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.
Wild or not, I’d love to eat those! I haven’t had catfish in years.
I know, it’s been a while for me also. I think I’ll have to send my husband to the river 🙂
That’s an excellent idea!