Paula Deen Oven Fried Catfish

Paula Deen oven fried catfish is a crispy cornmeal-crusted fish dish with buttermilk, hot sauce and catfish fillets that comes together in 20 minutes. Save this easy weeknight fish dinner for Sunday dinner, church supper or cookout night, because it's a lighter Southern comfort food made without a deep fryer.

Preheat the olive oil on the sheet tray while the oven comes up to 475°F, because the fillets need to sizzle the second they land. Skip it and the cornmeal crust sticks, steams and turns soft instead of crisp.

Paula soaks the fillets in buttermilk and hot sauce for 15 minutes, which seasons the fish and helps the crust cling. Crab boil seasoning in the flour mix gives it a peppery Gulf Coast kick you won't get from plain salt.

Paula Deen Oven Fried Catfish

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Course: DinnerCuisine: American, SouthernDifficulty: Easy

Servings

10

servings

Prep time

10

minutes

Cooking time

11

minutes

Calories

380

kcal

Buttermilk-soaked catfish gets a golden cornmeal crust that crisps on a preheated, oiled sheet tray. Flipping once halfway through keeps both sides crunchy while the inside stays flaky and moist.

Ingredients

• 1 cup buttermilk
  

• 2 tablespoons Hot sauce
  

• 4 catfish fillets
  

• 2 tablespoons Olive oil
  

• 1 cup Flour
  

• 1 cup yellow corn meal
  

• 2 teaspoons crab boil seasoning
  

• Salt and pepper
  

Directions

• Season and soak: Season 4 catfish fillets on both sides with salt and pepper. Then whisk 1 cup buttermilk and 2 tablespoons hot sauce in an 8x8 dish, add the fillets and let them soak for 15 minutes.
• Heat the oven: Heat your oven to 475°F while the catfish soaks. Make sure a rack sits in the middle so the fish browns evenly.
• Oil the sheet tray: Coat a sheet tray with 2 tablespoons olive oil and slide it into the oven. Leave it there to get hot while you mix the coating.
• Mix the coating: Whisk 1 cup flour, 1 cup yellow corn meal and 2 teaspoons crab boil seasoning in a second dish. That seasoned mix is what gives the crust its flavor and crunch.
• Dredge the fillets: Lift each fillet out of the buttermilk and let the extra drip off. Then press it into the cornmeal mixture on both sides until it's fully coated.
• Bake and flip: Lay the coated fillets on the hot tray and bake for 6 minutes. Then flip them carefully and bake 5 minutes more, until golden and cooked through.

Tools for this recipe

• Nordic Ware half sheet pan, OXO 11-inch balloon whisk, Winco slotted fish spatula, Partanna Sicilian extra virgin olive oil, 1 liter. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

FAQs

Can I use a different fish instead of catfish?

Tilapia, cod or flounder all work, since they're mild and flaky like catfish. Thinner fillets like tilapia may need a minute or two less in the oven, so check them early.

What can I use if I don't have crab boil seasoning?

Mix a teaspoon each of Old Bay, paprika and cayenne for a similar peppery kick. Old Bay alone also works in a pinch, though you may want to go easy on the added salt.

How do I reheat leftover oven fried catfish?

Warm it on a rack in a 400°F oven for about 8 minutes, which brings the crust back to crisp. The microwave steams the coating soft, so I'd skip it.

Can I make the buttermilk soak ahead of time?

You can season and soak the fillets for up to an hour in the fridge, but not much longer. After that the acid starts to turn the fish mushy.

Why isn't my coating crispy?

The most common cause is a tray that wasn't hot enough when the fish went on. Preheating the oiled tray for the full oven warm-up lets the bottom crust sizzle right away instead of steaming.