We recently went fishing with my dad and my son was over the moon excited to catch some catfish and gar. I love giving him a chance to see the circle of life by catching the fish, cooking the fish, how it makes it to our plate and nourishes our bodies. This is a quicker way to “fry” fish all at once. It came out nice and crispy and I highly recommend making sure you evenly spray the tops so they come out crispy too.
Spicy Oven Fried Catfish
(Adapted from Grandbaby Cakes)
Non-stick olive oil spray
2/3 cup yellow cornmeal
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2-2 teaspoons seasoned salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon lemon pepper
1/4 teaspoon paprika
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons hot sauce
1 pound catfish fillets cut into smaller pieces
Preheat oven to 425 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper liberally sprayed with non-stick olive oil spray.
In a brown bag or ziploc bag, add cornmeal, flour, salt, pepper, cayenne, lemon pepper, and paprika and shake together.
In a deep pie plate or large shallow bowl, whisk together eggs and hot sauce.
Add each fillet to the bag of cornmeal breading to coat then dip into beaten eggs on both sides, then lastly add back into the cornmeal breading and shake liberally to coat well. Place the fillet on the coated baking sheet. Repeat with each fillet.
Liberally spray the tops of each fillet with non-stick baking spray coating the fish well until completely covered in spray. Bake for 25-30 minutes depending on thickness of fillets until golden brown but still juicy in the inside.
Remove fish and cool for 5 minutes then serve with lemon and chopped parsley.