Baked Whole Catfish

If you love fish as much as I do, this baked whole catfish will make a great addition to your dinner rotation. It is super flavorful and is keto-friendly!

I make this baked catfish about twice a month, and it never lasts more than a day. We literally don’t stop eating it once we start till it’s all gone.

My daughter loves this, and she can probably eat one-third of it by herself if I let her but I need to break out the fish from the bone and also show her how to search for smaller pieces in case I missed any.

Where to buy catfish

Most of the time, I buy catfish from an Asian store, Mexican store, or an African store (if you have one close to you). You can buy it fresh or frozen.

Also, I buy a whole catfish, not a catfish fillet. So there are bones in it. I personally don’t mind the bones because they are not broken throughout the fish and it’s quite easy to separate fish from bone while eating, but if you’re giving this to young kids, you need to be aware of this.

Prepare the fish

If you buy the fish whole, depending on how much it has been cleaned, you might have to do a bit of cleaning yourself.

To cut down on prep time, I like to buy the fish sliced vertically with the insides completely cleaned out.

To prepare the catfish for baking, use lemon to clean the fish in and out by completely squeezing the lemon juice on the fish and rubbing it in. Rinse thoroughly when done.

How to bake a whole catfish

1. Start by preheating your oven to 400 F. Blend the bell pepper, habanero pepper, onions, ginger, garlic, salt, and herbs together till pureed. Pour in a bowl and set aside.
2. Make shallow slices on the fish, about 3 to 4 on both sides. Do not cut through to the other side as we still need the fish to be somewhat whole.
3. Scoop about half of the pureed mixture into these holes and in the center slit as well (where the insides were cleaned out). You can put all the mixture in if you want, but I like to put half and use the other half to garnish the fish when baked. Flip the fish and do the same to the underside as well.
4. When you’re done, wrap the catfish in foil and place it in a baking pan/dish. Place the fish in the bottom rack of your oven and set your timer to 45 mins.

After 45 minutes, open the foil at the top and leave the fish in for another 5 minutes to let it dry just a bit and become more firm. During the last 5 minutes, if you didn’t use up all the mixed puree, now is the time to prepare it.

Add ¼ cup of olive oil to a pan on medium heat, then add the pureed mix. Since it's already loaded with spices, all you need to do is stir for about 5 minutes.

Bring out the fish from the oven and garnish with the sauce. This step is completely optional, the baked catfish tastes just as awesome without the extra sauce.

Alternatively, you can drizzle some olive oil on the fish to add more healthy fat.

This will keep for a few days in the fridge but if you have fish lovers in your house, then it will probably last one day or two at the most.

What goes with this recipe?

I like to eat this dish with a veggie dish or salad on the side. It goes great with Brussels sprouts, roasted cauliflower, or keto coleslaw. This bacon broccoli salad will also be a great addition!

Helpful tips

• You can reduce how much pepper you use in this recipe according to your preference. Or you can omit it altogether.
• I use thyme, dill, and sage but you can use any herbs of your choice.
• Don't skip cleaning the fish with lemon. This helps to clean the fish and reduce its sliminess, and also cuts down on the strong fishy smell, which might be a bother to some.
• The fish has to be wrapped in foil before baking as this helps to trap in the juices and keep them moist.

More Keto Fish Recipes

Pan-Seared Tilapia

Peppered Croaker Fish

Fish Pepper Soup

Pan Fried Cod Fish

Seafood Okra

Nigerian Fish Stew