Southern Fried Whole Catfish is a delightful and authentic Southern dish made with simple ingredients that bring back memories of fishing with Grandpa.
How To Fry Whole Catfish
This recipe for whole catfish is a straightforward one. One that brings out the purest flavor of the catfish. It is well coated with seasoned self-rising cornmeal mixture, then deep-fried in Crisco shortening until flakey, crispy, crunchy, and simply delicious.
Summer is closing down, and in the past years, by this time, we have fried catfish at least two or three times. But as the years go by, they are few and far between.
It is just so much easier to go to our favorite catfish restaurant and buy a fried catfish dinner. And we have excellent restaurants now that serve some delicious catfish.
This recipe is the easiest and best recipe you will ever use to fry catfish. I hope you will give it a try. Enjoy!
WHERE CAN I FIND THE RECIPE? TAKE ME TO THE RECIPE FOR FRIED WHOLE CATFISH
Below, under the next heading, I give a list of preferred ingredients, tips, and cooking instructions for Fried Whole Catfish and similar recipe ideas you can have.
You can also scroll down to the bottom, where you will find a full printable recipe card with the amounts of the ingredients, complete instructions, and notes.
TIPS AND TIDBITS TO MAKE THE BEST FRIED WHOLE CATFISH
Have all the catfish salted and ready for coating before starting to fry. This will help with not being distracted and possibly burning the catfish.
The breading should be cornmeal and a little flour. If I have self-rising cornmeal, the flour is already in the mix. If I don't, I add the flour to the cornmeal, baking powder, and salt. The addition of the flour helps make the breading stick better.
If the Crisco becomes too low to fry the catfish, add additional Crisco between cooking two at a time. (I usually have to add more Crisco after I cook 6 catfish.) Bring the Crisco back up to 350 degrees F. before adding another batch of catfish to the hot Crisco.
Avoid turning over the catfish if the hot Crisco covers the catfish or stirring the hot Crisco while the catfish is cooking. If the hot Crisco does not cover the catfish while frying, try only turning the catfish one time. Stirring will cause the hot Crisco to cool down too much and the catfish to not cook properly.
In a shallow dish, mix together self-rising cornmeal and cayenne pepper.
Dredge the catfish thoroughly in the cornmeal mixture and lay on a clean rimmed sheet pan until all the catfish have been coated.
Just before frying, starting with the first coated catfish, dredge again in the self-rising cornmeal mixture. Laying back on the sheet pan afterward. Keep dredging the catfish in the order as they were first dredged until all have been coated thoroughly with the self-rising cornmeal mixture.
Start frying the catfish when the Crisco is heated to 350 degrees F. Place two coated catfish in the hot Crisco at a time. Only fry two at a time. Like any fried fish, you want it to flake off the bone when pulling it with a fork.
When the catfish is cooked to a golden brown, remove it from the hot Crisco, approximately 7-8 minutes. The catfish will float to the top when it is close to being done.
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Whole catfish versus catfish fillets. This past week, my husband got to go fishing with a friend of his and brought home twelve catfish. They are the perfect size for frying whole, which is my husband's favorite way to eat them. It is all about eating the crispy tails. That is the part my husband goes for first. When we eat catfish at the restaurant, they usually serve catfish fillets, so he likes to eat the whole catfish when I fry them at home.
What to serve with whole fried catfish.
Side Dishes
Homemade French Fries
Homemade Green Tomato Relish (coming soon)
Desserts
WHAT YOU NEED TO PREPARE FRIED WHOLE CATFISH
Large rimmed sheet pan
Large deep 10" cast iron skillet or heavy bottom Dutch oven
Large tongs or slot spoon
Catfish
Crisco or peanut oil
Self-rising cornmeal mix, white or yellow
Flour
Salt and pepper
Cayenne pepper (optional)
Large deep 10" cast iron skillet or heavy bottom Dutch oven
Large tongs or slot spoon
Catfish
Crisco or peanut oil
Self-rising cornmeal mix, white or yellow
Flour
Salt and pepper
Cayenne pepper (optional)
HOW TO PREPARE FRIED WHOLE CATFISH
Rinse cleaned catfish and lay it on a paper towel-lined rimmed sheet pan. You want to use a rimmed sheet pan so the liquid from rinsing the catfish will not run out on the counter; then pat dry. Sprinkle salt liberally over the top of the catfish, laying them in a single layer on the rimmed sheet pan. Turn over and salt the other side.
In a shallow dish, mix together self-rising cornmeal and cayenne pepper.
Dredge the catfish thoroughly in the cornmeal mixture and lay on a clean rimmed sheet pan until all the catfish have been coated.
Just before frying, starting with the first coated catfish, dredge again in the self-rising cornmeal mixture. Laying back on the sheet pan afterward. Keep dredging the catfish in the order as they were first dredged until all have been coated thoroughly with the self-rising cornmeal mixture.
Start frying the catfish when the Crisco is heated to 350 degrees F. Place two coated catfish in the hot Crisco at a time. Only fry two at a time. Like any fried fish, you want it to flake off the bone when pulling it with a fork.
When the catfish is cooked to a golden brown, remove it from the hot Crisco, approximately 7-8 minutes. The catfish will float to the top when it is close to being done.
Remove the catfish from the cast iron skillet when the catfish is done and place it on a paper towel-lined rimmed sheet pan. Serve immediately.
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