Baked Catfish Po'Boy
We've given the classic New Orleans Catfish Po'Boy sandwich a lighter spin by baking the fish. Add a Louisiana Remoulade Sauce, and these flavors are sure to get the party started!
For the love of Cajun Food
When we think Mardi Gras and New Orleans, food automatically comes to mind. Jambalaya, gumbo, crawfish, the list goes on.
Last week, we shared about the Cajun and Creole cultures that contribute to the well known food of the region, along with a Cajun seasoning mix that accents the flavors of cuisine from the bayou.
We used that Cajun seasoning mix in our catfish breading and remoulade sauce today to create one celebration of a sandwich.
The New Orleans Po'Boy
A Po'Boy is a traditional sub sandwich from Louisiana.
The main filling is typically hot, and traditionally includes some sort of fried seafood like oysters, shrimp, crawfish, or catfish.
So many great fillings!
Our Baked Catfish Po'Boy Recipe
We opted for a catfish po'boy today, because, frankly, in the Midwest, catfish is the easiest of the seafood to come by. And you can pretty well bet it's going to be good. (I'll wait until I'm on a coast to try an oyster po'boy or a crawfish po'boy. Thank you very much!)
To make cooking our fish easier, and to make the sandwich lighter, we decided to oven-bake our catfish, which gives all the crisp and flaky fish goodness, without the greasy heaviness of the fryer oil.
To the sandwich, we added in some fresh tomato and crisp lettuce to brighten the smoky and spicy flavors in the cornmeal and cajun seasoned breading.
We really could have stopped there and had an outstanding sandwich.
But, we didn't.
Our Louisiana Remoulade Sauce
Typically, we're not big mayo people. But if you add a little seasoning to the mayo to create an aioli or remoulade sauce, and we're in trouble.
Our Louisiana Remoulade that we created for this sandwich has a smoky spiciness that is rounded out by just a hint of lemon-y brightness.
It's so good, you might want to consider doubling the recipe.
Seriously, we were dipping anything we could in the remoulade while we waited for the fish to cook.
Baked Catfish Po'Boy
Ingredients
- 1 lb catfish fillets
- ¾ cup buttermilk*
- ½ c cornmeal
- 1 tablespoon Cajun Creole Seasoning Mix
- 18 inch French baguette, cut into 6” sections, or 3 (6 inch) hoagie rolls
- 2 c romaine lettuce, shredded
- 2 tomatoes, sliced
For the Remoulade
- ¼ c mayonnaise
- 1 ½ teaspoon Dijon or grainy mustard
- ¼ teaspoon lemon juice
- ¼ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- ¼ teaspoon prepared horseradish
- 1 teaspoon Cajun Creole Seasoning Mix
- ¾ teaspoon parsley
- dash garlic powder
Instructions
For the Fish and Remoulade
- Preheat your oven to 450F.
- Place catfish in a shallow dish and cover with buttermilk. Set aside to soak for a few minutes.
- Prepare the remoulade by mixing all the remoulade ingredients together in a small bowl. Set aside.
- Mix the cornmeal and 1 tablespoon Cajun/Creole Seasoning Mix together on a large dinner plate.
- Turn the fish in the buttermilk, coating it well on both sides. Place the fish in the cornmeal mixture and coat well.
- Grease an oven-proof wire rack and set it on a baking sheet. Place breaded fish on the rack and bake 12-15 minutes, until firm and crispy.
Putting It All Together
- Cut the French baguette length-wise, not quite all the way through. Spread one side of the bread with 1 tablespoon of Remoulade sauce.
- Once the fish is nice and crispy, place the warm fish on the bread and top with lettuce and tomato.
Notes
Nutrition
More great recipe to celebrate Mardi Gras!
Appetizers:
- Fried Oysters and Remoulade from Jane's Adventures in Dinner
- Cajun Crab Beignets from Delaware Girl Eats
Main Dishes:
- Muffaletta from Casa de Crews
- Bayou Seafood and Andouille Jambalaya from The Weekend Gourmet
- Seafood Gumbo from Take A Bite Out of Boca
- Cajun Dirty Rice Bowls from The Dinner-Mom
Desserts:
- Banana Creme Pie with Honey Whipped Cream and Pecan Brittle from The Foodie Patootie
- Buttermilk Beignets from The Messy Baker
- Pecan and Chocolate Pralines from Desserts Required
- Ravioli dolci di Carnevale from Manu's Menu
- Skinny Baked Beignets from Daily Dish Recipes
Sarah founded Curious in 2010 as a way to save her recipe creations and share culinary experiences. Her love for cultural cuisines was instilled early by her French Canadian Grandmother. Her experience in the kitchen and in recipe development comes from over 10 years working in professional kitchens. She has traveled extensively and enjoys bringing the flavors of her travels back to create easy-to-make recipes.
Catfish screams Mardi Gras! This looks GREAT! I'm going to have to make this this week! 🙂
Baking is a good option! Love this!
I've never had a po boy! But after this weeks sunday supper I think i need to make one! This looks fabulous!
There really are so many great food and flavors that New Orleans reminds us of... I love that you baked your po boy instead of frying, it sounds delish!
You know cat fish just never grew on me when we lived in Texas, but my taste for seafood has developed even more since I lived there that i would love to give it a try again. And my love for po boys would say this would be a perfect way to start.
I had catfish for the first time last year when I went to Baton Rouge and I fell in love with it! I love that you made this healthier by baking it!! I have to try to make this at home!
I cannot describe how badly my cheeks are tingling right now - I want this in my belly!
It's always a toss up for me whether to get catfish or shrimp when I am ordering po' boys, Sarah, but I think your crispy baked version would push me toward the fish. Looks delicious!
I would love to try a shrimp version! Next time!
Oh yeah. I would like to face plant into this sandwich. The crispy fish paired with that mayo?! So good!
Looks fabulous, I would gobble that down!!
Love the idea of baking the Po Boy! Great recipe.
I have only ever had a shrimp po' boy, fried which of course I love, but I am loving the idea of baked fish, instead! Can't wait to try this out.
Oh, my, does your po' boy look enticing!!! I'd eat half right now for breakfast and finish it off for lunch! YUM!
If there's any left! We powered through ours so fast we didn't know what happened!
I had my first po boy in New Orleans and loved it. I'm not sure if I've had one since...glad to have a delish recipe to make it!
What a fantastic looking sandwich! I love the sound of that remoulade and you just reminded me that I haven't eaten catfish in such a long time!!
We hadn't either, but this sandwich definitely renewed our love for catfish!