Air Fryer Southern Fried Catfish

Air Fryer Southern Fried Catfish

Southern fried catfish is so easy when it's done in the air fryer. The coating comes out crispy and the fish is flaky and tender. It's a quick weeknight dinner recipe that's better for you than the deep-fried version!

Course Main Dish (Quick and Easy)

Cuisine American - Southern

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 10

Marinating 30

Total Time 50

Servings

Calories 693kcal

Author Marye Audet-White

Equipment

Air Fryer

Ingredients

2 pounds catfish fillets
1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon Louisiana hot sauce if you don't like spicy use less.
1 cup yellow cornmeal
¼ cup all purpose flour
2 teaspoons Cajun seasoning or to taste
olive oil cooking spray

Instructions

Place buttermilk in large shallow dish like a 13x9-inch pan.
Add a 1 teaspoon of hot sauce and mix to combine.
Add catfish fillets turning to coat.
Cover with plastic wrap and let stand for 30 minutes.
In another 13x9 inch pan or large plate mix the cornmeal, flour, and Cajun seasoning.
Whisk to combine.
Remove catfish from buttermilk to a plate, allowing excess buttermilk to drip off. Lightly pat dry and season with a little kosher salt.
Place catfish fillets one at a time in seasoned cornmeal mixture and dredge to coat well on both sides.
Shake off excess cornmeal and place on a plate.
Preheat air fryer at 400º.
Open and spray basket evenly with olive oil spray.
Place the catfish in a single layer in your air fryer basket. Make sure they don’t touch. You may need to do this in several batches depending on the size of the fillets.
Spritz catfish on top with a little olive oil spray.
Close basket and air fry at 400º for 7 minutes.
Open basket and carefully flip fish over with spatula, air fry for another 2- 5 more minutes. It should be crispy and golden brown.
Check with an instant read thermometer to make sure the internal temperature of the fish is 145F.
Serve immediately with tartar sauce, hot sauce, and lemon wedges.

Notes

Storage:

Leftovers will last in the fridge for three or four days. You can also freeze for up to a month.

Store the fish in an airtight container. You can separate the layers with paper towels or parchment paper to protect the cornmeal coating and prevent it from coming off.

If frozen, let the fried catfish thaw overnight in the fridge.

Then, reheat it in the air fryer at 350 degrees F for about five minutes or so. Work in small batches to avoid soggy fish.

Tips

Large batches don't work well in an air fryer. For the ultimate Southern fried catfish, place filets spaced well apart. There should be enough room for hot air to circulate around all the sides of the filets.
Don't forget to dry the buttermilk off of each piece of catfish before dredging through the flour mixture.
Shake the excess cornmeal mixture off of the catfish filets.
No messy, hot oil is needed when air frying. However, giving each catfish filet a spritz of oil helps them to crisp up. Use a light hand, though. Otherwise, the breading will taste oily instead of crunchy.
You can freeze the coated filets before (or after) air frying them to make an easy, grab-and-heat freezer meal.

Nutrition