Yankee Transplant's Cornmeal-breaded Catfish

Total Time: 50 mins Preparation Time: 20 mins Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 10
• 3 lbs catfish nuggets or 3 lbs catfish fillets
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1 1/2 cups cornmeal
• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2-1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 3 teaspoons old bay seasoning
• canola oil
• olive oil
• lemon wedge
• hot sauce (i like frank's)

Recipe

• 1 soak fish in milk for 15 minutes.
• 2 heat about 1/2" oil (about a 50/50 mix), in deep skillet (i use my cast iron chicken fryer), until a drop of water sizzles violently but below smoking point.
• 3 combine cornmeal, flour, salt, garlic powder, and old bay in a plastic bag.
• 4 shake a few pieces of catfish at a time in the breading then fry in the oil until browned and crisp, turning once. drain on paper towels then keep hot on warmed plate.
• 5 repeat, frying small batches, until finished.
• 6 serve, passing lemon wedges and hot sauce at the table.
• 7 note -- i recommend cole slaw (try better dressing for coleslaw or aunt ella's cabbage salad ), or a green salad and french or italian bread to complete the meal.
• 8 note -- for something a little different, try making sandwiches on hard rolls with lettuce, tomato, and tartar sauce as well as the lemon and hot sauce.
• 9 note -- its a bit overwhelming for tilapia, perch, and other mild fish but do try it on other strongly-flavored fish.