How to Make Crispy Baked Catfish
Baked catfish is easy to make and you can achieve a crispy outer crust, similar to what you would get from frying, straight from your oven. Here are a few tips for perfect results:
Prepare Your Baking Sheet
Perfectly baked catfish is all about getting a crispy, golden crust. To do this, we prepare our baking sheet with a layer of foil and place a wire rack on top of the prepared pan. This allows air to flow under the catfish fillets while they are baking and prevents them from getting soggy. The foil liner underneath catches crumbs and helps keep the baking sheet clean.
Get Your Dredge Ready
In order for the outer coating to stick to the catfish, we pat the fillets dry with a paper towel, then dip them in a lightly beaten egg. The egg acts like a glue for the coating mixture which is combined in a separate shallow dish. It’s flavored with Cajun seasoning and includes cornmeal for crunch. Cajun-Creole seasoning blends can be high in sodium, so if you want to limit your sodium intake look for salt-free Cajun seasoning. For the coating, we find fine cornmeal works best. It offers good crunch and adheres nicely to the fillets.
Don’t Forget the Cooking Spray
Cooking spray is key for perfect baked catfish. We spray it on the wire rack first to prevent the fish from sticking when it’s turned, then we spray it on top of the fish itself. The light coating of oil gently fries the outer coating of the fillets in the hot oven. We want both sides of the catfish to be crispy—we don’t call it “crispy” for nothing!—so we flip the fillets halfway through cooking. Don’t forget to spray the other side of the fillets for a nice, even crust.
What to Serve with Crispy Baked Catfish
Catfish has a mild flavor that pairs well with just about anything. Tartar sauce and a squeeze of lemon is all you really need to brighten up this easy dish, but you can serve it with a spicy hot sauce-based dip if you want to turn up the heat. A simple green salad is a perfect accompaniment, but a creamy coleslaw that offers good crunch will work well too.
Additional reporting by Hilary Meyer
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, Cajun,Catfish
, How to Make Crispy Baked Catfish Baked catfish is easy to make and you can achieve a crispy outer crust, similar to what you would get from frying, straight from your oven. Here are a few tips for perfect results: Prepare Your Baking Sheet Perfectly baked catfish is all about getting a crispy, golden crust.
, http://www.edamam.com/ontologies/edamam.owl#recipe_01619832c350694ad08c4b76d3259a37
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, Pescatarian,Dairy-Free,Gluten-Free,Wheat-Free,Peanut-Free,Tree-Nut-Free,Shellfish-Free,Red-Meat-Free,Crustacean-Free,Celery-Free,Sesame-Free,Lupine-Free,Mollusk-Free,Alcohol-Free,Sulfite-Free,FODMAP-Free
, Soy,Sulfites
, Ingredients:
- 12 ounces fresh or frozen catfish fillets
- ½ 16-ounce tube refrigerated cooked polenta, sliced ½-inch thick and cut into sticks
- Nonstick cooking spray
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons salt-free Cajun seasoning
- 8 cups chopped romaine or iceberg lettuce
- 1 large tomato, chopped
- 1 medium green sweet pepper, cut into bite-size strips
- 2 tablespoons light mayonnaise or salad dressing
- 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Creole mustard or spicy brown mustard
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, How to Make Crispy Baked Catfish Baked catfish is easy to make and you can achieve a crispy outer crust, similar to what you would get from frying, straight from your oven. Here are a few tips for perfect results: Prepare Your Baking Sheet Perfectly baked catfish is all about getting a crispy, golden crust. To do this, we prepare our baking sheet with a layer of foil and place a wire rack on top of the prepared pan. This allows air to flow under the catfish fillets while they are baking and prevents them from getting soggy. The foil liner underneath catches crumbs and helps keep the baking sheet clean. Get Your Dredge Ready In order for the outer coating to stick to the catfish, we pat the fillets dry with a paper towel, then dip them in a lightly beaten egg. The egg acts like a glue for the coating mixture which is combined in a separate shallow dish. It’s flavored with Cajun seasoning and includes cornmeal for crunch. Cajun-Creole seasoning blends can be high in sodium, so if you want to limit your sodium intake look for salt-free Cajun seasoning. For the coating, we find fine cornmeal works best. It offers good crunch and adheres nicely to the fillets. Don’t Forget the Cooking Spray Cooking spray is key for perfect baked catfish. We spray it on the wire rack first to prevent the fish from sticking when it’s turned, then we spray it on top of the fish itself. The light coating of oil gently fries the outer coating of the fillets in the hot oven. We want both sides of the catfish to be crispy—we don’t call it “crispy” for nothing!—so we flip the fillets halfway through cooking. Don’t forget to spray the other side of the fillets for a nice, even crust. What to Serve with Crispy Baked Catfish Catfish has a mild flavor that pairs well with just about anything. Tartar sauce and a squeeze of lemon is all you really need to brighten up this easy dish, but you can serve it with a spicy hot sauce-based dip if you want to turn up the heat. A simple green salad is a perfect accompaniment, but a creamy coleslaw that offers good crunch will work well too. Additional reporting by Hilary Meyer
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