Last updated on May 22nd, 2023

This simple and delicious Creole inspired blackened catfish recipe is seasoned with homemade spice rub then topped with a savory tomato sauce.

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A version of this recipe was one of the first dishes I learned to make as a newlywed. I found the original recipe in a cookbook promoting canned soup. The appeal was that it was something different and it was easy to prepare. It quickly became one of our favorite meals.

Fast forward almost a decade of marriage and thousands of hours in the kitchen later. At some point, our dependable little catfish dinner fell out of favor. That is, until I revisited it recently and soon figured out why I stopped making it. It was bland. Bland … but with potential.

I wanted to bring new live to our old favorite my packing as much flavor as I could into the dish. I started by seasoning catfish fillets with my homemade bbq spice rub. I love using this as a rub for barbecue chicken. However, it proved to be just as versatile for a seasoning for blackened fish. I blackened my fish in a cast iron skillet with a little melted butter.

After I had the perfect crust on my blackened fish, I quickly melted another tablespoon of butter to quickly sauté a trio of diced bell peppers, celery, and onions. Once my vegetables were tender, I added some tomato sauce and seasonings for a tasty Creole-inspired sauce to drizzle over my catfish. You can spice this up by adding a little cayenne pepper or hot sauce. I usually omit this so it’s not too spicy for my kiddo.

This recipe would work on any flaky white fish such as cod, tilapia – I’ve even used it on red snapper. I like to serve it over seasoned white an wild rice with homemade cornbread on the side. I definitely think my changes made a huge improvement. We will be welcoming this dish back into the dinner rotation fold very soon.

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1 More Catfish Recipes:

2 Blackened Catfish with Creole Sauce

More Catfish Recipes:

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4.50 from 2 votes

Blackened Catfish with Creole Sauce

This simple and delicious Creole inspired blackened catfish recipe is seasoned with homemade spice rub then topped with a savory tomato sauce.

Cook Time 20

Total Time 20

Servings people

Author Lisa B.

Ingredients

4 catfish fillets
2 tablespoons BBQ spice rub *
4 tablespoon unsalted butter divided
1 green bell pepper cored and diced
¼ cup diced celery
½ cup diced onion
2 cloves garlic minced
1 small can 8 oz. tomato sauce
½ teaspoon dried oregano
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper optional
A couple dashes of hot sauce optional

Instructions

Pat catfish fillets dry with a paper towel. Liberally season both sides with BBQ spice rub.
Heat 2 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once the skillet is every hot, add the catfish. Cook until fish is browned and flaky, about 3-4 minutes per side. Remove fish from skillet and set aside. Keep warm.
Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter in the same skillet over medium heat. Add the bell pepper, celery, and onion. Sauté until tender, about seven minutes.
Add the garlic and sauté for another minute.
Pour in the tomato sauce.
Stir in the oregano, Worcestershire, and cayenne and hot sauce, if using.
Season sauce with salt and pepper to taste.
Serve catfish with sauce drizzled over the top.