I was at the grocery store in the seafood section about to purchase my regulars — salmon, scallops and crab — and I saw just how inexpensive the catfish nuggets were. And my idea for today’s recipe for fried catfish nuggets was born. I asked the seafood department worker if he had ever made fried catfish and he recommended the seafood breading mix that I used.
Believe it or not, this is my first attempt at preparing catfish, but it turned out freaking great!
New Orleans cuisine is near and dear to my heart, so I just knew I wanted to go the creole route rather than the standard southern version. I also knew I wanted a spicy kick. The other consideration was whether or not to use buttermilk, but I didn’t want to because I have never had success using it when frying chicken. So this version of fried catfish nuggets is buttermilk-free!
A couple of notes:
- It is really important to prep everything before you start when you are frying. Make sure you pull out all of your ingredients, beat your eggs, grab a drying rack and paper towels, have tongs ready. It is pretty easy to accidentally burn your food while frying as you are scrambling to get something that you need, once the oil is pretty hot.
- Use a cast iron pan if possible, because it will retain the heat well and more evenly cook the food while frying.
Serve with a remoulade or tarter sauce and enjoy! Tag @eattravelhustle on Instagram and hashtag it #eattravelhustle
Ingredients
Instructions
Did you make this recipe?

I hope you love these fried catfish nuggets as much as I did! If you make them, please tag me so I can see!