Fried Whole Catfish
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Recipe by:
Serves: 4
Ingredients
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 2 large eggs
  • ¼ cup pickle juice
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoons Creole mustard or whole-grain mustard
  • 1 teaspoon Acadiana Table Cajun Seasoning Blend, see recipe here
  • 1 teaspoon hot sauce
  • 1 cup yellow cornmeal
  • ½ cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon lemon pepper
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 gallon peanut oil or vegetable oil
  • 4 (8 to 12 ounce) whole wild-caught catfish, cleaned
  • 3 tablespoons chopped parsley
  • Lemon wedges, for serving
  • Cocktail sauce, for serving
Instructions
  1. In a large bowl, add the milk, eggs, pickle juice, lemon juice, mustard, Cajun seasoning, and hot sauce. Whisk until blended.
  2. In a large bowl, add the cornmeal, flour, lemon pepper, and salt. Stir the dry mixture together.
  3. In a deep fryer or Dutch oven over medium-high heat, add the oil and bring to a temperature of 350ºF.
  4. Add the catfish to the liquid mixture and coat on all sides.
  5. Transfer the catfish to the dry mixture and coat on all sides.
  6. Place the battered catfish on a tray and chill in the refrigerator for 10 minutes to let the batter set.
  7. In batches, add the catfish to the hot grease (do not crowd the pot). Let cook on all sides until golden brown and fully cooked, about 5 to 8 minutes . Remove to a wire rack lined with paper towels to drain.
  8. Serve family-style with a sprinkle of fresh parsley, lemon wedges, and your favorite cocktail sauce on the side.
Notes
Search out whole wild-caught catfish for the highest quality. In the Lafayette area, you can order it from Fresh Water Seafood in Loreauville. And in Baton Rouge, buy it at Tony's Seafood.
Recipe by Acadiana Table at https://acadianatable.com/2021/05/10/fried-whole-catfish/