This catfish salad is just as delicious as it looks. And I can't quite believe that it's taken me this long to make catfish! Living in rural Wisconsin these days, there is a plethora of catfish available in the area. I've heard mixed reviews about the freshwater fish and it seems to entirely depend on how you season and cook it. So, I figured that deep frying it in a quasi-traditional fish fry was the answer! Although I don't currently own an at-home deep fryer and wouldn't typically suggest them for most home cooks. But a lot of us did get on the air fryer bandwagon. You absolutely can Fry a Catfish in them, just like most other fryer dishes, like Sweet Potato Fries and Cheese Curds.
There are very few appliances that I would recommend buying (please, skip the Instant Pot!!), but a few of them actually do making cooking easier. And being able to make rice without babying it on the stove? Make your own sauces, dips, and purées without having to pay for overpriced store varieties? And quickly and easily fry an entire fillet of catfish?
Those are all things that make my cooking life infinitely easier.
And look much fancier than the surprisingly minimal amount of effort that went into tossing this meal together.
Gallery
Variations of Catfish Salad
I don't always cook catfish, but I do apply this same basic principle quite a bit! I am a big fan of a seafood salad. They're quick and easy throw together and look much more impressive than most of them are to actually make. Add some rice, lentils, or quinoa and a little bit of lettuce and avocado dip? That's an exceptional meal! Of course, there are also some ways to get fancy with it, if you really want to make something impressive and over-the-top.
This catfish salad combines air fryer catfish, rice cooker brown rice, and food processor avocado dip. It's a surprisingly quick and easy meal that's exceedingly simple to throw together. It looks far more impressive than the effort that it takes to actually make it. And one of those meals that tastes as great as it looks. Without actually having to put that much effort into it.
I used Roasted Calabaza Squash in this recipe. This takes a couple of hours and requires a calabaza (or other squash or pumpkin of choice) as well as aluminum foil and a baking dish.
Add all of the ingredients for the rice into a rice cooker. I like to start with the larger vegetables and then add the smaller ingredients.This cooks the larger vegetables on the bottom, while dispersing the flavor profiles in the middle. Although with some mixing, this really doesn't matter all that much. Everything will eventually cook together!
Press the cook button on the rice cooker. It should take about 45 minutes to cook.
When the rice is fully cooked, let sit for 10 minutes, and then fluff with a wooden spoon and serve.
Make Avocado Dip
Add all of the ingredients for the avocado dip into a food processor. Process for 2 minutes, or until smooth. Make sure to scrape the sides occasionally.
Prepare Catfish
In 3 separate bowls, add the flour, whisked eggs, and bread crumbs with salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper.
Dip the fish fillet into the flour. If you don't have bowl or Tupperware container the right size to fit an entire fillet of fish into, you can also put the fish on a plate, sprinkle the flour on top, and then pick the fish up and shake slightly to remove the excess flour.
Dip the fish in the egg wash.
Dip the fish into the breadcrumbs. Like with the flour, it can again help to pour the breadcrumbs onto the fish and lightly press it in to coat completely.
Spritz the fish fillet generously with olive oil and place in the air fryer basket.
Cook at 390 degrees Fahrenheit for about 7 minutes, or until the crust is a lightly fried golden brown. Make sure to rotate the fish fillet halfway through.If the breading isn't browning quickly enough, adding more oil will help.
Assemble Salad
Add rice to the plate. If you've prepared it ahead of time, reheat the rice or at least let rest at room temperature before plating.
Top with catfish, a hefty dollop of avocado dip, shredded lettuce, and a dash of salt and pepper.
Leave a Reply