Fried Catfish -- MawMaw Shirley's Kitchen, Wherever You Are

February and the pre-Mardi Gras energy is building across campus. I have made king cake three times already — once for the dorm floor, once for the study group, once for the tutoring center. The recipe is muscle memory now: the brioche dough, the cinnamon sugar filling, the braid, the colored sugars. Each one is slightly different because my hands are not machines and the dough responds to temperature and humidity and the particular mood of the yeast on any given day. I like that about baking. It requires negotiation. The cook proposes. The dough disposes. The result is a collaboration, not a dictation.

Chemistry 1202 midterm this week. I studied with the group — minus Terrell, who is in pre-law now and studying constitutional law, which he describes as "Chemistry but with arguments instead of molecules," which is not wrong. The study sessions have become more intense as the material has intensified: equilibrium constants, Le Chatelier's principle, buffer solutions. I understand it better this semester. The B+ lit a fire, and the fire has burned away the parts of my study habits that were comfortable instead of effective. I am no longer comfortable. I am effective. The midterm felt solid. I will not predict the grade. I will wait. Patience.

Priya introduced me to her parents on FaceTime this week — they called while we were studying and Priya said, "Meet Aaliyah, she keeps me alive." Her mother asked if I was the one who cooks, and when I said yes she said, "Thank God. Priya would eat cereal for every meal if left alone." Priya did not deny this. Her father asked what I was studying and I said pre-med and he said, "Good girl." The approval of an Indian father regarding medical school is a specific and significant form of endorsement, and I received it with the gravity it deserved.

I made Mama's baked chicken Wednesday — the midweek anchor — in the dorm kitchen, and I thought about how the recipe has traveled: from MawMaw Shirley's kitchen to Mama's kitchen to a dorm kitchen with fluorescent lights and a tilting burner. The recipe does not care about the kitchen. The recipe cares about the cook. And the cook — me, Aaliyah Robinson, nineteen years old, pre-med, stubborn — is the same cook in every kitchen. The chicken was good. The chicken is always good. Some things you can rely on.

I kept thinking about what I said while making Mama’s baked chicken — that the recipe cares about the cook, not the kitchen — and I wanted to lean into that fully this week. Fried catfish is another recipe that has traveled the same road: MawMaw Shirley’s cast iron, Mama’s stovetop, my tilting dorm burner. The cornmeal crust is the same in all three places. The smell is the same. And honestly, after a Chemistry midterm and a FaceTime introduction to Priya’s parents, I needed something that asked nothing of me except to show up — and this recipe never asks for anything I don’t already know how to give.

Fried Catfish

Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 20 minutes | Total Time: 35 minutes | Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 4 catfish fillets (about 6 oz each)
• 1 cup yellow cornmeal
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 tablespoon hot sauce
• Vegetable oil, for frying (about 2 cups)
• Lemon wedges, for serving

Instructions

1. Marinate the fish. In a shallow bowl, whisk together the buttermilk and hot sauce. Add the catfish fillets, turning to coat. Let them soak for at least 10 minutes — up to 30 minutes if you have the time.
2. Mix the dredge. In a separate shallow dish, combine the cornmeal, flour, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, cayenne, salt, and black pepper. Stir until evenly mixed.
3. Heat the oil. Pour vegetable oil into a large, heavy skillet (cast iron if you have it) to a depth of about 1/2 inch. Heat over medium-high until the oil reaches 350°F, or until a pinch of cornmeal sizzles immediately on contact.
4. Dredge the fillets. Remove each catfish fillet from the buttermilk, letting the excess drip off, then press firmly into the cornmeal mixture on both sides until fully coated.
5. Fry in batches. Carefully lower 2 fillets at a time into the hot oil. Fry for 4–5 minutes per side, until the crust is deep golden brown and the fish flakes easily with a fork. Do not crowd the pan.
6. Drain and rest. Transfer fried fillets to a wire rack or a plate lined with paper towels. Let them rest for 2 minutes before serving so the crust stays crisp.
7. Serve. Plate with lemon wedges and your sides of choice — coleslaw, hot sauce, or cornbread all belong here.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 420 | Protein: 34g | Fat: 18g | Carbs: 28g | Fiber: 2g | Sodium: 610mg