Dry Rub Catfish

There was a new fish on the dinner plate tonight!  I have always known catfish to be southern and fried, but I also know there are a ton of them swimming in the rivers of North America.  I consulted with my fish expert Jess, and she said that catfish was a good choice when looking for a fish species to feel good about eating in terms of sustainability.

My former fish market boss said the best way to cook catfish is blackened.  I just made Emily’s blackened tofu last week so I thought I would go with about the same spice mix but bake it on high heat until it started to crisp.

I mixed together garlic powder, cayenne, celery seed, paprika, salt, pepper, coriander, and oregano, then coated my fish before baking it at 425 for 17min.

It was good but I think I like trout better.  Something about it was just off.  I’m not really sure what?  Maybe it does need a good sear in some oil.

Along with the catfish I cooked up a wheat berry salad with baby kale, onion, garlic, beets and smoked paprika.

The sweet onions were a good compliment to the slightly bitter kale.

I will give catfish one more try, but given a choice I would pick another sustainable fish.  Next up, mussels!

Have you eaten catfish?  How was it prepared?  Did you like it?