It’s such a beautiful Sunday which means it’s the perfect day to fry fish!
There’s nothing better than a Southern Fish Fry on a gorgeous sunny day.
Oh, and you can’t have a real Southern Fish Fry without lots of hot sauce and a glass of ice cold sweet tea.
My eldest sister just moved to Las Vegas last week so I had to show her some real southern hospitality!
Actually, the real story is this.
My sister was actually going to buy pre-fried fish from a fish market at the corner of my house!
Yes, I know, I am the Creole Contessa and my sister was actually about to purchase fish, blasphemous!
Background on my sisters!
They’re not big on cooking, really, they’re not big on cooking I said.
Yes, we grew up in the same house, and yes they had the same opportunity to help my mother and aunts in the kitchen.
But noooooooo….they would rather do other things than learn how to cook, lol!
So that leaves me, the youngest daughter and the only one who can cook like my mama, grandma, and aunts.
My middle sister, well, let’s just say, I am getting a little tired of being her phone chef every holiday.
I give her the recipes and tell her to go to creolecontessa.com and she still calls me to guide her down every aisle in the grocery store and then cook the whole recipe with her via phone.
I am still trying to figure out how I know every aisle in her grocery store and where to find all the products, when I don’t reside in California.
She calls me to ask me where is the product located in her grocery store, lol!
My eldest sister, aka “the fish buyer,” well, let’s just say she’s not big on seasonings, lol.
Black pepper and salt is all she uses?!
Yep, I have no words for that, lol!
That’s enough smack talking about my sisters, no worries though because they don’t come on the Creole Contessa blog because as my middle sister continues to tell me, I can just call Creole Contessa on the phone, lol.
My older sister enjoyed the fish and it was served with a side of Cajun Shrimp Coubion, no fish added to the Coubion, just all shrimp!
Enjoy.
Southern Fish Fry
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
Ingredients
- 10 catfish fillets or whitefish
- 2 cups corn meal
- 2 cups flour
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 2 tablespoons yellow sandwich mustard
- 1/2 cup hot sauce
- 2 tablespoons creole seasoning
- 1 tablespoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- pinch of cayenne pepper
- lemon to serve
- cooking oil
- hot sauce
Instructions
- Rinse fish and pat dry.
- Slice fish in half to get long strips.
- Place fish in a large bowl.
- Heat oil in a large pan over medium heat to 350 degrees, not filling more than halfway with oil.
- Mix seasoning blend and set aside.
- In a freezer bad add cornmeal and flour and 2 tablespoons of seasoning blend, mix well.
- Add remaining seasoning blend and hot sauce, eggs, and mustard to fish bowl, mix well.
- Once oil is ready place a few strips of fish into corn/flour and shake well to coat.
- Remove excess flour from fish by lightly shaking when removing from bag.
- Place fish in pan and fry 4-5 minutes per side.
- Don’t over crowd pan, repeat until all fish is cooked.
- Drain on paper napkin and sprinkle a pinch more of creole seasoning when fish comes out the pan if desired.
- Serve with lemon wedges and hot sauce.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 5-6
This looks like a delicious, easy meal!
Thank you Megan!
Oh well their your siblings, talking smack is what it’s about especially when you fry fish as good looking as this!
lol Susan!
I love a good fish fry. I haven’t done one in so long!
If anyone knows fried food, it’s a Southern girl! I’m on my way!
LOL
I totally wish I had that right now. I had similar fish a southern restaurant and it was amazing!
Thanks Matt!
Mmmm, that fish looks so crispy and crunchy. Love it!
Thank you Brandon!
Have a good tartar sauce recipe?
Yes Ginna, I will make it and post the recipe.
Found this on Pinterest, can’t wait to try it!
Thank you Erin!
I made the Southern Fish tonite it was the Bomb!
I’m definitely a novice cook. Meaning I don’t cook haha. This was easy and came out amazing. Thank you for this wonderful recipe!
I’m glad you enjoyed it Cyndi!
Having a little trouble flowing the breading process, but sounds good
Hello Geneob, you mix the flour/cornmeal and add seasoning to it. Mix everything else with the fish and place into the flour/cornmeal mixture and remove excess flour/cornmeal from fish by tapping before frying.
The reason you can’t follow the directions is because she skipped an entire step leaving the wet ingredients in a bowl without utilizing it.. the explanation after is slighly convaluted as well.. its simple reall, what you do is dredge the fish in the wet then into the dry then shake off the excess.. if you like extra crispy then you can coat in dry, then wet, then dry again, then shake excess off then fry.. voila.. enjoy
Hello Amy, STEP 7 clearly states that the wet ingredients are added to the bowl with the fish. It’s there and is really very simple. Thank You
Wow, I’ve never craved fried catfish for breakfast…..until now Ü Looks delicious and I can’t wait to try this recipe of yours!!
Thanks for sharing ♥
You’re welcome Tracy! Enjoy
Is there a reason for not having a search link on your page?
The search link is located in the middle right side of the page.
This looks amazing, but I am allergic to anything with corn or a corn by product. Is there anything you can substitute for the cornmeal? My husband would love this!
Hey! Has anyone tried this with cornmeal and gluten-free flour? And maybe with flounder? Just found out this week that I have a gluten allergy and I would hate to give up fried seafood!
Hello Laine, I don’t use Gluten Free Flour but you can make this with all cornmeal. Cornmeal with give you a crunchier texture but it’s still delicious. The recipe stays the same, just use all cornmeal.
I’m going to try this recipe soon! Just one question. Do you dip the fish in the bowl ingredients before they are put into the bagged ingredients? Maybe, it’s addressed in the recipe, but I didn’t see it. I’m just thinking about the end product with my mouth watering! Thank you!!!
Yes Deborah, coat the fish in the wet ingredients then lastly coat in the corn flour.
I’ve tried so many fried fish recipes, seasonings and ready made mixes trying to achieve the flavor that I got from your recipe!! Wow!! This was ON POINT! Thank you for sharing!! With a name like Creole Contessa I knew you wouldn’t let me down!!
I am glad you enjoyed it KB! This really is my favorite way to cook fish.
I am saving this to try once I’m over pnemonia. This looks like something that both of my parents and I will enjoy. Especially my ultra picky eater dad.
Enjoy Raven and feel better!
Have been looking for a measured recipe to replace my dinner and dabber “measurements” for fried fish mix. I fry mainly Tilapia now instead of catfish. But the principle is the same.
Enjoy Penny!
not sure what that word moderation means . but i will wait fer reply
i do not understand meaning of awaiting moderation. Ihave a real dumb question for you. but first i must tell you i been diagnoste with dementia following chemo treatments and 2 strokes after that.lot of thing i can’t remember .my wife and oldest son seems to think you can reuse the dry fish coating mix after using it once. i don’t think that is good i don’t use batter dipped stuff for cooking, i was brought up in Arkansa using yellow corn meal with plenty salt an black pepper, , roll or putfillets in bag and shake it up. an a bottle of Louisiana hot sauce on the side. so is it right to keep usin the mix over agin. ?my new mix is the Louisiana fish fry coating
Hello Joe, it just meant I need to approve your comment. I would not reuse the seasoning fish fry as it had raw fish in it. I always throw it out and make a fresh batch every time. And I’ll be praying for you Joe. God Bless You!
What is the green that is showing on the fish. I didn’t see that in the ingredients.
Hello Terri, it’s dried parsley flakes.
can tilapia be used?
Yes Neka
Thank You Alyssa!
Thank you Jill, I hope you enjoy it. It was delicious!