When I went fishing with my dad, more often than not we caught buckets of catfish. I loved every moment of those days, right up until he’d cook the catfish by just tossing it on the grill with nothing more than some salt and pepper—then I wasn’t so happy. I loved just about anything breaded—still do!—so I took matters into my own hands and came up with this recipe. The breading keeps the fish tender and moist. The only thing I’ve changed about this dish since I was a kid is the bread crumbs. Ever since fluffy Japanese panko (page 80) has become widely available, I use it instead of regular dried bread crumbs for almost all my breaded dishes. Try this with Spicy Roasted Brussels Sprouts (page 138) and Lemon Fettuccine (page 134).
Recipe information
Yield
Makes 8 servings
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Position a rack in the top third of the oven and preheat the oven to 400°F. Coat a large baking sheet with vegetable oil spray.
Step 2
In a wide, shallow bowl, whisk together the egg and buttermilk. Place the panko in another wide, shallow dish. Sprinkle the fillets all over with the Old Bay seasoning.
Step 3
Working with one fillet at a time, coat it on both sides with the egg mixture and allow the excess to drip off. Place it in the panko, and coat on both sides. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining fillets, arranging them on the baking sheet in a staggered formation so they all fit. Spray the fillets with the vegetable oil.
Step 4
Bake for 8 minutes. Use a spatula to carefully flip the fillets and spray them again with oil. Bake until lightly browned, about 8 minutes more. Serve with lemon slices.
