Air fryer catfish
Southern-style cornmeal-crusted catfish that comes out crisp and golden without a pot of oil, with a quick tartar sauce on the side.
- 25 min total
- 10 min hands-on
- Anyone can make this
- Serves 2
- About $2.82 a serving
- 470 calories
- Gluten-free
- Dairy-free
Dolly says: I’d make this on a weeknight. It’s on the table in 25 minutes.
Ingredients
For 2 servings.
- 2 catfish fillets, about 6 oz each
- 1 tbsp yellow mustard
- 1 tsp hot sauce
- ⅓ cup cornmeal
- 1 tsp Cajun seasoning
- 3 tbsp mayonnaise
- 1 dill pickle, finely chopped
- ½ lemon, cut into 2 wedges
From your pantry
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 tsp olive oil
Each serving has about 470 calories, 29 g protein, 23 g carbs and 29 g fat, and costs about $2.82 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No yellow mustard? Dijon mustard works.
- No hot sauce? Sriracha works.
- No lemons? Limes work.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
the air fryer to 400°F for 3 minutes.
Preheat. Preheating means turning the oven on before you start, so it’s fully hot when the food goes in. Food that starts in a cold oven cooks unevenly and doesn’t brown the same.
How you’ll know: The oven beeps or its light clicks off, usually 10 to 15 minutes after you turn it on.
Timer: 3 min
the catfish dry. the mustard and hot sauce together and brush it over both sides of the fillets.
Pat dry. Patting dry means pressing paper towels onto food to soak up the moisture on its surface. Wet food steams instead of browning, so this is how you get a good sear and crisp skin.
How you’ll know: The surface feels tacky, not wet, and the last paper towel comes away barely damp.
Stir. Stirring means moving food around with a spoon or spatula so it cooks evenly and doesn’t stick. Unless the recipe says constantly, every so often is plenty, and it gives food time to brown.
How you’ll know: When you drag the spoon across the bottom, nothing is sticking or scorching.
Dolly’s tip: Mustard is the Southern trick for making cornmeal stick. You won’t taste it.Mix the cornmeal, Cajun seasoning and salt on a plate and press the fillets into it on both sides.
the fillets with the oil and lay them in the basket without overlapping.
Drizzle. Drizzling means pouring a thin, slow stream over the top of something. A thin stream spreads a little flavor a long way.
How you’ll know: You see thin lines across the food, not a puddle collecting underneath.
Air fry 10 to 12 minutes, flipping halfway, until and and the fish flakes easily.
Golden brown. Golden brown is the color of good toast, somewhere between yellow and light brown. It means the outside is cooked and crisp but not burnt.
How you’ll know: It looks like toast and smells toasty; dark brown with a bitter smell means it went too far.
Crispy. Crispy means the outside is dry, firm and crunchy. It comes from high heat, a little oil and room in the pan, because crowded food steams and goes soft.
How you’ll know: It sounds crunchy when you tap or bite it, and it doesn’t flop when you lift it.
Timer: 11 min
Food safety: Fish is done at 145°F, when the middle looks opaque and flakes apart easily with a fork.
the mayonnaise and pickle with a squeeze from one lemon wedge and serve with the catfish and the other wedge.
Stir. Stirring means moving food around with a spoon or spatula so it cooks evenly and doesn’t stick. Unless the recipe says constantly, every so often is plenty, and it gives food time to brown.
How you’ll know: When you drag the spoon across the bottom, nothing is sticking or scorching.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
