Light and Crispy Pan-Fried Catfish

Ingredients

• 4 6-ounce catfish fillets
• 1/3 cup yellow cornmeal
• 1 tablespoon paprika

Directions

1. Sprinkle 4 (6-ounce) catfish fillets evenly with salt and pepper to taste (or use a spicy seasoning blend, such as Creole or Caribbean jerk).
2. Stir together 1/3 cup yellow cornmeal and 1 tablespoon paprika in a shallow dish.
3. Dredge fillets in cornmeal mixture;

coat lightly with vegetable cooking spray.

1. Cook in a hot, nonstick skillet over medium heat 3 to 4 minutes on each side or until fish begins to flake and is opaque throughout.

Notes

Lightly coating the fillets, rather than the skillet, with vegetable cooking spray allows the oil to evenly cover the surface of the fish. The natural sugars found in paprika caramelize with the yellow cornmeal, producing a beautiful brown color. We used catfish fillets, but any mild-flavored fish will work equally well.