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Fried Catfish Strips

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Prep Time:15 minutes
Cook Time:20 minutes
Total Time:35 minutes
Course: Appetizer, Main Course
Keyword: Fish, Fried, Gravy

Ingredients

Fried Catfish Strips

  • 1-2 lbs Catfish Filets thawed if previously frozen 4-6 filets
  • 2 tsp Kosher Salt
  • 1 cup Buttermilk
  • 1 cup Yellow Cornmeal
  • ½ cup All-Purpose Flour
  • 2 tsp Seasoned Salt
  • 1 tsp Paprika
  • ½ tsp Black Pepper
  • ½ tsp Cayenne Pepper
  • Peanut Oil or Vegetable Oil for frying

Gravy Dipping Sauce

  • 1 Chicken Stock Cube / Bouillon Cube sub 2 tsp powder
  • 1 Beef Stock Cube / Bouillon Cube sub 2 tsp powder
  • 2¼ cups Boiling Water
  • 4 tbsp Butter unsalted
  • 4 tbsp All-Purpose Flour
  • ½ tsp Onion Powder
  • ¼ tsp Ground Black Pepper
  • Salt if needed

Instructions

Catfish

  • Sprinkle the catfish filets with kosher salt on both sides. Cut fillets into strips. Place the seasoned strips in a shallow dish or resealable bag and cover with the buttermilk, turning to coat. Set aside to soak while preparing the rest of the ingredients and oil, or transfer to the fridge for up to 8 hours to marinate.
  • Combine cornmeal, flour, seasoned salt, paprika, black pepper, and cayenne pepper in a large resealable ziplock bag. Whisk or toss to evenly disperse spices.
  • Heat ½ to 1 inch of oil in a large cast iron pan or skillet over medium-high heat until it reaches 350-365℉.
  • Remove the catfish from the buttermilk soak 1-2 pieces at a time, letting excess buttermilk drip off. Transfer the catfish pieces to the bag of seasoned cornmeal and flour, seal, and toss to coat well. Transfer to a plate and repeat with the remaining fish pieces and coating.
  • Carefully add catfish pieces to the hot oil, working in batches so as not to crowd the pan. Fry for 4-8 minutes, flipping halfway through, until golden brown on the outside and cooked through in the middle. The cooking time will depend on the thickness of the fillets. Be sure to watch the heat as the fish fries so you can adjust up or down to keep the oil temp in the 350 to 365℉ range as much as possible.
  • Transfer the fried catfish to a baking sheet lined with a wire rack and place in a warm oven (225℉) while frying the remaining catfish pieces.

Gravy

  • Crumble cubes into boiling water, mix to dissolve. Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add flour, onion powder and pepper. Mix into butter with a wooden spoon or whisk. While stirring, slowly pour in half the liquid. Once incorporated into the flour butter roux (it will thicken quickly), add remaining liquid and mix. Stir for 1.5 – 2 minutes until it thickens to a gravy consistency (it's quick as water is already hot). Taste, add more salt and pepper if needed.