Cornmeal-crusted catfish fried crisp and served with slaw, hushpuppies or white bread, the Tennessee River's standing order, done lemon-pepper style at Chattanooga's Black-owned fish houses.

Catfish came out of the Tennessee River and its feeder creeks long before it came out of farm ponds, and fried fish houses became a fixture of Black Chattanooga's dining life. The local signature is the lemon-pepper dusting applied straight out of the fryer, a style Roadfood pilgrims now drive hours for. River-view restaurants keep it on the menu beside oysters, while the counters around MLK Boulevard sell it as a sandwich on white bread with hot sauce.

3 editor picks for Fried catfish plate in Chattanooga, ranked by editorial score. All Chattanooga signature dishes · Fried catfish plate across every city.