Cornbread-Crusted Lemon-Garlic Catfish
Yields: 4 servings
 
Ingredients
  • 2 teaspoons Creole seasoning
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 4 (6- to 8-ounce) catfish fillets
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
  • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
  • 1 teaspoon lemon zest
  • ½ cup day-old cornbread crumbs*
  • Garnish: fresh thyme sprigs
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to broil.
  2. In a small bowl, stir together Creole seasoning, salt, and pepper. Sprinkle both sides of catfish fillets with seasoning mixture.
  3. In a 12-inch enamel-coated cast-iron skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add catfish, and sear until fillets are golden brown, about 
5 minutes. Carefully turn fillets; 
add lemon juice.
  4. In a small bowl, stir together oil, garlic, thyme, and zest. Pour oil mixture over fillets, and sprinkle 
with cornbread crumbs.
  5. Bake until golden brown, about 4 minutes. Garnish with thyme, if desired.
Notes
*If you only have fresh cornbread, bake it for 1 hour in a 200° oven 
to dry it out.
Recipe by Taste of the South at https://tasteofthesouthmagazine.com/cornbread-crusted-lemon-garlic-catfish/