Oven Fried Catfish and Chicken Parmesan

Here's a simple, tasty way to prepare catfish.Oven Fried Catfish

2# catfish fillets

~ 1/3 cup butter, melted

1/2 cup fine dry bread crumbs

1/2 cup cornmeal

1 Tbsp Old Bay seafood seasoning

• Rinse fish and pat dry.
• Combine crumbs, cornmeal, and Old Bay.
• Set up an assembly line. Dip fish in melted butter, drain, and coat with the crumb mixture. Place on baking sheet.
• Bake until fish is opaque and flaky. The timing depends on oven temperature; anything from 350-425 will work well.

Notes:

• You can dip the fish in melted butter, margarine, oil, or a combination. Since I use Better Butter, which is whipped, the volume isn't accurate. This means I don't measure anymore, but guesstimate how much to melt.
• To keep things tidy, it works best to use one hand for dipping only--don't touch the crumbs with it at all.
• Catfish is thick and moist, difficult to overcook.
• This recipe isn't appropriate for thin fish filets as the coating-to-fish ratio would be to high.
• I like to keep some prepared fish in the freezer. Lay it on plastic wrap on a baking sheet, cover, and freeze. Then place two filets back-to-back, wrap in plastic, and store in a freezer bag. Thaw in the fridge on a baking sheet and bake as usual. This can also be the foundation of a give away meal--a change from the usual lasagna or chicken casserole.
• I cover the baking sheets with heavy duty foil. My dish washers are appreciative. ;-)
• Leftovers reheat well in a nonstick skillet over medium-low heat.

VARIATION: CHICKEN PARMESAN

I use the same technique to make chicken Parmesan:

2# skinless, boneless chicken breasts

melted butter

1/2 cup Italian style bread crumbs

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

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The chicken can be cooked on a baking sheet (like the catfish) or in a pan with sauce (serve pasta on the side). Grease a baking pan (9 x 13" or larger, depending on how much chicken you use) and pour in a jar of pasta sauce. Mix in a little bit of water (1/2 cup?), top with chicken, and bake uncovered. Again, the timing depends on your oven temp. You already know how to cook chicken, right?

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This freezes well, just like the fish. I find that 2# of chicken has less surface area (smaller but thicker pieces) than 2# of catfish, so you may not need quite as much crumb coating. Measure scant amounts or freeze the crumbs for next time.