Fried Catfish Recipe without the Mess

Here’s a faux fried catfish recipe that’s not fried, but tastes just as good as fried catfish and with a lot less mess. Cornmeal is essential for the breading, but along with flour you can also add crushed saltines or panko breadcrumbs. Catfish tastes best with tartar sauce, so we’ll throw together a simple tartar sauce, too.

Better Than Fried Catfish Ingredients

1 lbs. CATFISH
½ cup CORNMEAL
½ cup FLOUR
1 cup SALTINE CRACKERS (crushed) *optional
OLIVE OIL
SPICES…whatever you like
…in this video I use:
1 tsp PAPRIKA
1 tsp GARLIC POWDER
½ tsp CAYENNE PEPPER
1 tsp OREGANO
1 tsp THYME
1 tsp SALT
1 tsp BLACK PEPPER

also add 1tsp TURMERIC POWDER for great color

Tartar Sauce Ingredients:
1 cup MAYONNAISE
about 1/3 cup SWEET RELISH
1 tsp PICKLED JALAPENO (minced)
1-2 Tbsp JALAPENO PICKLING SOLUTION
(or sub lemon juice for the pickling juice)

Not Fried Catfish Recipe Directions

Catfish and tartar sauce are like Ying and Yang, so first things first, make the tartar sauce.
In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, sweet relish, jalapeno slices, and a little of the pickling solution. Ideally you do this a day ahead of time, or at the very least, a few hours; it’ll have a lot more flavor.

Not a fan of jalapeno peppers? Leave the peppers and pickling juices out, and substitute lemon juice instead. Mix well and refrigerate.

fried catfish recipe
Catfish tastes best with tartar sauce (and coleslaw!)

In a bowl, crush the saltine crackers, or you can substitute your favorite bread crumbs. Add the corn meal, all-purpose flour, and whatever spices and herbs you love.

The breading I use in this video is super tasty. Sometimes I use curry powder, which tastes fantastic, and also adds great color because of the turmeric. Whatever spices you use, be generous; catfish should be super flavorful! Remember, whatever spice you use will be balanced by the creamy tartar sauce.

On a baking sheet, generously coat the catfish with olive oil. Check current prices for baking sheets on Amazon. Coat both sides of the fish, and the pan. Dredge the fish in the breading, coating both sides.

Coat the fish well, and press the crumbs into the fish. Place on the baking pan and cook in an oven preheated to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. You can up the oven temperature to 400 degrees F and shorten the cooking time.

Cook until the fish is well-colored and bounces back when pressed. The fish in this video cooked for 45 minutes, but the pieces were quite large.

Make Your Side Dishes as the Fish Bakes

Fried catfish, and this not quite fried catfish recipe, go great with coleslaw, greens, and hush puppies. I’m usually too lazy to make all of that, and often I’ll just serve catfish with coleslaw and garlic toast.

For the perfect catfish dinner side dish, try this Classic Coleslaw Recipe.

crunchy slaw
classic coleslaw recipe

Thanks For Watching Our Recipe Videos!

Thanks for checking out this easy catfish recipe, and all of our recipes. Sign up for our mailing list so you’ll never miss a new recipe. Also click a button below and share the dishes with your friends. You can also follow Chef Buck on Youtube. We appreciate all the kind comments and support, and we’ll see you next time in the kitchen!

If you like what CG and I do, support us on Patreon, or throw us a tip in our Paypal Tip Jar. We’ll happily enjoy a coffee on the road – Thanks! We appreciate all the support, and we’ll see you next time in the kitchen!

We include affiliate links for products on our website. Making a purchase after clicking on our links and we may earn a commission which helps us produce more videos and drink more coffee :^) We participate in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, which is an affiliate advertising program. It provides a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites, so we can make more videos.

Share and Enjoy !

Comments are closed.

Follow Me!