One of the foundations of Southern comfort food is the classic recipe for Fried Catfish and Cheese Grits. You’ll find these tender, crispy, and golden brown fried fish fillets at the center of any southern fish fry.
Thinking of Fried Catfish with Cheese Grits brings back very nostalgic feelings for me. Several of my fondest young memories involve cornmeal coated fried catfish fillets cooked by friends and family.
Some of the most fun get-togethers we had while growing up in South Georgia involved friends and neighbors gathering for a good old-fashioned fish fry. Most fish fries back in those days were impromptu events prompted by a lucky fisherman having a good day on the lake.
The catch in our area was typically either bream or catfish. And after the day’s catch was cleaned, the call would go out to friends to come over for a fish fry.
— This post was originally published on September 28, 2010. It has been updated with new photos and additional information.
Recipe Snapshot: Fried Catfish with Cheese Grits
Cuisine: Southern
Cooking Method: Stovetop/Fryer
Total Time: 35 Minutes (plus 1 hour inactive time)
Servings: 6
Primary Ingredient(s): Catfish fillets, milk, white cornmeal, salt, peanut oil
Skill Level: Easy
WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING …
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
“I grew up in my family’s catfish restaurant and I still love cooking up a big batch of it today. It’s a happy day when my boys bring in a big catfish to fry.”
— Miss @ Miss in the Kitchen
What Makes This Recipe Special
Fried catfish with cheese grits is one of the foundational elements of Southern foodways. Crispy cornmeal-coated catfish are paired with creamy, buttery cheese grits to create a simple combination that is special to many native Southerners.
What makes the recipe stand out is the straightforward approach and preparation. The fish is soaked in milk, then coated very simply in finely ground cornmeal, and fried until perfectly golden and crisp. Served with rich cheese grits on the side, it delivers the kind of satisfying meal that has been a favorite for generations.
For readers who enjoy the stories that often surround traditional recipes, I’ve written more about my personal memories over on my Substack, Notes From the Kitchen.
Ingredient Notes
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- Catfish Fillets — If you don’t have access to fresh catfish, frozen is fine! Just remember to allow time to thaw – either overnight in the fridge or under slowly running cold water in a colander.
- Milk or Buttermilk — Use either to soak the catfish before dredging and frying. Catfish are bottom feeders, which can cause them to have a somewhat “muddy” taste. A little soak will remove that.
- Fine White Cornmeal — Unlike many fried foods where flour is used for the coating, catfish are breaded with finely ground cornmeal. If you can’t source this product, you could try combining medium cornmeal and flour. You’ll need plain cornmeal, not cornmeal mix or cornbread mix, for this recipe.
- Oil — You’ll need a high-temperature oil for frying. I always recommend peanut oil for deep frying. You can also use grapeseed or canola.
It was really difficult for me to write measurements for this recipe since I’d never measured any of the ingredients. Like many home cooks, I just do what “looks right.” So use the measures as a guideline and add more or take away some if you think you should.
The complete ingredient list with detailed measurements is included in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
How to Fry Catfish
Prepare the Fish
- Rinse the catfish fillets under cold water and place them in a shallow baking dish or pan. Add enough milk to cover the fillets.
- Cover the dish and refrigerate for approximately one hour. Remove the fillets from the refrigerator about 10 minutes before you’re ready to cook.
- Place a large cast iron frying pan over high heat and pour in the oil to a depth of approximately 1 1/4 inches. Allow the oil to come to frying temperature (350 degrees F) while preparing the fish.
Pro Tip
You can use a thermometer to test the oil or do it the old-fashioned way and sprinkle in a little of the cornmeal. If it sizzles on contact with the oil, it’s ready to cook.
Dredge the Fillets in Seasoned Cornmeal
- Combine the cornmeal and salt in a shallow pan.
- Remove the fillets from the milk, letting most of the excess drip off. Place one fillet at a time into the cornmeal, gently turning the fillet several times until it’s coated well. Discard the used milk. Prepare all the fillets before you begin frying.
Fry Until Golden Brown
- Carefully lower the catfish fillets, one at a time, into the hot oil. Cook until golden brown (about 3-4 minutes) on the first side. Turn and cook on the second side until nicely browned as well. Return the fillets to the first side to cook for an additional minute or so if needed to fully develop a beautiful golden color.
- As you finish cooking each batch, remove them to a baking pan lined with paper towels and keep them warm in a 200-degree oven while you finish cooking.
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Tips for Deep Frying
- Don’t crowd the pan. Instead, fry in several batches if necessary.
- After you lower a fillet into the hot oil, leave it alone. Do not fiddle with it at all for at least 3 minutes. Then gently turn it over to cook the second side.
- Choose an oil that can withstand high temperatures. Peanut oil is my preference for both heat tolerance and taste. Other choices are grapeseed, sunflower, and canola oil.
- I often do my frying outdoors on the side burner of a gas grill. It eliminates the lingering greasy smell in the house, and any splashes and pops are much easier to clean up.
- Cooking oil can be reused a few times. After the oil has completely cooled, strain it into a container and store it in a cool, dark place.
- Don’t discard oil down your sink. Pour it into a container or soak it up with paper towels and dispose of it with your household trash.
- It should go without saying, but — safety first! Never, for any reason, leave frying food unattended. Wear an apron and closed-toe shoes.
- If you should ever experience a grease fire, do not throw water on it. Turn off the heat immediately. Then cover the pan with a lid to smother the fire or liberally pour baking soda on it if you can do so without injuring yourself.
Frying Fish Outdoors
Most fish fries in the South are actually held outdoors. It’s so much easier and faster when cooking for a crowd. If you’d like to take your fish fry to the backyard, you’ll want a propane gas fish fryer for cooking. Remember, you’ll need more oil when using an outdoor fryer.
Recipe Variations
- Spice up your fish fry by adding a 1/2 teaspoon of ground cayenne pepper to the cornmeal.
- Season the cornmeal with a seafood seasoning such as Old Bay.
- Make your fried fish into a sandwich! Slather a hoagie roll with some tartar sauce or comeback sauce, and add a fillet with finely shredded lettuce.
- Cut the fish into nugget-sized pieces and create bite-sized treats.
Serving Suggestions
For a traditional fish fry menu, serve your golden brown and crispy fried catfish with creamy cheese grits, coleslaw, French fries, hushpuppies, and, in some areas, swamp gravy.
Don’t forget the traditional accompaniments of onion, lemon slices, and pickles – both sweet and dill – and, of course, sweet tea to drink!
How to Store
Fried fish will keep for several hours in a very low oven or at room temperature. And even though they’re best served fresh and piping hot, they can be stored for 2 or 3 days in the refrigerator. Reheat on a baking sheet in a 350-degree oven for about 15 minutes.
Questions About Fried Catfish
If you can’t find catfish, you can still have a southern fish fry! Tilapia, cod, and halibut are suitable alternatives.
I always use peanut oil for frying fish. Peanut oil has a higher smoking point than other oils and doesn’t break down nearly as quickly. If you just can’t get peanut oil, you can use safflower, canola, corn, cottonseed, or sunflower oil.
Wild caught catfish have a “muddy” flavor that some people find objectionable. Soaking in buttermilk helps remove that taste. Farm raised catfish tend to have a milder flavor and can be soaked in regular milk.
More Recipes You’ll Like
Check all my fish and seafood recipes or pick from a few favorites below.
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Recipe
Fried Catfish with Cheese Grits
Ingredients
- 2 pounds catfish fillets
- 2 cups milk
- Peanut oil
- 3 cups finely ground white cornmeal
- 1 tablespoon salt
Instructions
- Rinse catfish fillets under cold water and place in a shallow baking dish or pan. Add milk to cover fillets. Cover the dish and refrigerate for approximately one hour.2 pounds catfish fillets, 2 cups milk
- Remove the fillets from the refrigerator about 10 minutes before ready to cook.
- Place a large cast iron frying pan over high heat and pour in peanut oil to a depth of approximately 1 inch. Allow oil to come to frying temperature while preparing the fish.Peanut oil
- Combine the cornmeal and salt in a shallow pan.3 cups finely ground white cornmeal, 1 tablespoon salt
- Remove fillets from milk letting most of the excess drip off.
- Place one fillet at a time into the cornmeal and turn it several times to coat well. Prepare all the fillets before you begin frying.
- Carefully lower the fillets, one at a time, into the hot oil. Don’t crowd the pan frying in several batches if necessary. Turn the fillets when golden brown on one side. Cook on the second side until nicely browned as well. Return the fillets to the first side to cook for an additional minute or two if needed to fully develop a golden brown color.
- When done, remove from the oil and keep warm in a 200 degree oven.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information is calculated by software based on the ingredients in each recipe. It is an estimate only and is provided for informational purposes. You should consult your healthcare provider or a registered dietitian if precise nutrition calculations are needed for health reasons.
Hi, Lana, I made this recipe along with the cheese grits and it was amazing. My wife loved every tasty bite. We just received you cookbook and can’t wait to try everything in the book. Thank you.
I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe and hope you love the cookbook as well!
How much cheese to make cheese grits?
The cheese grits recipe is linked twice in the post — at the very top and near the bottom. You’ll find all the measurements listed there.
I love your old south recipes and the stories. Born in 1960, I relive my growing up years in Tennessee through them! My father caught his catfish (and sometimes Bream) in the Tennessee River. Being river fish, he soaked them in lemon water overnight, then buttermilk the next day (to get the river taste out, he said). He fried them outdoors with hushpuppies (a trick I learned from him: once you make the hushpuppy batter, don’t stir it again—that makes them dense). And something you might not even dream could be delicious: the next day, put a piece of leftover, cold fried catfish on a soft hamburger bun with mayonnaise, a slice of sweet onion, salt and pepper. I turned my nose up when he suggested it, but I tried it and it was so darn good!
It sounds delicious to me, Kim. I’d have that for lunch any day of the week!
so good
Thank you for another trip down memory lane. “Baby” cats at Pace’s, yum. Jewell Pace was my great-aunt and it was always a treat to drive down to the lake from Iron City and eat with her. I think its time for a fish fry. Did anyone in your family ever fix Swamp Gravy at a fish fry? I actually checked your site a couple of weeks ago to see if you had a recipe listed but didn’t see one.
Hi Christa! Of course, we made Swamp Gravy, but I haven’t made it myself in years and years. I don’t have a recipe on my blog, but here’s a link to one that is pretty close to what I used to make except I never put bell pepper in it. http://beverlysbackporch.blogspot.com/2011/01/swamp-gravy.html
Thanks for the suggestion, Johna. I’ve passed it along to my developer and hope to have it updated soon.
Is there a difference in catfish? I had catfish when in the south and it was delicious! I’ve bought it in the store here and it was the most awful tasting thing I ever had. Tried twice and both times smelled like something died. I know there are different cats, which one is good to eat?
Hi Pat – I don’t know of any difference in catfish. They can have a strong taste which is the reason for the milk soak in my recipe. I soak the fillets in milk for a while to take out a lot of that strong taste.
Hi 0at I read your question and I am from the south naturally fresh caught catfish are best but store-bought is ok. The best cat is channel or fresh water cat I prefer butter cat but all freshwater cat are good .I don’t recommend saltwater cat but some people like them. hope t
his helps
Living in Texas I grew up on catfish. Only we used whole fish cleaned well and dipped in buttermilk. Makes the cornmeal stick better
Looks great; fish and grits was always a favorite at our house
I fell in love at first bite with fried catfish on a visit to Beale St. in Memphis. :) Farmed catfish are also an excellent sustainable fish, so you can feel good about not contributing to the depletion of our natural resources. Be sure you are buying U.S. farmed fish though, the ones from Asia can have some nasty chemicals in them. In Virginia they are readily available year round.
Your recipe looks great and much easier than my usual. Thanks!
I have never tried catfish but this recipe really makes me want to! Thanks for sharing.
You’re welcome, Sherri! Re-reading this old post is making me want to have a fish fry!
This looks amazing! I need directions to your house the next time you fry up some catfish! It is defanitly a Southern Georgia staple. My Grandma lives in South Georgia and during the summers when I would visit, we would go to a wonderful lil place in the middle of no where that sounds EXACTLY like Pace’s. We went for old time sake last summer and it is nothing like it was as a kid :( Total bummer! Cant wait to fry some catfish up now.
Angie – I don’t think I’ve fried any catfish since I wrote this post. It’s really past time for a fish supper around here! Next time I’ll photograph the hush puppies and do a post on them.
I have a hushpuppy recipe from the 1940s that is the best. No store-bought mixes and no tiny bullets of the mix which so many restaurants serve – tasteless. It fries up puffed golden brown.