Pan-Fried Catfish

Vegetable Oil, Olive Oil, or Butter (your choice)

4 medium freshwater catfish fillets*

1 cup cold milk

1 cup yellow cornmeal

2 to 3 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon red (cayenne) pepper

Lemon wedges

* To clean a whole catfish, remove skin from the catfish, then slice the fillet across to a thickness of no more than 1/4 inch. The secret to frying catfish is using thin fillets less than 1/4-inch thick.

Rinse the fillets under cold water and dry thoroughly with paper towels. In a pie place, lay fillets and pour milk over the top. In another pie plate, combine cornmeal, salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper.

Remove the fillets one at a time from the milk and roll in the cornmeal mixture to coat evenly; place on a large platter to dry. leaving space between them. Let dry at least 5 minutes.

Heat the oil or butter in a large skillet (I like to use my cast-iron frying pan). Add the coated catfish filets and cook for 5 to 7 minutes on each side, sprinkling additional salt on the catfish after each turn. Cook until golden brown and fish flakes easily with a fork. Drain on paper towels. After draining, place the fillets on another platter covered with paper towels; place in preheated oven to keep warm while frying the remaining fillets. The fillets will remain hot and crisp for as long as 35 minutes. Serve with lemon wedges.

Makes 4 servings.