Low-Carb Oven Fried Catfish Recipe

Susie T. Gibbs January 3, 2013 Fish (Seafood) Main Dish Recipes, Recipes Leave a comment 385 Views

Low-Carb Oven Fried Catfish with Sautéed Ruby Swiss Chard, Grape Tomatoes and Pine Nuts

I love this recipe. Having made it for years with mayo as the base for dredging, it was one of the first recipes that reassured me I could still have my comfort food without giving up everything in my new low carb life. It was so close to Mom’s recipe simply by subbing the pork rinds and parmesan for the bread crumbs, it made me happy and satisfied the craving for Luby’s Fried Haddock.

I’d long ago moved away from deep fried foods because of indigestion. Even keeping lower fat, the recipe was a special occasion recipe because of the mayo (prepared mayo is full of soybean oil–a no-no for breast cancer patients). So imagine how thrilled I was to find I could use this lighter technique on everything from fish filets to chicken fingers, chicken fried steak and pork chops.
And don’t just limit oven frying to proteins. The oven-fry technique works great on veggies such as asparagus, baby artichokes, Brussel sprouts, rutabaga strips, squash, cauliflower slices and so many more. Move over Shake ‘n’ Bake! Throw away your Fry Daddy. There’s a new boss in town and low carb RULES!

Oh and to make it even easier now days? I use the Egg Whites in a carton called All Whites, nothing but egg whites and so convenient with a twist top. I also make pork rind crumbs one bag at a time in the food processor. Store the pork rind crumbs in a Mason jar in the fridge. That makes them available on short notice for any recipe calling for bread crumbs. How easy, right?

You can use any kind of white fish for this recipe: catfish, tilapia, or better-for-you, wild caught fish such as Pacific cod, halibut, haddock, trout, bass, crappie, sole, flounder, snapper, mahi mahi. Although I close my eyes and think of Kansas when eating it, I’m guilty of buying farmed fish such as pangasius or basa, tilapia and catfish.

Low-Carb Oven Fried Catfish Recipe

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Author: Susie T. Gibbs
Prep Time: 30 min
Cook Time: 30 min
Total Time: 1 hour
Yield: 4 servings 1x

Ingredients

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1 1/4 pounds catfish fillet
1/3 cup egg whites – about 3 egg whites separated
1 cup pork rind crumbs
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated
1 teaspoon granulated garlic
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon parsley, freeze-dried
8 spritzes olive oil spray

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Instructions

Preheat oven to 425° F. Wash and dry fish filet and check for bones. Cut filet into 3 equal pieces roughly the same thickness to ensure even cooking. The thicker the fish, the longer it takes to cook. Season fish with ½ of the amount of garlic, parsley flakes and pepper and set aside.
Combine remaining spices with pork rind crumbs and parmesan cheese (green can parmesan works just fine for this). I don’t salt them because the pork rinds and parmesan are salty already.
Beat egg whites until loose and frothy. You will see some bubbles! Dredge each piece of fish in egg white and coat with crumb mixture. Place them on a foil lined cookie sheet pan. Continue to finish breading all the pieces. Spray fish filets with a squirt of olive oil spray on each side.
Bake at 425° F for 20-25 minutes. Crust should be golden and crispy and fish should “give” or separate when pressed in the middle with your finger. Cooking time will be shorter with thinner fish. If using sole or thin filets like flounder or tilapia, consider raising the oven temperature to 450° and cooking them a shorter amount of time.

Notes

Serving Ideas: Serve with Healthy Tartar Sauce and Sautéed Swiss Chard with Roasted Grape Tomatoes and Pine Nuts. Garnish with a wedge of lemon if desired.