This Southern oven fried catfish gives you all the flavor and crunch of a classic fish fry without the mess of deep frying! Coated in seasoned cornmeal and baked until crispy and golden brown, it’s an easy baked catfish recipe that’s perfect for busy weeknights.
More Oven-Fried Favorites:
Before You Get Started
- Use a wire rack on your baking sheet so the fish crisps on both sides.
- Spritz the breaded fillets with oil before baking for a golden, crunchy crust.
- Bake just until the fish flakes easily with a fork and reaches 145°F to keep it moist and tender.
How to Make Baked Catfish
If you grew up with Southern fish fries, this recipe delivers all of those familiar flavors in a lighter, easier format. This recipe comes together in about 30 minutes and uses simple ingredients you can find at any grocery store.
Step 1: Prepare the Baking Sheet
Preheat the oven to 450°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and place a wire rack on top. Spray the rack generously with nonstick cooking spray.
The wire rack allows hot air to circulate around the fish so the coating crisps on both sides instead of getting soggy on the bottom.
Step 2: Make the Cornmeal Coating
In one shallow dish, pour the buttermilk. In a second shallow dish, whisk together the cornmeal, seasoned salt, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, and cayenne.
Step 3: Coat the Fish
Pat the catfish dry with paper towels and season lightly with salt and pepper.
Dip each fillet into the buttermilk, allowing any excess to drip off. Then dredge the fish in the cornmeal mixture until lightly coated on all sides.
** Tip: Shake off excess buttermilk and excess breading. A thin, even coating gets crispier than a thick one.
Step 4: Arrange and Spray
Place the breaded fillets on the prepared wire rack, leaving a little space between each piece.
Spritz the tops lightly with cooking spray or oil.
⇢ Don’t skip this step. The oil helps the cornmeal turn beautifully golden brown and crispy in the oven.
Step 5: Bake Until Crispy
Bake for 15-20 minutes, carefully flipping the fish halfway through cooking and spraying the second side with oil.
The catfish is done when it flakes easily with a fork and reaches an internal temperature of 145°F.
** Tip: Thinner fillets may finish sooner, so start checking for doneness around the 15-minute mark.
Serve immediately with lemon wedges, tartar sauce, and fresh parsley if desired.
Try it another way
Want a classic fried variation on this same Southern-style catfish? My Pan-Fried Catfish is a longtime favorite!
What to Serve with Baked Catfish
This Southern baked catfish pairs well with all of your favorite fish fry sides. Try serving it with:
A Classic Starch:
Southern-Style Veggies:
For dessert, finish the meal with easy banana pudding, buttermilk pound cake, or Bisquick peach cobbler.
Storage and Reheating Tips
Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
Freezing: Freeze cooked fillets for up to 1 month. Keep in mind that the coating won’t be quite as crisp after thawing.
Reheating: Place the fish on a baking sheet and warm in a 350°F oven for 10-15 minutes, or until heated through.
Wonderful catfish – I was born in the south and loved the yellow cornmeal. Thank you so much for sharing
– Connie
Frequently Asked Questions
Is baked catfish as good as fried catfish?
While traditional fried catfish has a slightly richer flavor, oven fried catfish comes surprisingly close. The seasoned cornmeal coating still gets crispy and golden, but with less oil and less mess.
Why is my baked catfish soggy?
The most common causes are skipping the wire rack, using too much buttermilk or breading, or forgetting to spray the fish with oil before baking.
Do you flip catfish when baking?
Yes. Flipping the fillets halfway through baking helps both sides brown evenly and develop a crisp crust.
How do you know when catfish is done?
Catfish is fully cooked when it flakes easily with a fork and reaches an internal temperature of 145°F.
Can I use frozen catfish fillets?
Absolutely. Just thaw the fish completely and pat it dry before breading so the coating adheres properly.
More Fish Recipes
Did you make this recipe?
If you enjoyed this recipe, please leave a comment with a 5-star review at the bottom of the post. Thank you!
Baked Catfish
Ingredients
- 1 cup whole buttermilk, well shaken
- 1 cup yellow cornmeal
- 2 teaspoons seasoned salt (such as Lawry’s)
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 lb. catfish fillets, cut into 3-4 ounce portions
- Kosher salt and ground black pepper, to taste
- Nonstick cooking spray
- Optional garnish: tartar sauce, lemon wedges, and fresh parsley
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450°F. Line a large, rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and place a wire rack on top. Coat the rack with nonstick cooking spray.
- Place buttermilk in a shallow dish.
- In a separate shallow dish, combine cornmeal, seasoned salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, and cayenne pepper.
- Pat fish dry with a paper towel. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Working with one piece of fish at a time, dip a catfish fillet in the buttermilk mixture, and shake off any excess.
- Transfer buttermilk-soaked fish to the cornmeal mixture and gently roll to coat on both sides.
- Repeat with remaining fillets.
- Arrange the fish about 1-inch apart on the prepared wire rack. Spritz the tops of the fillets with oil or nonstick cooking spray.
- Bake until crispy and golden and the fish flakes easily with a fork, about 15-20 minutes, turning the fillets over and spritzing with oil or nonstick cooking spray again on the opposite side halfway through.
- Serve with tartar sauce, lemon wedges, and fresh parsley.
Notes
- Whole milk can be substituted for the buttermilk.
- Use a wire rack for the crispiest texture.
- Spray both sides of the fish with oil for better browning.
- Shake off excess buttermilk and cornmeal before baking.
- Frozen catfish should be thawed completely and patted dry.
- Add extra cayenne for a spicier version.
- Creole seasoning, Cajun seasoning, or Old Bay are great additions to the breading.
- Catfish is done when it flakes easily and reaches 145°F.
- Leftovers will keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
- Reheat in the oven to maintain crispness.
- Serve on hoagie rolls with lettuce and tartar sauce for catfish sandwiches.
- Use leftovers in tacos with slaw, salsa, and avocado.
Nutrition
Originally published in March, 2023, this post was updated in July, 2026.
I love fried fish and this is the first time I have seen a recipe this easy to do fish in the oven. I will give this a try soon. Thanks for a great idea on cooking fish .
Hope you love it, Mary!
Wonderful catfish – I was born in the south and loved the yellow cornmeal. Thank you so much for sharing
The best, right?! Sometimes it’s nice to enjoy a favorite without the actual frying! 🙂
Love what you are doing with my favorite fish, the good old catfish. Every recipe is totally wonderful. Thanks Blair for taking my kitchen from bland and boring to delicious and exciting. Keep those tasty recipes coming.
Thank you so much, Mary!
A nice alternative to frying. I used whole milk instead of buttermilk. My crust was a bit dry but I might have applied a bit too much cornmeal mixture, and next time I’d be a little more liberal with the canola oil spray. A light fry would still probably taste best, but this is good when you don’t want the mess of that. Thanks for the recipe.
Thanks, Nadia! I agree — it’s tough to beat classic fried fish, but this is a nice, easy, lighter alternative. 🙂
Agreed! My local grocery has lots of catfish harvested from the Chesapeake bay, where they are an invasive species. I love making them and don’t like frying because the smell lingers too long so this recipe is a nice alternative. Will make again.