Oven-Fried Catfish

I love deep-fried fish fillets, but since we had 1000-calorie cheeseburgers yesterday, and 1000-calorie brownies the day before, I opted for this healthy, oven-fried dish today. The great thing about this entree is that it takes hardly any time to prepare... and there is no greasy mess to clean-up. I got these fillets prepped and into the oven in less than 30 minutes, and that included the time it took me to photograph everything. You probably have all the ingredients in your pantry - you just need the fish.....oh, and possibly cornmeal - if you're like me, you don't use it very often. My canister of cornmeal was in the very back, darkest corner of my pantry, and I think it was about 5 years old. Okay, so pick up some fish and cornmeal and you're good to go. And although the recipe calls for catfish, any firm-fleshed, mild fish will do.... try it on orange roughy or cod.

Here's what you need:

• 1 lb. catfish fillets
• 2/3 cup yellow cornmeal
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. paprika
• 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 2 egg whites
• 2 tbsp. water
• cooking spray (Sorry, forgot to include it in the photo.)

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees. In a shallow bowl, combine the egg whites and water; beat lightly, and set aside. In another shallow dish, combine the cornmeal, flour, salt, paprika, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper.

Set up your workspace so you have your fish, then your bowl of egg whites, your cornmeal mixture, and lastly, a baking pan (which I always cover in aluminum foil for easy clean-up) sprayed generously with cooking spray.

One at a time, dip each fillet in the egg whites, then into the cornmeal mixture, then place on the greased baking pan.

When you have all the fillets dipped and breaded and laid out on the pan, spray the tops of the fillets with cooking spray. Bake in a 450 degree oven for 10 to 12 minutes, or until fish flakes easily with a fork.

After I take them out of the oven, I like to give them another dusting of paprika for color because they don't turn out as golden brown as if they were actually fried. Serve with baked potatoes and coleslaw or a salad for a quick, easy, and healthy weeknight meal. Serves 4.

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