Oh my goodness… every once in a while I decide to try something new and hit it out of the BALLPARK on the 1st swing!! Cornflake Crusted Catfish was born this week!
I just did it again!! Homerun!!
I was craving fish. Not just any fish. I was craving my beloved catfish. We love to fish for them and I love to eat them!
Why catfish?
I know that not everyone has catfish available to them. That just makes me sad for you. Here in Tennessee 90% of local restaurants have fried catfish on their menu. We have entire restaurants dedicated to just catfish! This is one of my favorite ones!! https://www.facebook.com/catfishhotel/
Alas, most of the time the fish available around here is deep-fried, but a few places have jumped on the “grilled” bandwagon…or go the “blackened” route. While both are ok, but to me, there is nothing to compare with deep-fried. Not until now that is!
I was shopping at our local market and came across 2 pan-sized catfish. Fished from the Tennessee River and fresh. I knew my hubby was going to grill that night and told him I was going to have some kind of fish and/or shrimp. He is used to that. Into the cart, they went.
After I got home I got one of them ready for the grill and then stood there thinking about what I would do with the second one. I have seen recipes using brown rice crispies cereal as a coating for fish stick and chicken tenders but I have been unable to find them and then heard that the most popular brand is being discontinued anyway. I was about to dismiss the idea just as I glanced over at my NuWave Oven (air fryer) it was was 2ft away… sitting right beside it was a HUGE box of corn flakes.
DING-DING-DING A bell went off in my head! Cornflake Crusted Catfish!!
My mom used to do an oven-baked version of chicken that used CORN FLAKES as the breading. Cornflake style cereal IS approved for the Ultimate Portion Fix. So I knew it was going to work.
I put a couple of handfuls of cornflakes in a gallon bag. I smashed them until I got them to the size of rice crispies …………..
Then a little Cajun Salt-Free seasoning added to 1Y crushed cornflakes cereal and I had a “crust”. Salt and peppered my fish and into an egg wash, it went, to help the crust to stick.
Yes, this picture is blurry. I took it thru the NuWave Ovens glass. On my low rack for about 10 minutes on one side and then I gently flipped it over and cooked it for about 5 more minutes.
I tested it for flakiness.
Cornflake Crusted Catfish
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Dredge fish through egg wash and then thru seasoned cornflakes crumbs.
- Bake 10 minutes in NuWave oven on the lowest rack sprayed with cooking spray or air fryer. Turn fish gently and bake another 5 minutes. Test to see if the fish flakes away easily and cook a few more minutes as needed.
- Salt and pepper hot fish to taste. Serve with tartar sauce.
- 1R 1/2Y for 1 fish 1 orange of tartar sauce
Notes
What can you serve with this Cornflake Crusted Catfish?
I like tartar sauce with my fish most of the time. So I mixed 2 teaspoons of horseradish, 1T of my vegan mayonnaise and 1 teaspoon of minced pickle and a big dash of salt and cracked pepper.
The fish had just the right amount of crunch. The sauce had just the right amount of zing. I devoured them both!
You could totally use a different fish or fillets. You could just do it in a regular oven at 350o for about the same amount of time but I would place it on a rack to keep it crispier.
What do I like to serve with this fish?
I love a great coleslaw with my fish but didn’t have the ingredients on hand today. Here is the recipe I use
If you prefer a vinegar-based slaw I have one of those too!
and these baked beans are really good and would make a wonderful side dish for this too.
Who doesn’t love french fries with a plate of fish?!?! I have the perfect french fry recipe HERE.
I am planning on using it on chicken too!!
[…] I do like to add some flavors to it sometimes. Onion added to it tastes like a hushpuppy, another southern staple if you are eating fish. […]