Zesty Lemon Pepper Baked Catfish is a healthy yet delicious dish featuring flaky catfish in a crispy lemon-pepper cornmeal breading. It's quick and easy to make with just 5 ingredients in just 30 minutes.
Lemon Pepper Baked Catfish
Lemon Pepper Baked Catfish is an oven-baked version of a southern classic. It features flaky catfish in a crispy cornmeal coating and is baked in the oven to crispy, golden perfection.
This dish is easy to make with just 5 ingredients in 30 minutes! Lemon Pepper Baked Catfish is a healthy yet delicious fish dish packed with zesty, vibrant flavor.
What to Serve with Lemon Pepper Baked Catfish
Lemon Pepper Baked Catfish is a super versatile main course that will go well with lots of sides. Here are some of our favorite ideas:
- Creamy coleslaw
- Cornbread
- Hush puppies
- Rice
- Tartar sauce
- Deviled Egg Potato Salad
- Biscuits
- French Fries
- Fresh garden salad
- Pasta
- Mac and Cheese
- Baked Beans
Lemon Pepper Baked Catfish Recipe Tips and Variations
- Extra crispy: To make your catfish even crispier, place a cooling rack (like for baking) on the baking sheet. Then place your coated catfish on it to bake. This will lift the catfish off the bottom of the baking sheet so that it can get crispy on all sides.
- Seasoning: You can omit the lemon pepper seasoning if that's not your thing, or you can substitute it with something like Cajun or Creole seasoning.
- Catfish: If you are not a fan of catfish or don't have enough on hand, you can use a different white flaky fish such as tilapia, haddock, or cod.
More Southern Seafood Recipes You'll Love
- Beer Battered Catfish - catfish tossed in a zesty beer battered and fried to golden, crispy perfection.
- Salmon Croquettes - crispy on the outside and warm and tender on the inside, these salmon croquettes are easy to make
- Southern Pan-Fried Catfish - cornmeal coated catfish lightly fried in a pan for the classic southern catfish dish.
- Shrimp Etouffee - juicy shrimp in a rich, buttery sauce seasoned with onion, celery, and bell pepper.
- Pastalaya - a Creole jambalaya pasta with juicy shrimp, tender chicken, and savory sausage, all tossed together in perfectly seasoned noodles for an authentic Creole dish.
Lemon Pepper Baked Catfish Video
Lemon Pepper Baked Catfish
Ingredients
- 4 catfish fillets (about 1 pound)
- ½ cup cornmeal
- 1 tablespoon Lemon Pepper seasoning
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a shallow dish, mix together cornmeal, lemon pepper seasoning, garlic powder, and salt.
- Place a catfish fillet in the cornmeal dish. Coat completely. Remove to a lined baking sheet. Repeat for remaining fish.
- Bake at 400°F for 20-25 min, until fish is cooked through, golden, and flaky.
Notes
- Storage: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat leftover fish in the oven, toaster oven, or air fryer for the crispiest texture.
Nutrition
UPDATE INFO: This recipe was originally published in May 2017. It was updated with new pictures, video, and tips and republished in August 2023.
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Lynn's says
Just breaded with corn meal and flour and spices. Tried once before and I really enjoyed catfish.
Angela J. says
This is my second time making this dish and it is absolutely delicious and easy to make. The only thing is if your baking more fish then the recipe have, double your ingredients. This is my go to recipe for lemon pepper baked fish. Thanks The Gracious Wife.
Michelle says
Love it! Was just pulling this recipe up to make dinner for tonight. So glad you enjoyed it!
Cindy Parks says
Made as suggested. The fish was light and tasted great baked with the corn meal and few herbs. I liked too that it did'nt take long. My husband loved it😋👍
Cindy Parks says
Made this recipe as suggested. It tasted light baked with the cornmeal and few herbs.
Chahinez says
This was such an amazing recipe! Thank you
Kathryn says
This was my first time having cat fish and it was delicious! Loved the flavor and it was baked perfectly.
Kathleen says
This lemon pepper baked catfish looks crispy and delicious. I really appreciate your trick to make sure the fish gets crispy all over. I will definitely be trying this out.
Alison Corey says
This dish is a culinary masterpiece! The flavors meld together in such a delightful way. It's so tasty; I'm already planning to share the recipe with friends.
Alina G Cruz. says
2 thumbs up, yummy.