A healthy twist on a southern favorite...

For my Abilene friends, I want to first of all give a shout out to all you can eat catfish nights at Cahoots. There is really nothing better than stuffing yourself with hush puppies, thin and crispy catfish, and tartar sauce. Well, I found some catfish fillets on sale at store the other day, so I decided to try my hand at an oven fried catfish instead of the traditional fried version that I once enjoyed. Now, I am not a complete convert, but I have to say this recipe turned out pretty well! I paired it with some good old black eyed peas and cornbread to finish off my southern meal. I don't have a fancy picture because I wasn't planning to blog about this, but I did this for Jenny, so just imagine. Give it a try!

Crispy Oven Fried Catfish

1 lb. catfish fillets
milk
1/2 cup cornmeal
1/2 tsp. of paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, and seasoning salt (you can add any spices you like)
3 T butter

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Wash catfish fillets and place them in a shallow dish. Cover with milk and soak in refrigerator for 30 minutes or so. Mix cornmeal and spices in another shallow dish. Remove catfish from milk and roll in cornmeal until thoroughly coated. Generously spray a baking sheet with cooking spray and place in the oven for a minute or two (you do this to help the bottom crisp up). Melt the butter while the pan is heating. Place the fillets on the pan and drizzle lightly with melted butter. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until the fish is lightly browned and firm to the touch.

Warning- if you live in a small apartment as I do, your smoke detector will probably go off due to the intense heat of the 450 degree oven! So annoying! :0)