In just 30 minutes, you can have these golden and crispy, bite-sized deep fried Catfish Nuggets for a delicious, quick and easy family dinner.
Fried Catfish Nuggets
Every Summer we have a festival in our town called Catfish Days, so to me, deep fried catfish is a Summer icon. ย I love making (and eating) deep fried catfish (HERE is the recipe I normally use, if you want to use it too), especially in the Summer, and sometimes I like to mix it up a little bit, like with this Fried Catfish Nuggets recipe.
Fried Catfish Nuggets have all the same delicious, golden, and crispy flavor as your traditional deep fried catfish, except it's cut into bite-sized pieces before being battered and fried. ย I think bite-sized pieces make everything more fun, and my kids agree, as they adore these Fried Catfish Nuggets. ย Never leftovers in sight!
Fried Catfish Nuggets Recipe
Fried Catfish Nuggets
Ingredients
- 2 pounds catfish nuggets cut into bite sized pieces
- 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons milk divided
- ยผ teaspoon salt
- 2 cups all purpose flour divided
- 3 large eggs
- 1 cup cornmeal
- 1ยฝ tablespoon Cajun Seasoning (I use Tony Chachere's)
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ยฝ teaspoon salt
- ยฝ teaspoon ground black pepper
- Oil for frying
Instructions
Marinating
- In a medium bowl, add the 2 cups milk and ยผ teaspoon salt. Whisk to dissolve and add the fish chunks. Allow to soak at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Preparation
- Set up the dredging station: In the first bowl, add 1 cup flour.
- In the second bowl, add the eggs and remaining 2 tablespoons milk, and whisk to combine.
- In the third bowl, add the remaining 1 cup flour, cornmeal, Cajun seasoning, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Whisk to combine.
- In a frying pan with straight sides, add enough oil to fill 1-inch deep. Heat until the oil is hot enough that a sprinkle of flour will sizzle as soon as it touches the oil. The oil will be about 350ยฐF.
Fry the Catfish Nuggets
- Remove the fish from the milk in batches of 6 to 8 chunks. Shake the excess milk off the fish.
- Dredge in the flour, then the egg wash, and then in the flour-cornmeal mixture.
- Add the batch to the oil, making sure to not overcrowd the pan and bring down the temperature. Fry, flipping once if needed, until a light golden brown and cooked through, about 6 minutes or 2 to 3 minutes per side.
- Remove to paper towels to drain excess oil. Sprinkle with a little salt to taste. Repeat frying process with remaining fish.
Nutrition
Did you like this Fried Catfish Nuggets recipe? Find more on my Dinner Ideas board on Pinterest!
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Beverly says
My husband loves catfish so I must make these for him. They look yummy!
Bev
Rhonda says
These catfish nuggets sound delicious. I'll be making these, thanks for sharing.
Maru Zeman says
The batter in the photo obviously has cornmeal, yet there is none in the recipe, how come?
Michelle says
The batter in the photos have seasoning, that's why it looks like specks. I do have a recipe for cornmeal-coated baked catfish nuggets. https://www.thegraciouswife.com/baked-catfish-nuggets-recipe/