Ingredients Fish & Seafood Fish Healthy Catfish Recipes Crispy Baked Catfish 3.2 (6) 4 Reviews This baked catfish has a crispy cornmeal coating with a hint of spice from Cajun seasoning, while the interior stays flaky and moist. Serve with tartar sauce, lemon wedges or your favorite hot sauce and a green salad on the side. By Ali Ramee Ali Ramee Ali Ramee is a recipe developer and food stylist for Dotdash Meredith. A College of Charleston graduate with a communications major, Ali began her culinary career in the kitchens of chef Hugh Acheson in her hometown of Savannah, Georgia. After an internship with America's Test Kitchen in Boston, Ali moved to San Francisco to continue her culinary education in some of the top tier restaurants in the city, like Flour & Water and Petit Crenn. Ali began working as a food stylist and recipe developer for the meal kit company Sun Basket before making the move to Dotdash Meredith Food Studios. EatingWell's Editorial Guidelines Updated on March 27, 2024 Reviewed by Dietitian Jessica Ball, M.S., RD Reviewed by Dietitian Jessica Ball, M.S., RD Jessica Ball, M.S., RD, is nutrition editor for EatingWell. She is a registered dietitian with a master's in food, nutrition and sustainability. In addition to EatingWell, her work has appeared in Food & Wine, Real Simple, Parents, Better Homes and Gardens and MyRecipes. EatingWell's Editorial Guidelines Tested by EatingWell Test Kitchen Tested by EatingWell Test Kitchen The EatingWell Test Kitchen is comprised of a group of culinary professionals who develop and test our recipes. Our recipes go through a rigorous process, which includes testing by trained recipe testers, using different equipment (e.g., gas and electric stoves) and a variety of tools and techniques to make sure that it will really work when you make it at home. Testers shop major supermarkets to research availability of ingredients. Finally, a Registered Dietitian reviews each recipe to ensure that we deliver food that's not only delicious, but adheres to our nutrition guidelines as well. Learn more about our food philosophy and nutrition parameters. Meet the EatingWell Test Kitchen Rate PRINT Share Trending Videos Close this video player Photo: Alexandra Shytsman Active Time: 10 mins Total Time: 25 mins Servings: 4 Nutrition Profile: Low-Carb Nut-Free Dairy-Free Soy-Free High-Protein Jump to Nutrition Facts How to Make Crispy Baked Catfish Baked catfish is easy to make, and you can achieve a crispy outer crust straight from your oven, similar to what you would get from frying. 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 that using 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. Alexandra Shytsman 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 are 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 Alexandra Shytsman Ingredients Cooking spray ½ cup fine plain yellow cornmeal ¼ cup all-purpose flour 1 tablespoon salt free Cajun seasoning 1 large egg 4 (5 ounce) catfish fillets ½ teaspoon salt Tartar sauce and lemon wedges (optional) Directions Preheat oven to 450°F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with foil and top with a wire rack. Coat the rack with cooking spray. Stir cornmeal, flour and Cajun-Creole seasoning blend together in a large shallow dish. Whisk egg in a separate shallow dish. Pat fillets dry with a paper towel and sprinkle evenly with salt. Working with 1 fillet at a time, dip in the egg to coat, letting excess egg drip back into the dish. Then dredge in the cornmeal mixture, turning to coat both sides. Transfer to the prepared rack on the baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining fillets. Coat the tops of the fillets with cooking spray. Alexandra Shytsman Bake until crispy and golden, 15 to 20 minutes, turning the fillets over and coating with cooking spray halfway through. If desired, serve with tartar sauce and lemon wedges. Alexandra Shytsman Originally appeared: EatingWell.com, November 2020; updated October 2022 Rate It Print Nutrition Facts (per serving) 232 Calories 7g Fat 11g Carbs 30g Protein Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label Nutrition Facts Servings Per Recipe 4 Serving Size 1 fillet Calories 232 % Daily Value * Total Carbohydrate 11g 4% Dietary Fiber 1g 4% Protein 30g 60% Total Fat 7g 9% Saturated Fat 2g 10% Cholesterol 122mg 41% Vitamin A 140IU 3% Sodium 374mg 16% Nutrition information is calculated by a registered dietitian using an ingredient database but should be considered an estimate. * Daily Values (DVs) are the recommended amounts of nutrients to consume each day. Percent Daily Value (%DV) found on nutrition labels tells you how much a serving of a particular food or recipe contributes to each of those total recommended amounts. Per the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the daily value is based on a standard 2,000 calorie diet. Depending on your calorie needs or if you have a health condition, you may need more or less of particular nutrients. (For example, it’s recommended that people following a heart-healthy diet eat less sodium on a daily basis compared to those following a standard diet.) (-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a special diet for medical reasons, be sure to consult with your primary care provider or a registered dietitian to better understand your personal nutrition needs. Powered by the ESHA Research Database © 2018, ESHA Research, Inc. All Rights Reserved