Our editor’s favorite, this catfish dish sings with fresh lemon juice, butter, and garlic.
Cornbread-Crusted Lemon-Garlic Catfish
Yields: 4 servings
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons Creole seasoning
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 4 (6- to 8-ounce) catfish fillets
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- ½ cup day-old cornbread crumbs*
- Garnish: fresh thyme sprigs
Instructions
- Preheat oven to broil.
- In a small bowl, stir together Creole seasoning, salt, and pepper. Sprinkle both sides of catfish fillets with seasoning mixture.
- In a 12-inch enamel-coated cast-iron skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add catfish, and sear until fillets are golden brown, about 5 minutes. Carefully turn fillets; add lemon juice.
- In a small bowl, stir together oil, garlic, thyme, and zest. Pour oil mixture over fillets, and sprinkle with cornbread crumbs.
- Bake until golden brown, about 4 minutes. Garnish with thyme, if desired.
Notes
*If you only have fresh cornbread, bake it for 1 hour in a 200° oven
to dry it out.
