How to Make Heart Healthy Fried Catfish

Fried catfish is one of the most common staples of southern cuisine. Although many people in the southern United States enjoy eating fried catfish, the common methods of pan frying and deep frying the fish are not the most health-conscious methods for preparing fried catfish. As a result of my father's heart attack, we have become more health conscious about the way we prepare our foods and the foods we eat. Being on a heart healthy diet doesn't mean having to give up your fried fish. Simply oven fry it instead. Oven frying is a method of virtual frying which resembles baking with the same ingredients as you would use when pan frying or deep frying.

To Oven fry catfish, you need the main ingredient of fish, two cups of yellow self-rising cornmeal mix, your favorite seasonings mixed well into the cornmeal, some two percent milk, and some spray vegetable shortening. To prepare the fish for oven frying dip the fish in the milk enough to lightly coat the fish with the milk. Next lightly coat the fish in the seasoned self rising cornmeal. Place coated fish in a baking dish and lightly spray each piece with the spray cooking oil. Place in the oven at 350 degrees and bake for approximately 30 minutes. Depending on your individual oven, cooking times and temperatures may vary. You may find it best to check the progress of the fish about halfway through the cooking time, to asses whether or not the fish needs to be rotated to cook on the other side of the meat.

There are many advantages in using this method for preparing fried catfish. One of the main advantages is that by coating each individual piece of fish, you are reducing a lot of unnecessary oil content, making the fish more heart healthy. Also by using less oil, you are ensuring that the flavor of the fish actually comes from the fish instead of the oil in which it is fried.

After you remove the fish from the oven, be sure to allow it to cool down for about five minutes before you begin eating the fish. This helps to ensure that the oven fried catfish is as crispy as if you pan fried it or deep fried it, and gives it that unmistakable fried fish flavor.