The dish to eat in Oxford, Mississippi · United States

Fried catfish

Name: Fried catfish
Yield: 4
Cuisine: United States
Ingredients: 2 lb catfish fillets, cut into 3-inch strips; 2 cups buttermilk; 1 tbsp hot sauce; 1 1/2 cups fine yellow cornmeal; 1/2 cup all-purpose flour; 2 tsp kosher salt, plus more to finish; 1 tsp black pepper; 1 tsp paprika; 1/2 tsp cayenne; Peanut or vegetable oil, for frying (about 2 quarts); Lemon wedges, hot sauce and tartar sauce, to serve

Photo: Tallahatchie, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons · source

Catfish fillets in a cornmeal crust, fried crisp.

North Mississippi's Saturday supper. The famous plate is at Taylor Grocery, an old store just outside town where you bring your own drinks and wait on the porch; in town, Ajax and LandShark fry it too.

Where to eat it Cook it at home Have a chef cook it at home

Where to eat it: the best three in Oxford, Mississippi

Taylor Grocery
Taylor
Order: Fried catfish plate
MICHELIN-recommended, and called the South's best catfish joint.
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Ajax Diner
The Square
Order: Catfish entrée
The in-town version, at the Square's plate-lunch diner.
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LandShark Seafood & Catfish
Jackson Avenue West
Order: Fried catfish
A local catfish counter, with crawfish in season.
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All three are on Chef Amazing’s list The best fried catfish in Oxford, Mississippi, which you can save and take with you.

Cook it at home: Fried catfish

Serves 4Time 45 min, plus 1 hr soaking

The plate people drive to Taylor Grocery for: thin catfish fillets soaked in buttermilk, dredged in cornmeal and fried until crisp. Serve with lemon, hot sauce and tartar sauce.

Pans and tools

Heavy Dutch oven or deep pot
Deep-fry thermometer
Wire rack over a sheet pan
Shallow dishes for dredging

You’ll need

2 lb catfish fillets, cut into 3-inch strips
2 cups buttermilk
1 tbsp hot sauce
1 1/2 cups fine yellow cornmeal
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 tsp kosher salt, plus more to finish
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp cayenne
Peanut or vegetable oil, for frying (about 2 quarts)
Lemon wedges, hot sauce and tartar sauce, to serve

Steps

Soak the catfish in the buttermilk and hot sauce for 1 hour in the fridge.
Mix the cornmeal, flour, salt, pepper, paprika and cayenne in a shallow dish.
Heat 2 inches of oil in a heavy pot to 350°F.
Lift the fish from the buttermilk, let it drip, and press it into the cornmeal on both sides.
Fry a few pieces at a time, 4 to 5 minutes, until deep golden and the fish flakes.
Drain on a rack, salt right away, and serve hot with lemon, hot sauce and tartar sauce.

Chef’s tips

Do not crowd the pot; the oil cools and the crust goes soft.

Keep finished pieces in a 200°F oven while you fry the rest.

Contains: Fish, milk, wheat.

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