Cornmeal and Cheddar Crusted Catfish

Cornmeal and Cheddar Crusted Catfish

• • 2 pounds catfish (3-4 fillets)

  • salt and pepper

  • 1 teaspoon ground mustard

  • 1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning

  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

  • 1 egg

  • 1/3 cup low-fat buttermilk

  • 1/2 cup finely grated cheddar cheese

  • 1/2 cup cornmeal

  • 1/2 cup coarse dry breadcrumbs

  • honey, for dipping

Preheat the oven to 400 F. Cover a baking sheet with foil and spray with non-stick spray.

Rinse the fish, pat dry and lay on a large cutting board. Cut each fillet into 4 pieces (cut down the center of each fillet, then cut each of those in half). Season with salt, pepper, ground mustard and Old Bay. Sprinkle with the flour and turn each piece so that all are lightly coated with the flour.

In a shallow bowl, whisk together the egg and buttermilk. In a separate shallow bowl combine the cheddar cheese, cornmeal and breadcrumbs (I put the cheddar in a food processor and pulsed it a few times so that it was more fine).

Dip each piece of fish in the egg/buttermilk and then coat in the crumb mixture. Place in a single layer on the baking sheet. Bake at 400 for 20 minutes until the fish is cooked through. Serve immediately with honey on the side for dipping.

Yields 4 servings.