Crispy Cornmeal Catfish Nuggets with Hot Honey

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

Bite-size catfish soaked in seasoned buttermilk, tumbled in a cornmeal crust and deep-fried until shatteringly crisp, then drizzled with a two-minute hot honey. It's the fish-fry plate you'd get at a roadside shack in Mississippi, scaled down to a weeknight pot of oil on the stove.

Ingredients

• 1.5 lb catfish fillets, cut into 1.5-inch chunks
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 tbsp hot sauce

• 1 cup yellow cornmeal
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tbsp Cajun seasoning
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper

• 6 cups peanut or vegetable oil, for deep-frying
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1 whole lemon, cut into wedges

Instructions

1. Toss the catfish chunks with the buttermilk and hot sauce in a bowl until coated. Cover and let sit at room temperature for 15 minutes (or up to 4 hours in the fridge) while you set up the rest.
2. Pour the oil into a heavy Dutch oven or deep pot to a depth of no more than 3 inches, leaving at least 3 inches of clear space to the rim. Clip on a thermometer and heat over medium until the oil reads 350°F (175°C). SAFETY: never leave hot oil unattended, keep the pot handles turned inward and away from the counter edge, and keep a metal lid and a box of baking soda within reach — if oil ever catches fire, smother it with the lid and turn off the heat, never water.
3. Stir the cornmeal, flour, Cajun seasoning, salt and black pepper together in a wide dish. Lift the catfish from the buttermilk a few pieces at a time, letting the excess drip off, and press each piece firmly into the cornmeal mix until fully coated. Set the coated pieces on a plate in a single layer.
4. Fry in 3 batches so the pot is never crowded: lower the nuggets in gently with tongs and fry for 3 to 4 minutes, turning once halfway, until deep golden and floating. Keep the oil between 340°F and 360°F, letting it come back up to 350°F between batches.
5. Lift each batch onto a wire rack set over a baking sheet (not paper towels, which steam the crust soft) and sprinkle immediately with a pinch of salt.
6. Warm the honey and cayenne in a small saucepan over low heat for 1 to 2 minutes, just until loose and fragrant, then take it off the heat.
7. Pile the nuggets on a platter, drizzle with the hot honey and serve right away with lemon wedges. Cool the frying oil completely before straining and discarding or storing it.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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