I found some catfish labeled “wild caught” (from somewhere, it didn’t say) at Wegmans the other day,   The fillets were enormous.  I had to cut them in two before frying.

I grew up eating catfish caught by my Dad in the wilds of California.  These had a vague catfish flavor but I think they were farm raised, released, then caught in the wilds of somewhere.  They were okay but a little disappointing.

For some reason I had stone ground cornmeal and no normal cornmeal, so I added 1/3 cup of flour to the coating along with seasonings, then deep fried until golden.  Serve with tartar sauce or ketchup, your call.

Cornmeal Fried Wild Catfish

4-5 wild catfish fillets, cut in half if necessary

1 – 1 1/3 cup of regular cornmeal

2 tsp salt

1/2 – 1 tsp black pepper

1 tbsp Old Bay Seafood Seasoning

1 tbsp paprika

Peanut oil

Mix the seasoning together with the cornmeal.  Dredge the fillets in the cornmeal and deep fry in the peanut oil.