Make these Baked Catfish Nuggets as a healthy and easy baked version of a Southern favorite. Made with just 5 ingredients in 30 minutes!
Baked Catfish Nuggets
Fact: Kids will eat anything you call "nugget."
It's weird, but true. At least at my house. That includes these Baked Catfish Nuggets which are super easy to make, with just 5 ingredients.
This recipe takes your traditional Southern comfort food cornmeal catfish and gives it a healthy twist by baking it in the oven. I love this method because it's quicker and so much less messy (frying oil is always a pain to clean up!)
Plus, they're healthy and gluten and dairy free. You can make them in just 30 minutes! Perfect for a quick and easy weeknight dinner.
If you're looking for a fried version, we have that here too!
What to Serve with Baked Catfish Nuggets
Being a sauce-girl, I think it's first and most important to serve it with the perfect sauce. Mr. Gracious will insist that you serve catfish with ketchup, but I think he might be in the minority.
If you're not weird like Mr. Gracious, you can try this amazing and totally easy Homemade Tartar Sauce Recipe that will go with your Baked Catfish Nuggets perfectly.
Our go-to side dish for almost all fish dishes is this Creamy Southern Coleslaw. It's creamy but simple and fresh and adds the perfect crunch to go with succulent fish.
Most people think "fish and chips," so another easy way to go is a potato any way. Baked potato, mashed potatoes, potato wedges,... oh my! We like these Garlic Chive Baked Fries.
Corn on the cob is an easy fast way to go for a carb, if you'd rather skip the potato.
To finish off the meal, we like a nice big fresh fruit salad.
More Catfish Recipes You'll Love
- Fried Catfish Nuggets - try the fried version!
- Lemon Pepper Baked Catfish - fresh and zesty!
- Southern Fried Catfish - The Classic
- Beer Battered Catfish - personal favorite!
Baked Catfish Nuggets
Ingredients
- 1 pound catfish nuggets
- ½ cup cornmeal
- 1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- In a shallow dish, mix together cornmeal, Cajun seasoning, garlic powder, and salt.
- Place a catfish nugget in the cornmeal dish. Coat completely. Remove to a lined baking sheet. Repeat for remaining fish.
- Bake at 400° for 17-20 minutes, until fish is cooked through, golden, and flaky.
Video
Notes
- This recipe is gluten free and dairy free! No substitutions necessary!
- Can another fish be substituted? Absolutely, just make sure to cut it into "nugget-sized" pieces. The easiest ones to use in place of catfish are tilapia or cod.
- Why is there no egg in this recipe? I find that flour dredging and egg dipping in this recipe is unnecessary and just creates extra mess and extra work. The cornmeal mixture coats the fish really well without any dredging.
- Want to fry your catfish nuggets? Find out here in this yummy fried catfish nuggets recipe.
- What goes with baked catfish nuggets? Definitely some creamy southern coleslaw and a potato or grain of your choice. Try baked french fries, rice, or quinoa!
Nutrition
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Michelle says
Eat this all the time! Yum!
Kate Berkey says
I was looking for an awesome recipe for the whole family and I stumbled on this article. I read and followed the instructions carefully and I made this baked catfish nuggets deliciously! Every member of my family is so happy! Thanks for this!
Michelle says
Yay! Glad you loved it!
Reggie says
Do you buy the cajun season or make that yourself?
Michelle says
I buy it. It's a pretty common seasoning mix.
Abby says
This was a great alternative to fried! came out great. Have you tried this method with shrimp?
Jake says
Sounds great. Could I use Wondra flour instead of cornmeal?
Michelle says
No, I don't recommend making that substitution.
tarp says
I made this according to your recipe. Wonderful! I am going to make this again, using fillets. Thank you for sharing a fantastic recipe:0
YooperKat says
Love it! Very quick, usually always have all of the ingredients in the pantry. Will make this again.
Michelle says
I'm glad you loved it!
Rosemary Grattan says
I can't believe how good and easy these baked catfish nuggets are! Thank you.
concious party says
Used foil, greased it well..... and all the catfish stuck to the foil destroying the coating........1st and last time i foil my baking pans...
Gwendolyn J Horn says
Made this Catfish Nugget recipe for Sunday dinner with 2 pounds of Nuggets. Didn't have Cajun seasoning. Used my 4 go-to seasonings with 1 cup of cornmeal ... 1 tsp. Lawry's Seasoning, 1 tsp. Pepper, 1 tsp. Garlic Powder, 1 tsp. Onion Powder. Had the fried catfish consistency. Turned out delicious. Will try again as soon as I buy Cajun Seasoning. Thanks.
Adrianne says
This is very original!! I have never cooked with catfish before. Yum, I love that you have done sometime totally different. Can't wait to try them, cheers
Dannii says
What a great alternative to regular nuggets. I am definitely going to have to have them a try.
Tracy says
Chicken whoooo?! Omg these nuggets are all I need!
Charla says
I've heard so many positive things about catfish but we don't have that fish here in the UK. Those nuggets look darn good.
BatGS says
Greetings: miss Charla: Catfish is common here in the U.S. It is a warm, freshwater rish.. I am picky where I fish it and where it comes from if I purchase. I invite U 2 visit and I'll cook U some
Cathy says
Honestly, I'm not sure who could ever walk away from a catfish nugget mush less this easy simple and Delicious recipe! Thanks Chala! I live in the south and this recipe is alwayssss welcomed!
Barbara Hunter says
Your cooking instructions says to put on a buttered lined cooking tray but your video shows (and correct me if I am wrong that you were using a silicone liner. So...what would be a buttered lined cooking tray? I am not trying to criticize you at all but just trying to make this recipe tonight and stumbled across this question.
Michelle says
When I originally wrote this recipe, I didn't have the silicone baking mats. So I was lining with foil and lightly greasing or buttering. If you have silicone mats, you can skip the greasing. You can also line with parchment paper without greasing. I hope this helps!
Misa says
Will they be as crispy cooked on parchment paper as the will be cooked directly on a metal sheet? Thanks
Michelle says
Yes! And they won't stick 🙂
Patty at Spoonabilities says
These catfish nuggets are right up my alley! I love that they are baked too - frying is such a pain and so messy!
Haley D. Williams says
Now this is some real Southern comfort food! These nuggets were so easy to make and tasted AMAZING
Lindsey says
Thanks for the inspiration! I have some alaskan cod in the freezer and am definitely going to give this a try!
Sally says
So delicious and simple to make! Love me some catfish! <3
Cheri says
I want to try this recipe. I'm new to catfish. Do you use fresh or frozen catfish? I scrolled through the comments but I couldn't find the answer. Thank you for such an amazing recipe!
Michelle says
Either is fine, but if using frozen, thaw them first.
Baltisraul says
We are going low carb so we substituted pork rind crumbles for the corn meal. Just put them in the food processor and spin till they are a fine texture. They add a wonderful flavor layer. We have done bothe regular
Michelle says
That is such a great idea! Thanks for sharing!
Jessica Wirt says
What's a good cornmeal for this recipe or can any due
Michelle says
Any plain cornmeal will work.
Bonnie Hobson says
I dont have cornmeal so can I use seasoned bread crumbs?
Michelle says
I have never tried it, so I can't say for sure. But I think it would probably work! Let me know if you give it a try!
Joanne says
This looks great! I'm not sure I can get catfish where I am - what other fish could I use?
Cathleen says
Catfish nuggets?? These are totally new to me, but I would love to give them a go! Bookmarked to make later, thank you so much for this recipe!
H. McCallum says
Your baked catfish recipe sounds amazingly delicious, and I can almost guarantee it will be a massive hit with my family. Have a wonderful weekend! I'm looking forward to your new News Letter!
H-
Biana says
Yum! These nuggets look delicious and flavorful. Perfect for dinner next week!
Chichi says
Never tried catfish nuggets. Looks delicious can’t wait to try it.
Kay says
Made these fishy nuggets with the kids, we had to use tilapia as couldn't source the catfish in the UK (Although the hubby likes to play fisherman with them they have to be returned after caught!)
Kids love them!
Beth Sachs says
I love how quick and easy these nuggets are to make, and best of all the kids LOVED them!
Alina says
This is such a good snack idea! I love crunchy fish and great that no eggs needed here.
Helen says
Great idea to bake them - so much easier and healthier too.
Dani C says
Hi! Are these frozen catfish nuggets? I have a bag of frozen ones and I want to make this recipe.. Thanks!
Michelle says
I use frozen ones often. Just thaw them first for accurate cook time! Fish is really easy to thaw. Just transfer to a zip baggy and run under warm water for a few minutes.
Tarry says
I tried this with Catfish and it was great.
I will most definitely try this with shrimp and might I add the fish did not stick.
Thanks a bunch
Kae says
This is an amazing and easy recipe! The whole family loved it. We'll definitely be making this again.
Michelle says
Glad you all loved it!
Laurie says
Delicious and easy! I didn’t have Cajun seasonings so substituted creole seasoning which was very tasty. I definitely will be making these more often. Thank you!
Suzette Van Aken says
This recipe is perfect for the only one in my house that eats fish. Additionally, I don’t fry on top of my stove. I used Old Bay®️ Seasoning and black pepper instead of the Cajun Seasoning. You really don’t need the egg to make this. I baked in a cast iron skillet heating the skillet in the oven prior to baking the fish. It was absolutely delicious. Thank you.