Catfish Parmesan

Set the Table summer intensive starts this week. Saturdays expand to Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday during June and July — three days a week, twenty girls, a proper curriculum. This summer: "Meals for One" — recipes for girls who live alone or cook for themselves. How to roast a chicken thigh for one person. How to make rice that isn't crunchy. How to scramble eggs that don't taste like rubber.

Aaliyah is in the program. She showed up Tuesday in a T-shirt too big and sneakers too small and the quiet determination of a girl who has decided to learn. She made rice. Perfect rice. First try. When she lifted the lid and the steam rose and the grains were separate and fluffy, she said, "I did that." Two words. A whole revolution.

Diamond is co-leading with Keyana, who was one of the original six girls from 2016. KEYANA — the girl who couldn't boil water seven years ago is now teaching others. The multiplication is the miracle. The program is no longer me — it's us.

Isaiah came home for a weekend visit. He's taller — or maybe I'm shorter. He walked in and hugged me and I felt the muscles in his arms and thought: this is not the sullen twelve-year-old who refused to eat my cooking. This is a man. He played basketball Saturday morning, came in sweating, and said, "What's for lunch, Mom T?" The casual hunger of a boy who trusts there will be food is its own kind of love.

Made a massive pot of red beans and rice for Isaiah's visit — enough for an army, because Isaiah eats like an army. Smoked turkey necks, kidney beans, holy trinity, rice cooked separate, hot sauce on the table. Isaiah ate three bowls and fell asleep on the couch and Derek put a blanket over him and I stood in the doorway and watched my husband cover his son and the tenderness was so acute it was almost pain.

I made the red beans and rice that weekend because it’s what Isaiah expects — it’s home in a bowl — but the recipe I keep coming back to when someone I love walks through that door is this Catfish Parmesan, because it hits that same note: something golden and warm that says the cook was paying attention. Isaiah would have eaten three plates of this too, no question. It’s the kind of dish that feeds the body and also, quietly, tells people they matter enough for a real meal.

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 25 min | Total Time: 40 min | Servings: 6

Ingredients

2 lbs catfish fillets, patted dry
3/4 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
2 large eggs, beaten
2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
1 tbsp olive oil
Lemon wedges and hot sauce, for serving

Instructions

Preheat the oven. Heat oven to 425°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and brush it with the melted butter and olive oil. Place the pan in the oven while it preheats so it gets hot — this is what gives the bottom of the fish that golden crust without frying.
Mix the coating. In a shallow bowl, whisk together the Parmesan, flour, garlic powder, smoked paprika, onion powder, salt, black pepper, and cayenne if using. In a second shallow bowl, beat the eggs.
Coat the fillets. Working one at a time, dip each catfish fillet in the beaten egg, letting the excess drip off, then press firmly into the Parmesan coating on both sides. Set aside on a plate while you coat the rest.
Bake. Carefully remove the hot pan from the oven. Lay the coated fillets on the hot pan in a single layer — you should hear a sizzle. Bake for 12 minutes, flip gently with a wide spatula, then bake another 10–13 minutes until the fish flakes easily with a fork and the crust is deep golden brown.
Rest and serve. Let the fillets rest on the pan for 2–3 minutes before plating. Serve with lemon wedges and plenty of hot sauce on the table.

Nutrition (per serving)

Catfish Parmesan — When the Boy You Raised Comes Home Hungry