Fried Catfish Bites Recipes

Steps:

• In a bowl, add the 2 cups milk and a heavy pinch of salt. Whisk to dissolve and add the fish chunks. Allow to soak at room temperature for 30 minutes.
• Set up the dredging station: In the first bowl, add 1 cup flour. In the second bowl, whisk the eggs and add the remaining 2 tablespoons milk. In the third bowl, add the remaining 1 cup flour, the cornmeal, sugar and a pinch of salt followed by a few grinds of pepper.
• In a frying pan with straight sides, add enough oil to fill 1-inch deep. Heat until the oil begins to swirl and the handle of a wooden spoon begins to sizzle as soon as it hits the oil. The oil will be about 350 degrees F.
• Remove the fish from the milk in batches of 6 to 8 chunks. Shake the excess milk off the fish. Dredge in the flour, then the egg wash and then in the flour and cornmeal mixture. Add the batch to the oil, making sure to not overcrowd the pan and bring down the temperature. Fry, flipping once if needed, until a light golden brown and cooked through, about 6 minutes. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate and season with a sprinkle of salt. Repeat until all the fish chunks are done.
• In a small bowl, add the hot sauce and sift the sugar on top. Gently stir together. Drizzle over the nuggets or dunk them in the sauce.

Steps:

• 1. DIPPING SAUCE
• 2. Gather your ingredients.
• 3. Add the mayonnaise, brown mustard, lime juice, honey, brown sugar, mustard powder, and Worcestershire sauce in a medium bowl.
• 4. Whisk to combine.
• 5. Season with hot sauce and salt to your own particular tastes.
• 6. Mix until all the ingredients are thoroughly incorporated.
• 7. Cover, and reserve.
• 8. Chef's Note: If you have the time, allow the dipping sauce to sit for 2 to 3 hours, or overnight. This will help give the ingredients a chance to know each other.
• 9. THE CATFISH
• 10. Gather your ingredients.
• 11. Cut the catfish into bite-sized pieces, and reserve.
• 12. Add the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, 1 teaspoon of salt and the cayenne pepper to a large bowl.
• 13. Whisk to combine.
• 14. Chef's Note: Adjust the salt to your own tastes, or leave it out altogether.
• 15. Add the beer.
• 16. Whisk until there are no lumps and the mixture is completely smooth.
• 17. Chef's Tip: If you have any left over beer, you should drink it down. We don't want anything wasted.
• 18. Chef's Note: If the batter is still a bit thick, add some water to thin it down.
• 19. Mix the remaining 1-teaspoon of salt with the pepper, garlic powder, and paprika and/or dill, if using.
• 20. Use this to lightly season the fish on both sides.
• 21. Chef's Note: You will probably have more of the salt/pepper/garlic mixture than what you need. Discard any that's left.
• 22. Preheat your oil to 350f (176c).
• 23. Chef's Tip: If you have a deep fryer, most are preset to this temperature. If you are using a pot, then use a thermometer to keep the temperature as close to 350f (176c) as possible.
• 24. Dip a piece of catfish into the batter and then carefully place into the hot oil.
• 25. Chef's Tip: Place several pieces into the oil, but don't overcrowd.
• 26. Keep the catfish moving in the oil so that they don't stick.
• 27. Fry until the catfish bites are nice and brown, about 3 to 4 minutes.
• 28. Place the cooked catfish on a paper towel, and repeat for the remaining catfish.
• 29. Chef's Tip: To keep the catfish warm, you might want to place them on a paper-towel lined baking sheet. Preset the oven to 200f (94c), and keep them in there until ready to serve.
• 30. Chef's Note: If you have any batter left over, and you probably will, drizzle it into the hot oil, and make some crunchies, put them in the plate and lay the catfish on top. I think some people like the crunchies more than the catfish.
• 31. To serve, add to a serving plate, with the dipping sauce on the side. Add a few lemon wedges, and there you go. Enjoy.
• 32. Keep the faith, and keep cooking.

Steps:

• In a small bowl, mix buttermilk, water, salt, and pepper. Pour mixture into a flat pan large enough to hold the fillets. Spread fish in one layer over bottom of pan, turning to coat each side, and set aside to marinate.
• In a 2 gallon resealable plastic bag, combine the cornmeal, flour, and seafood seasoning. Add fish to mixture, a few fillets at a time, and tumble gently to coat evenly.
• Heat oil in deep fryer to 365 degrees F (185 degrees C).
• Deep fry fillets until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Avoid overcrowding so fillets have room to brown properly. Fish should be slightly crisp outside, and moist and flaky inside. Drain on paper towels.

Steps:

• Pat fish dry; transfer to a pie dish or other wide, shallow dish. Season generously with salt andpepper. Add buttermilk, turning and arranging fish strips to fully submerge. Let stand 2 hours, or refrigerate, loosely covered, up to 8 hours.
• In another pie dish, season cornmeal with salt and pepper. Working one at a time, lift fishstrips from buttermilk, allowing excess to drip off, and dredge in cornmeal mixture, turning toevenly coat. Gently shake off any excess; transfer to a wire rack.
• Pour enough oil into a large, heavy-bottomed skillet (preferably cast iron) to come 1/4 inchup sides (about 3/4 cup); heat over medium-high. When oil shimmers and a bit of cornmeal sizzles when dropped in, add fish in a single layer (do not crowd pan; fry in batches if necessary). Cook, undisturbed, until fish is golden brown on bottoms and lifts easily from skillet, 2 to 3 minutes. Flip and continue cooking until golden on bottoms and just cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes more. Transfer to a clean wire rack, season with salt, and let cool 1 minute. Serve with lemon wedges and hot sauce, or one of the fish sauces.

Steps:

• Rub fish with hot sauce, salt and pepper.
• Set aside for 1 hour or more.
• Cut fish into bite-size pieces and dip into eggs.
• Roll in cornmeal.
• Fry quickly in deep fat for 2 or 3 minutes, or until golden brown.
• Drain.

Steps:

• Preheat a deep-fryer to 350 degrees F.
• In a large bowl, add the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, salt and cayenne and whisk to combine. Whisk in the beer, being sure to remove any lumps.
• Cut the catfish fillets in half lengthwise to make 2 strips. If desired, cut into bite-sized pieces. In a small bowl add the salt, pepper and granulated garlic. Season the fillets with some of the salt mixture. Reserve the remaining salt mixture for another use.
• Dip each strip in the beer batter and add to the fryer, a few at a time, moving them around so they don't stick. Fry until brown and crispy, about 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from the fryer to a serving platter. Repeat with the remaining fillets and season the fish with lemon juice.