Cajun blackened catfish

Although good, I had to make some modifications to the dish (thank goodness I read the reviews first!). First, I used only half of the cayenne pepper called for and 1/4 tsp of salt (thought that was still almost too much considering other additions that I made). I added 1.5 tsp of Old Bay, 1 tsp paprika, 1/2 tsp of creole seasoning, 1 dash of seasoned salt, 1/2 tsp of Blackened Seasoning, and 2 tsp onion powder. I used olive oil to coat the fillets instead of butter and used just enough italian dressing to lightly coat the fillets (maybe a teaspoon for each fillet, it helps to keep the fish from drying out.) Make sure that you open the windows during the blackening process, as stated in earlier reviews! Even the dog left me in the kitchen when the smoke got thick! I served it on top of some old-fashioned dirty rice, and my boyfriend really enjoyed it. He had the rest for lunch and it was even hotter the next day! He claimed that he had to sit on a wet towel to cool off! Overall, the recipe is a great starting point for blackened catfish.  -  19 Jan 2006  (Review from Allrecipes US | Canada)

This was a fantastic recipe, but fairly spicy, and I even decreased the amount of cayenne pepper by 1/2 teaspoon. If you can't handle really spicy food, I'd suggest using about 3/4 teaspoon total cayenne pepper. After reading reviews, I also only used a dash of salt and black pepper instead of the full amount called for, and seared the fillets in olive oil instead of butter. NOTE: Make sure that when you do the blackening part, you do it in a well ventilated area. There is a lot of smoke and strong vapors from the pepper, so be careful. I served this with corn on the cob, hush puppies, and honey roasted red potatoes (recipe found on this site). Absolutely delicious, will definitely be making this one again. Thanks!  -  10 Apr 2005  (Review from Allrecipes US | Canada)

My husband does not like fish, but he cleans his plate every time I make this! I have tried this with several other kinds of fish (cod, tilapia), but the catfish tastes the best. I follow the recipe exactly, except I never have lemon pepper, so I squeeze fresh lemon over the filets. I also brush the filets with dijon mustard after I coat them with salad dressing. It adds a delicious zing. Also, if you don't like things really spicy, you can cut the cayenne pepper in half and just use a little more garlic powder to make up for it. I usually serve this with a tossed salad and some Zatarin's jumbalaya rice with diced kielbasa.  -  16 Mar 2006  (Review from Allrecipes US | Canada)