Blackened Catfish Plate

Name: Blackened Catfish Plate
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 55 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 lb Catfish fillets; 2 tbsp Cajun seasoning (paprika, cayenne, garlic powder, thyme, salt); 4 tbsp Whole butter

Cornmeal-crusted catfish, dirty rice, and pickled okra.

Developed and tested by The Neon Griddle test kitchenPublished August 1, 2026Last reviewed August 10, 2026Corrections

Prep: 15m
Cook: 40m
Serves: 4
Level: Medium

Ingredients

4servings

Catfish fillets1 lb
Cajun seasoning (paprika, cayenne, garlic powder, thyme, salt)2 tbsp
Whole butter4 tbsp

Instructions

1
Coat & fry
Coat the fillets generously and completely in the cajun spice blend.
2
Heat the skillet
Heat a dry cast-iron skillet until it is literally smoking.
3
Add butter & fish
Add a knob of butter and immediately drop the fish into the pan.
4
Sear hard
Sear for 3-4 minutes per side; the extreme heat burns the milk solids in the butter and toasts the spices, creating a deeply blackened, crusty exterior while the fish flakes cleanly.

Cook it safe

145°F / 63°C — Fish and shellfish, or until the flesh is opaque and separates cleanly.

Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours of cooking — within 1 hour if the room is above 90°F / 32°C.
Reheat leftovers to 165°F / 74°C before serving.
Use a calibrated instant-read thermometer rather than color or cooking time to judge doneness.

Temperatures follow the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service safe minimum internal temperature chart.

Nutrition

Per serving · estimated

Our ingredient-by-ingredient calculation disagrees with this recipe’s recorded calorie figure, so one of the two is wrong. The nutrition panel stays empty until an editor re-tests the recipe.

Nutrition is estimated from the listed ingredients using standard reference values (USDA FoodData Central). 2 of 3 matched ingredients use verified FoodData Central entries (dictionary snapshot 2026-09-11). Brand, portion, and preparation differences can change the result. Frying fat is counted at the share typically absorbed, and brines drained before cooking are excluded. These figures are an estimate for general interest, not medical or dietary advice.

Equipment

Cast iron skillet

Cast iron stores enough heat to keep searing when cold food hits it, which is what produces the crust.

Also useful here

Instant-read meat thermometer — This recipe has a target internal temperature, and color is not a reliable way to read it.
High-speed blender — Enough power to pull a thick, frozen mixture down into the blades without stalling.

These are category recommendations chosen on the criteria above, not tested product picks — we do not run a product testing program. Links go to Amazon search results for the category. As an Amazon Associate, The Neon Griddle earns from qualifying purchases. Nothing here is required to cook the recipe.