Quick Cajun Catfish

From EatingWell: November/December 1993, EatingWell for a Healthy Heart Cookbook (2008)

Ready in a mere 20 minutes, these delicious cornmeal-crusted catfish fillets will soon become a family favorite. Serve with oven roasted potatoes and steamed green beans.

READER'S COMMENT:

"We tried this last night and it was big hit...even with the picky fish eaters in the family. I modified it a little bit, not because I'm one of those fussy recipe snobs, but because my broiler has two settings -- cold and destroy. I...

Makes: 4 servings

Active Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Nutrition Profile

View Our Nutrition Guidelines »

Ingredients

1/4 cup nonfat buttermilk
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/2 cup cornmeal
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
4 catfish fillets, (1 1/4 pounds; see Tip)
4 lemon wedges

Preparation

Preheat broiler. Lightly oil a wire rack large enough to hold fish in a single layer. Place the rack on a baking sheet.
Whisk buttermilk and mustard in a medium bowl until smooth. Combine cornmeal, salt and paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, thyme, cayenne pepper and black pepper in a shallow dish. Dip each fillet in the buttermilk mixture, turning to coat. Transfer to the cornmeal mixture, turning to coat completely. Place the fillets on the prepared rack; they should not touch.
Broil 4 inches from the heat source until the fish is opaque in the center, about 3 minutes per side. Serve hot with lemon wedges.

Tips & Notes

Tip: The catfish-farming industry has grown in the U.S. and the quality of the fish has improved. Farmers raise catfish sustainably in closed pens and feed them a mostly vegetarian diet. If you're wary of fish but enjoy bold flavors, this is a good recipe to help you get more heart-healthy fish into your diet.

Nutrition

Per serving: 239 calories; 11 g fat ( 3 g sat , 5 g mono ); 67 mg cholesterol; 10 g carbohydrates; 0 g added sugars; 24 g protein; 1 g fiber; 546 mg sodium; 452 mg potassium.

Nutrition Bonus: Selenium (25% daily value).

Carbohydrate Servings: 1/2

Exchanges: 1/2 starch, 3 1/2 lean meat

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