½ Cup Buttermilk
2 skinless Catfish fillets or 4 smaller ones (I sometimes make up to 8 smaller ones!)
¼ Cup of cornmeal
¼ Cup Panko Bread Crumbs
2 Tablespoons of Unbleached All-purpose Flour
½ Tablespoon Emeril's Essence Creole Seasoning *
Salt
Vegetable Shortening
Lemon Wedges

Preheat the oven to 200°. Line a ½ sheet cookie tray with newspaper and place a wire rack on it, upside down.

Rinse off the fish, pat dry and then place in a zip top bag with the buttermilk. Let this soak for 15 minutes while you prep the rest.

In a shallow bowl, or pie pan, combine the cornmeal, panko, flour, Emeril's Essence Creole Seasoning and a little salt. Mix well.

Heat a cast iron skillet, large enough to hold either the two large ones, or a few of the smaller ones. I cook these batches, with a splatter guard over the skillet. Once the skillet is hot, add enough vegetable shortening to get about ¼” melted. You will know it’s hot enough when a little cornmeal sprinkled onto the oil with foam a little. Left each piece of fish from the buttermilk be sure to shake off excess.

Press fish into the corn/panko, cover it well and press the mix into the fish, coating as well as you can. Shake lightly to remove excess and then place into the hot oil. Once the pan has a few pieces, do not crowd it, cover with the splatter guard. After about 2 to 3 minutes, depending on how hot you are cooking, gently flip over and cook for another 2 or 3 minutes.

Remove from the skillet and place on the upside down wire rack and place in the warmed oven. Repeat until you are finished with all the fish. Keep in the oven until you are ready to serve, a lot of the oil will have drained away.

Serve with the lemon wedges, maybe a little parsley and tartar sauce.

*Emeril's Essence Creole Seasoning

2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon dried leaf oregano
1 tablespoon dried thyme