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Anywhere there was a river, a pond or a lake in the South, there was a fish fry. Somebody caught the catfish, somebody else fried it, and it was eaten off paper plates. At home it was made in the same black cast iron skillet as the Sunday chicken, in the same inch of oil.
The crust is cornmeal. Only cornmeal, or mostly, with just enough flour to help it hold. A short soak in buttermilk with a few shakes of hot sauce takes away any muddy taste, seasons the fish, and gives the cornmeal something to cling to.
Hushpuppies exist because of what is left over: a bowl of cornmeal and a skillet of hot oil. The old story says they were thrown to the dogs to keep them quiet at a fish fry. Nobody has ever proved it, and nobody has ever wanted to.
Why this fried catfish and hushpuppies works
- A buttermilk soak. Thirty minutes in buttermilk and hot sauce mellows the catfish and leaves a tacky surface, so the cornmeal sticks without any egg.
- Three parts cornmeal, one part flour. Cornmeal gives the crunch. The flour fills the gaps between the grains so the crust is even instead of patchy.
- Oil at 350°F. Hot enough to set the crust before the fish soaks up grease, gentle enough that a fillet cooks through without burning.
- Grated onion in the hushpuppies. Grating releases the juice, and the juice flavors the whole batter. Chopped onion only flavors the bites it lands in.
Ingredients
Serves 4, with about 20 hushpuppies. The measurements are in US cups with grams in brackets.
For the catfish
- 2 pounds catfish fillets (900g), about 6 fillets
- 2 cups buttermilk (480ml)
- A few shakes of hot sauce, about 1 teaspoon
- 1 1/2 cups yellow cornmeal (225g)
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour (65g)
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- A pinch of cayenne
For the hushpuppies
- 1 cup yellow cornmeal (150g)
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour (65g)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 large egg
- 3/4 cup buttermilk (180ml)
- 1/4 cup grated yellow onion (about 1/2 medium onion), with its juice
For frying and serving
- About 4 cups vegetable or peanut oil (950ml), enough for 1 inch in the skillet
- Salt for finishing
- Lemon wedges and tartar sauce
Use plain yellow cornmeal, not a cornbread mix. If the fillets are large, cut them in half crosswise so every piece cooks in the same time.
How to make fried catfish and hushpuppies
The catfish
- Whisk the buttermilk with the hot sauce in a shallow dish. Add the catfish fillets, turn them to coat, and let them soak for 30 minutes in the refrigerator.
- In another shallow dish, mix the 1 1/2 cups cornmeal, 1/2 cup flour, salt, pepper, paprika and cayenne. In a bowl, whisk the dry hushpuppy ingredients: cornmeal, flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Set that bowl aside.
- Pour 1 inch of oil into a deep 12-inch cast iron skillet and heat it over medium to 350°F (175°C) on a deep-fry thermometer. Set a wire rack over a baking sheet next to the stove.
- Lift the fillets out of the buttermilk one at a time, let the excess drip off, and lay them in the cornmeal. Press it on firmly on both sides.
- Fry 2 or 3 fillets at a time, without crowding, for 3 to 4 minutes a side, until the crust is deep gold and the fish floats. Move them to the rack and salt them right away. Let the oil come back to 350°F between batches.
The hushpuppies
- While the last fillets fry, add the egg, the 3/4 cup buttermilk and the grated onion with its juice to the dry ingredients and stir just until combined. Let the batter sit for 5 minutes.
- Drop the batter by the rounded spoonful into the same oil, 6 or 7 at a time. Fry for 2 to 3 minutes, until deep golden brown all over. They turn themselves over when they are ready. Nudge any that do not.
- Drain the hushpuppies on the rack next to the fish. Serve everything at once, hot, with lemon wedges and tartar sauce.
Tips that make the difference
- Pat nothing dry. The buttermilk left on the fish is the glue for the crust. Just let each fillet drip for a few seconds.
- Keep the finished catfish on its rack in a 200°F oven while you fry the hushpuppies.
- Drain on a rack, never on paper towels. Paper traps steam and the bottom crust goes soft within two minutes.
- Dip the hushpuppy spoon in the hot oil first so the batter slides off cleanly.
Variations
- Spicy. Add 1 teaspoon of cayenne to the cornmeal and double the hot sauce in the buttermilk.
- Catfish nuggets. Cut the fillets into 2-inch pieces before soaking and fry for about 2 minutes a side.
- Other fish. Whiting, tilapia, perch and crappie take the same soak and the same crust. Thin fillets need only 2 to 3 minutes a side.
- Corn and jalapeno hushpuppies. Stir 1/2 cup of corn kernels and 1 finely chopped seeded jalapeno into the batter with the onion.
Storage and make-ahead
Fried catfish is at its best straight from the skillet, but leftovers keep in the refrigerator for 2 days. Reheat on a rack in a 400°F oven for 8 to 10 minutes. The microwave turns the crust to mush.
Hushpuppies reheat the same way in about 5 minutes, and they freeze well. Reheat from frozen at 375°F for 10 to 12 minutes.
To get ahead, mix both dry mixtures in the morning. The fish can soak for up to 2 hours, no longer, or the buttermilk starts to soften the flesh.
Frequently asked questions
Should catfish be fried in cornmeal or flour?
Cornmeal, with a little flour mixed in. Cornmeal gives the gritty, crisp crust that fried catfish is known for, and it stays crunchy far longer than a flour coating.
How do I know when fried catfish is done?
The crust is deep gold, the fillet floats in the oil, and the flesh flakes easily and is white all the way through. For an average fillet that is 3 to 4 minutes a side at 350°F, or 145°F (63°C) in the thickest part.
Why are my hushpuppies raw in the middle?
The oil was too hot or the spoonfuls were too big. Past 365°F the outside browns before the inside cooks. Keep it at 350°F and use a rounded tablespoon of batter, no bigger than a walnut.
Do I have to soak catfish in buttermilk?
It is worth the 30 minutes. Buttermilk takes the edge off the earthy flavor catfish can have and helps the crust stick.
Put out the platter of fish, the pile of hushpuppies, lemon wedges, tartar sauce, coleslaw if you have it, and a bottle of hot sauce. That is a fish fry, whether it happens at the river or on a Friday night at the kitchen table.
Fried Catfish and Hushpuppies (Cornmeal Crust, Same Skillet)
Southern fried catfish the fish fry way: a 30 minute buttermilk soak, a seasoned cornmeal crust, an inch of oil at 350 degrees in a cast iron skillet, and hushpuppies with grated onion fried right after in the same oil.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds catfish fillets (900g), about 6 fillets
- 2 cups buttermilk
- A few shakes of hot sauce, about 1 teaspoon
- 1 1/2 cups yellow cornmeal
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- A pinch of cayenne
- 1 cup yellow cornmeal
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 large egg
- 3/4 cup buttermilk
- 1/4 cup grated yellow onion (about 1/2 medium onion), with its juice
- About 4 cups vegetable or peanut oil (950ml), enough for 1 inch in the skillet
- Salt for finishing
- Lemon wedges and tartar sauce
Instructions
- Whisk the buttermilk with the hot sauce in a shallow dish. Add the catfish fillets, turn them to coat, and let them soak for 30 minutes in the refrigerator.
- In another shallow dish, mix the 1 1/2 cups cornmeal, 1/2 cup flour, salt, pepper, paprika and cayenne. In a bowl, whisk the dry hushpuppy ingredients: cornmeal, flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Set that bowl aside.
- Pour 1 inch of oil into a deep 12-inch cast iron skillet and heat it over medium to 350°F (175°C) on a deep-fry thermometer. Set a wire rack over a baking sheet next to the stove.
- Lift the fillets out of the buttermilk one at a time, let the excess drip off, and lay them in the cornmeal. Press it on firmly on both sides.
- Fry 2 or 3 fillets at a time, without crowding, for 3 to 4 minutes a side, until the crust is deep gold and the fish floats. Move them to the rack and salt them right away. Let the oil come back to 350°F between batches.
- While the last fillets fry, add the egg, the 3/4 cup buttermilk and the grated onion with its juice to the dry ingredients and stir just until combined. Let the batter sit for 5 minutes.
- Drop the batter by the rounded spoonful into the same oil, 6 or 7 at a time. Fry for 2 to 3 minutes, until deep golden brown all over. They turn themselves over when they are ready. Nudge any that do not.
- Drain the hushpuppies on the rack next to the fish. Serve everything at once, hot, with lemon wedges and tartar sauce.
