the fillets, I tried the other reviewer's method of soaking in buttermilk, but I added a big dose of Louisiana hot sauce to the buttermilk first. My nervous family was relieved after they took their first bites…it was a hit with and without the buttermilk/hot sauce step! The amounts given for the dredging mixture were “spot on” – nothing left over, but just enough to coat all pieces nicely. It’s an excellent recipe to add to my budding Southern cooking repertoire. ;>) Thank you!

From: Synctone24

On Jul 23, 2004

What can I say but EXCELLENT!!! I did as others and soaked in buttermilk first. But boy it was great thanks for the recipe.

From: Stacky5

On Jan 30, 2006

Oh, THAT IS IT! Just what I've been looking for for fresh catfish! Excellent! So simple, yet so wonderful! True Southern comfort food to me! TY for posting Bev (and Just Cher - apparently these were duplicate recipes because this same review showed up in both recipes...)But I love this! Thank you!!

From: Mysterygirl

On Mar 18, 2004

That would be my mama - this is the very recipe that we have used for over 30 years. In recent years we've eaten more crappie than catfish and for us it's the only way to eat it. Sometimes we also add some cajun seasoning to the cornmeal.