Fried Catfish Nuggets Recipes

CRISPY FRIED CATFISH NUGGETS

Steps:

• Rinse, pick out bones and undesirable bits, lightly dry catfish.
• Mix the corn meal and seasonings in a pie plate.
• Scramble the eggs and buttermilk in a bowl.
• Heat a skillet filled about 1/2 an inch with corn oil over a medium flame. Throw a drop of water in it, when it sizzles you're ready to cook.
• While the oil is heating, dredge the fish in the corn meal mix.
• Then dip in egg mix.
• Then heavily coat it in then corn meal mix pressing the corn meal into the egg. Be sure to cover all the wet spots before lightly knocking off any loose corn meal.
• Last, set the piece aside to await frying.
• For an extra thick crust, dip in egg and corn meal again. You will need to increase the amount of egg, buttermilk and corn meal by 50%.
• Once the oil is hot, place as many pieces of coated fish into the skillet without over crowding it using the pieces that have been sitting the longest.
• After about 3 minutes, turn the pieces half way around keeping them on the same side and cook until the sides start to brown. You want a medium to dark brown color on the underside before flipping.
• Repeat the same after flipping but watch closely as it won't take as long to brown.
• Remove pieces from the skillet, let the oil drain off and place on a rack to cool while the next round gets fried. You can put them in a 200 degree oven to keep hot while the rest cook.
• Coat both sides of the onion rolls with Durkee Sauce (Mayo if you don't have it), place pieces of fish on the bottom half, cover top of fish with relish and onion, add top half of the roll and resist the urge to eat it all yourself.
• The crust is a bit dry so you want to eat it with some kind of dipping sauce.
• For left overs, just reheat in a 250 degree oven or eat it cold like fried chicken.

SOUTHERN FRIED CATFISH NUGGETS

Steps:

• Put oil in a skillet until it is halfway up or you can use a deep fryer, a deep fryer is actually best for these. Heat until hot or if using skillet use medium high heat.
• In a large bowl beat egg with a fork, add buttermilk to it. Beat again to incorporate.
• In another big bowl put cornmeal and seasonings to taste.
• Rinse nuggets and dip into milk mixture, depending on how many you have you could probably fit them all in at one time.
• Take a few out of the milk and dip in to the cornmeal, roll around to get it coated good, then put into oil.
• If using skillet put them in until skillet is full. fry 3 minutes, turn and fry another 2-3 minutes. If using a deep fryer fry 5 minutes, about halfway through stir them around to break up any that might have clumped together. They are done when golden brown and flake easily with a fork.

FRIED CATFISH NUGGETS

Steps:

• Place the catfish pieces into a mixing bowl and sprinkle with thyme leaves. Toss until the catfish is evenly coated with the thyme. Mix in the mustard with your hands. Cover, and refrigerate overnight, up to 24 hours.
• Heat oil in a deep-fryer or large saucepan to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Whisk the flour, salt, black pepper, and baking soda together in a mixing bowl.
• Dip the catfish pieces one at a time into the flour mixture and shake off the excess. Fry the catfish nuggets in batches until they are no longer translucent in the center and are golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Let the oil come back up to temperature between batches. Drain the nuggets on a paper towel-lined plate before serving.

SUNNY'S CATFISH NUGGETS

Steps:

• In a bowl, add the 2 cups milk and a heavy pinch of salt. Whisk to dissolve and add the fish chunks. Allow to soak at room temperature for 30 minutes.
• Set up the dredging station: In the first bowl, add 1 cup flour. In the second bowl, whisk the eggs and add the remaining 2 tablespoons milk. In the third bowl, add the remaining 1 cup flour, the cornmeal, sugar and a pinch of salt followed by a few grinds of pepper.
• In a frying pan with straight sides, add enough oil to fill 1-inch deep. Heat until the oil begins to swirl and the handle of a wooden spoon begins to sizzle as soon as it hits the oil. The oil will be about 350 degrees F.
• Remove the fish from the milk in batches of 6 to 8 chunks. Shake the excess milk off the fish. Dredge in the flour, then the egg wash and then in the flour and cornmeal mixture. Add the batch to the oil, making sure to not overcrowd the pan and bring down the temperature. Fry, flipping once if needed, until a light golden brown and cooked through, about 6 minutes. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate and season with a sprinkle of salt. Repeat until all the fish chunks are done.
• In a small bowl, add the hot sauce and sift the sugar on top. Gently stir together. Drizzle over the nuggets or dunk them in the sauce.

OVEN-FRIED FISH NUGGETS

Steps:

• In a shallow bowl, combine the bread crumbs, cornflakes, Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. Coat fish with butter-flavored spray, then roll in crumb mixture. , Place on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake at 375° for 15-20 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork. Freeze option: Cover and freeze unbaked fish nuggets on a waxed paper-lined baking sheet until firm. Transfer to a resealable freezer container; return to freezer. To use, preheat oven to 375°. Bake nuggets on a rack on a greased baking sheet 15-20 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork.

FRIED FISH NUGGETS

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the first 8 ingredients. Stir in fish. Roll into 1-in. balls. , In an electric skillet or deep-fat fryer, heat oil to 375°. Fry fish nuggets, a few at a time, until golden brown on both sides; drain on paper towels. Serve with tartar sauce if desired.

CRUNCHY CATFISH NUGGETS

Steps:

• In a small bowl, mix dry bread crumbs and lemon pepper. Place egg substitute in a separate small bowl. Dip catfish pieces in the egg substitute, then into the bread crumb mixture to coat.
• Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Place coated catfish pieces in the hot oil. Fry on both sides until lightly browned and fish is easily flaked with a fork, about 15 minutes. Drain on paper towels.