Cajun Catfish Po’ Boys

Cornmeal-crusted catfish is fried until crisp, tucked into toasted French rolls with a punchy pickle-caper remoulade, and served with a simple lemony green salad.

60 min

4 sandwiches

A golden catfish po’ boy with lettuce, tomato, pickles, remoulade, and a green salad.

Ingredients

4 skinless catfish fillets, about 6 oz each

1 cup buttermilk

2 tbsp Louisiana-style hot sauce, divided

1/2 cup yellow cornmeal

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 tbsp Cajun seasoning

1 tsp smoked paprika

1 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp dried thyme

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper

1 1/2 tsp kosher salt, divided

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

2 cups neutral oil, for shallow frying

4 French rolls

2 tbsp unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1 tbsp Creole mustard

2 tbsp finely chopped dill pickles

1 tbsp capers, rinsed and chopped

2 tbsp fresh lemon juice, divided

2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

2 cups finely shredded iceberg lettuce

1 medium ripe tomato, thinly sliced

8 dill pickle chips

4 oz tender mixed salad greens

1/2 English cucumber, thinly sliced

1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

Equipment

Heavy 12-inch skillet · Instant-read thermometer · Wire rack · Shallow coating dish · Mixing bowl

Keep the crust crisp

Let excess buttermilk drip off before coating, and leave space between fillets in the skillet.

Serve immediately

Assemble just before eating so the warm catfish stays crisp inside the soft rolls.

Make the sauce and salad

01. Slice the sandwich vegetables and keep them chilled and dry.

02. Toss the mixed greens and cucumber with oil, lemon, and a pinch of salt just before serving.

03. Stir mayonnaise, Creole mustard, pickles, capers, lemon juice, hot sauce, and parsley into the remoulade; chill it while the fish cooks.

Soak and coat the fish

04. Coat catfish in hot-sauce buttermilk for 15 minutes. This brief soak seasons the fish and helps the coating adhere.

05. Mix cornmeal, flour, Cajun seasoning, paprika, garlic, thyme, cayenne, salt, and pepper in a wide dish.

Fry to a crisp crust

06. Heat oil about 1/2 inch deep to 350 F in a heavy skillet; confirm with a thermometer before adding fish.

07. Coat and fry in uncrowded batches, 3 to 4 minutes per side, until deeply golden and 145 F inside. Drain on a rack, not paper, to preserve the crust.

Build the po’ boys

08. Butter and toast the rolls cut-side down until lightly golden but still soft.

09. Spread remoulade on the rolls, add lettuce, tomato, pickle chips, and catfish, and serve at once with the dressed greens.