Deep-Fried Cornmeal Catfish Nuggets with Comeback Sauce

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

Bite-sized catfish soaked in hot-sauce buttermilk, tumbled in seasoned cornmeal, and deep-fried until the crust shatters. Fifteen minutes at the stove gets you a platter of golden nuggets and a tangy pink dipping sauce stirred together from pantry staples — a fish-fry supper without the fish camp.

Ingredients

• 1.5 lb catfish fillets
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 2 tbsp Louisiana-style hot sauce, plus 1 tsp for the sauce

• 1 cup yellow cornmeal
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tbsp Cajun seasoning, plus 1/2 tsp for the sauce
• 1 tsp fine salt, plus more for finishing
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 6 cups vegetable oil, for deep frying

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 2 tbsp ketchup
• 1 whole lemon, half juiced and half cut into wedges

Instructions

1. Pat the catfish dry and cut it into rough 2-inch nuggets. Toss in a bowl with the buttermilk and 2 tablespoons hot sauce, cover, and let soak 15 minutes at room temperature (or up to 8 hours in the fridge).
2. Stir the mayonnaise, ketchup, 1 teaspoon hot sauce, 1/2 teaspoon Cajun seasoning, and 1 tablespoon lemon juice together in a small bowl. Refrigerate the comeback sauce until serving.
3. In a wide shallow dish, whisk the cornmeal, flour, 1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning, 1 teaspoon salt, and the black pepper.
4. Pour the oil into a large deep heavy pot so it is about 2 inches deep and no more than halfway up the sides — that headroom is what keeps it from boiling over. Clip on a thermometer and heat over medium to 360°F (182°C), about 10 minutes. Safety note: keep a lid and an oven mitt within reach, keep children and pets out of the kitchen, and never move a hot pot or add water to hot oil; if oil ever ignites, slide the lid on and turn off the heat.
5. Lift the nuggets from the buttermilk a few at a time, letting the excess drip off, and press them firmly into the cornmeal mix until fully coated. Set them on a wire rack for 5 minutes so the crust sets.
6. Fry in batches of 6 to 8, never crowding the pot, for 3 to 4 minutes, turning once, until deep golden and the fish flakes at 145°F (63°C) inside. Lift out with a spider onto a clean wire rack, salt immediately, and let the oil climb back to 360°F before the next batch.
7. Pile the nuggets on a platter and serve hot with the comeback sauce and lemon wedges.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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