Baked Catfish

Fried catfish is a Southern staple, but baked catfish is pretty good too. This recipe captures the same signature flavors as fried catfish without the heavy batter or breading. Also, because it’s baked rather than fried it retains less fat. We have lots of other catfish recipes on the site but this one is light, quick and easy.

Baked Catfish Recipe Ingredients

Alejandro Monfort for Taste of Home

• Parsley: Minced fresh parsley gives the fillets a pop of bright, eye-pleasing color.
• Paprika: Paprika brings its signature red color to the fillets. It also has an underappreciated sweet-pepper flavor.
• Dried herbs: The dried thyme, oregano and basil add their varying herbal notes to the fish. It combines with the other flavorings to create a familiar Louisiana flavor profile.
• Catfish fillets: Catfish is a Southern classic in its fried form; when it’s oven-baked it’s lean and healthy.
• Lemon juice: Lemon adds a bright flavor that compliments catfish and most other fish as well.
• Butter: Catfish is very lean and the butter in this recipe protects the fish from drying out in the oven.
• Garlic: Minced garlic goes into the butter and lemon mixture that’s poured over the fillets before they bake, lending its pungent and savory flavor to the dish.

Directions

Step 1: Prepare the fillets

Alejandro Monfort for Taste of Home

Combine the fresh parsley, salt, paprika, dried herbs and black pepper in a small bowl. Sprinkle the seasoning mixture over the fillets on both sides. Place the catfish portions in a greased 13×9-inch baking dish. Whisk together the lemon juice, butter and garlic;  drizzle the mixture over the fillets.

Step 2: Bake the fillets

Alejandro Monfort for Taste of Home

Bake the fish uncovered at 350°F for 15 to 20 minutes or until the fish is translucent and flakes easily when tested with a fork.

Alejandro Monfort for Taste of Home

Baked Catfish Variations

• Switch up your fish: Catfish is widely available and inexpensive, but other options work just as well in this recipe. Your best bets are other lean white fish with relatively thin fillets. Tilapia and haddock both fit that description neatly. If you have any anglers in your circle, panfish like perch, pickerel, crappies and bluegills bake well. Other obvious choices include Asian catfish species usually sold as swai or basa.
• “Oven-fry” the catfish: If you prefer your catfish breaded, you can still cut out some fat by baking them in the oven rather than frying. Season the catfish as directed here and then dip them in flour and shake off any excess. Dunk them again in milk or buttermilk and press them into breadcrumbs or fine cornmeal. Mist the crumbs with oil or pan spray to promote browning. Bake them on a sheet pan or the lightly greased 13×9-inch pan the recipe calls for. Bake the catfish at 400° so the breading can brown before the fish overcooks. You can also toast your breadcrumbs or cornmeal in a dry skillet ahead of time, so they’re already mostly golden.

How to Store Baked Catfish

Any leftover catfish should be refrigerated as soon as possible and in a dish or food safe container with a tight-fitting lid.

How long will this oven baked catfish keep?

Catfish and other lean fish keep better than fatty fish like mackerel because they don’t have enough fat for it to develop rancid flavors. It’s safe to keep them for three to four days in the refrigerator. Although it’s generally best to eat leftover fish within a day or two just to be on the safe side. That allows a bit of leeway in case your fish wasn’t perfectly fresh when you cooked it or wasn’t refrigerated as promptly as it should have been.

Can I make baked catfish ahead of time?

This baked catfish recipe isn’t a good candidate for cooking ahead. With thin fillets you have a relatively narrow window between “cooked” and “overcooked.” Reheating the fillets can take you through that window in a hurry. This is already a pretty quick meal, at about a half-hour total, and you may find you’re better off choosing to make your side dishes ahead of time and focusing on the catfish when mealtime rolls around.

Baked Catfish Recipe Tips

Alejandro Monfort for Taste of Home

Can I skip a step and use a prepared seasoning mix?

Yes, definitely. Any Louisiana-style seasoning mix, whether Cajun or Creole, should work just fine. You could also opt for a seafood seasoning mix. This skips the Southern connection but still tastes good with fish.

What’s the difference between regular catfish and the Asian kind?

Well, the Asian kind are an entirely different species. American catfish belong to the species Ictalurus, with channel cats (Ictalurus punctatus) being the most commonly farmed. Blue catfish, Ictalurus furcatus, are likelier to be wild-caught. Asian catfish belong to the Pangasius species. They cook similarly and you can use American or Asian catfish interchangeably.

Is catfish a sustainable option?

It certainly can be for informed shoppers. Seafood Watch has a list of sustainable options for catfish, for example. It includes US-farmed channel catfish and wild-caught blue catfish from Chesapeake Bay. Asian catfish is more mixed, with China and Vietnam farming a lot of pangasius but often using methods that are questionable by US standards. Your best bet for Asian catfish is checking for a reputable third-party certification (ASC, BAP or Naturland).