Fried catfish is cornmeal-dredged Alabama farm-raised catfish, deep-fried golden and served with hush puppies, slaw and tartar sauce, the canonical Friday plate; in United States we have verified places to eat it in Birmingham, Jackson, Nashville and Oklahoma City.
Fried catfish · Birmingham
Fried catfish is cornmeal-dredged Alabama farm-raised catfish, deep-fried golden and served with hush puppies, slaw and tartar sauce, the canonical Friday plate.
Farm-raised catfish from west Alabama and the Mississippi Delta became the canonical Alabama Friday-lunch fish through the 1960s and 1970s. Niki's West has run Friday catfish on the cafeteria line since 1957 and Eagle's Restaurant in Smithfield runs catfish Friday as a soul-food anchor. The hushpuppy, slaw and tartar sauce side combo became canonical by the 1970s and remains the Birmingham plate served at meat-and-three counters citywide.
Where to eat in Birmingham:
- Niki's West
- Eagle's Restaurant
- Demetri's BBQ
Where to eat Fried catfish in Birmingham: the editor picks
Mississippi Fried Catfish · Jackson
Farm-raised Mississippi catfish is the state's most consumed fish and a defining soul food staple. Cornmeal-coated and fried in cast iron, it is served everywhere.
Where to eat in Jackson:
- Bully's Restaurant
- Mayflower Cafe
- Hal and Mal's
Where to eat Mississippi Fried Catfish in Jackson: the editor picks
Fried catfish · Nashville
Cornmeal-dredged catfish fillets, deep-fried until the coating shatters. Plated with hush puppies and cole slaw, dipped in tartar or hot sauce.
Catfish is the South's working-river fish. Farms in west Tennessee and the Mississippi Delta supplied Nashville fish fries through the 20th century. The dish became a Friday-night fixture in Black-owned restaurants and meat-and-three counters. Today catfish lives on at Swett's, the Loveless and most meat-and-three menus around Nashville, always with cornmeal coating and never with batter.
Where to eat in Nashville:
- Loveless Cafe
- Arnold's Country Kitchen
- Monell's Dining and Catering
Where to eat Fried catfish in Nashville: the editor picks
Southern fried catfish · Oklahoma City
Farm-raised catfish dredged in yellow cornmeal and deep-fried, a Southern Oklahoma tradition served with hushpuppies and coleslaw at Oklahoma City's diners.
Catfish frying is central to southern and eastern Oklahoma's food culture, where the Red River and Canadian River tributaries have supported catfish for centuries. By the late 19th century, fried catfish was a Friday tradition across Oklahoma, spreading beyond Catholic fasting origins. Oklahoma's technique uses yellow cornmeal rather than white, deep-fried in cast-iron. Catfish farms in southeastern Oklahoma, developed in the mid-20th century, ensured year-round supply. In OKC, fried catfish appears at Southern diners and church fish fries alongside hushpuppies and coleslaw.
Where to eat in Oklahoma City:
- Cattlemen's Steakhouse
- McNellie's Public House
Where to eat Southern fried catfish in Oklahoma City: the editor picks