Rinse the catfish fillets under cold water and dry thoroughly with paper towels. HINT: An hour-long soak in buttermilk washes away the muddy flavor from freshwater fish such as catfish and tilapia.
In a pie place, lay the dried catfish fillets and pour milk over the top.
In another pie plate, combine cornmeal, salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper.
Remove the fillets, one at a time, from the milk and roll in the cornmeal mixture to coat evenly; place on a large platter to dry, leaving space between them. Set aside and let dry at least 5 minutes.
Preheat oven to 200 degrees F.
Heat the oil or butter in a large skillet or frying pan (I like to use my cast-iron frying pan). Add the coated catfish filets and cook for 5 to 7 minutes on each side, sprinkling additional salt on the catfish after each turn. Cook until golden brown and fish flakes easily with a fork. Remove from heat and drain on paper towels.
After draining, place the fillets on another platter covered with paper towels; place in preheated oven to keep warm while frying the remaining fillets. The fillets will remain hot and crisp for as long as 35 minutes.
Serve with lemon wedges.
In a large pot or deep fat fryer, add some peanut oil and preheat peanut oil to 357 degrees F. Use enough peanut oil to completely cover catfish fillets while frying.
Preheat oven to 200 degrees F.
Place 4 to 6 pieces of catfish at a time in the hot oil to fry (do not crowd the fryer or the oil temperature will drop too much). Fry 6 to 7 minutes per side or until the catfish fillets are a light golden brown and the meat flakes easily with a fork. A simple test for properly fried catfish is to pick up a fried fillet by one end and not have it bend or wilt.
Remove from the oil and place on paper towels to drain. After draining, place the fillets on another platter covered with paper towels; place in preheated oven to keep warm while frying the remaining fillets. The fillets will remain hot and crisp for as long as 35 minutes.
Makes 4 servings.
* Use Peanut Oil if deep frying.
** To clean a whole catfish, remove skin from the catfish, then slice the fillet across to a thickness of no more than 1/4 inch. The secret to frying catfish is using thin fillets less than 1/4-inch thick. An hour-long soak in buttermilk washes away the muddy flavor from freshwater fish such as catfish and tilapia.
Fried Catfish Recipes: https://whatscookingamerica.net/seafood/friedcatfish.htm