Low-Carb Oven Fried Catfish Recipe
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.
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.
- Prep Time: 30 min
- Cook Time: 30 min
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Ingredients
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
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.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 catfish filet
- Calories: 260
- Sodium: 957mg
- Fat: 12g (42.7% calories from fat)
- Carbohydrates: 1.5g (1.25g Net Carbs)
- Fiber: .25g
- Protein: 34g
- Cholesterol: 103mg
