Cornmeal-Crusted Buttermilk Fried Catfish

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

Fish-fry catfish the way it's done on a Friday night in the South: strips soaked in hot-sauce buttermilk, dragged through seasoned cornmeal, and dropped into 350°F oil until the crust turns sandy-gold and crackly. Twelve ingredients, about fifteen minutes of actual frying, and a squeeze of lemon at the table.

Ingredients

• 1.5 lb catfish fillets
• 1.5 cups buttermilk
• 2 tbsp Louisiana-style hot sauce

• 1.5 cups fine yellow cornmeal
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp kosher salt, plus more for finishing
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

• 6 cups peanut or vegetable oil, for deep-frying
• 1 lemon, cut into wedges

Instructions

1. Pat the catfish dry and cut it on a slight angle into finger-width strips about 1 inch thick. Put them in a bowl, pour over the buttermilk and hot sauce, turn to coat, and refrigerate 30 minutes (up to 2 hours) while you set up.
2. In a wide shallow dish, whisk together the cornmeal, flour, 2 tsp salt, black pepper, smoked paprika, garlic powder, and cayenne until evenly colored. Set a wire rack over a baking sheet next to the stove.
3. Pour 2 inches of oil into a heavy 5- to 6-quart Dutch oven — it must come no more than one-third up the sides, since the oil will bubble up hard when the fish goes in. Clip on a deep-fry thermometer and heat over medium-high to 350°F (175°C), which takes 10–12 minutes. Safety note: keep the handle turned in, never leave hot oil unattended, keep water and kids away from the pot, and keep a lid nearby to smother flames — never use water on an oil fire.
4. Lift a few strips from the buttermilk, letting the excess run off for a second, then press them firmly into the cornmeal mixture, turning to coat every side. Shake off the loose meal and set the coated strips on a plate. Coat only enough for one batch at a time so the crust doesn't turn pasty.
5. Slide 4 or 5 strips into the oil one at a time, keeping the pot uncrowded, and fry 3 to 4 minutes, turning once, until the crust is deep sandy-gold and the fish floats. Adjust the burner to hold the oil between 340°F and 350°F; if it drops below 325°F the crust will drink oil.
6. Lift the fish out with a spider or slotted spoon onto the wire rack — not paper towels — and sprinkle with salt right away while the crust is still glossy. Let the oil climb back to 350°F before the next batch, about 1 minute.
7. Serve hot with lemon wedges, and hush puppies or coleslaw if you've got them. Let the oil cool completely in the pot before straining or discarding it.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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