Grilled, flaky catfish grilled and seasoned with a thin layer of a flavorful blackened herb mixture, covered in cilantro lime butter sauce with sprinkled fresh chopped cilantro. Vegans can simply replace the catfish with their favorite sliced veggies or Gardein Fishless Fillets. It's truly a seafood lover's delight!

• 4 (6-8 oz) catfish fillets (FOR VEGANS: I recommend replacing catfish with Gardein Fishless Fillets)

• 2 TBSN butter, softened at room temperature (FOR VEGANS: Use a Vegan-friendly plant-based butter)

• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

• 1 lime

• 2 TBSN smoked paprika

• 2 TBSN chili powder

• 1 TBSN garlic powder

• 1 TBSN ground cumin

• 1 TBSN ground coriander

• 1 TBSN Sea salt​

• Olive Oil

​2 small mixing bowls, mixing spoons, aluminum foil, BBQ grill, BBQ tongs

PREP: 10 min, 30 min refrigeration COOK: 10-15 min READY: 55 min SERVES: 4 fillets

Before you handle any food, wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water. Clean your kitchen work area and pull back your hair or wear a cap. You want to avoid contaminating your meal with harmful bacteria that could cause food illness.

To make Blackened Catfish with Cilantro Lime Butter: 

1. To make the cilantro lime butter: Place softened butter in a small mixing bowl.  Add fresh juice from half the lime, and 1 tablespoon of chopped cilantro.

2. Spoon butter onto a small sheet of aluminum foil. Roll and shape butter into a log and place in refrigerator for about 30 minutes until ready to serve.

3. Preheat BBQ grill between 350-375 degrees F.

4. Cut the other half of lime into wedges or slices for garnish.

5. In another small mixing bowl, combine smoked paprika, chili powder, garlic powder, ground cumin, ground coriander, and Sea salt; Mix well.

6. Coat a sheet of aluminum foil with olive oil. 

7. Coat each side of the catfish liberally with seasoning mixture; about 1 teaspoon for each side of the filet. Place fillets on the oiled sheet of aluminum foil. 

8. Place the sheet of foil with fillets on grill.

9. Grill fillets for 5-7 minutes per side, flipping carefully with BBQ tongs. Catfish should be translucent and turn to white and flaky when fully cooked. Do not over-cook or fillets will have a hardened texture. 

10. Remove fillets from the grill and top each with a slice of cilantro-lemon butter.

11. Sprinkle with remaining chopped cilantro. Serve hot with lime wedges.

1 fillet : 130 calories, 6 g fat (2 g saturated fat), 60 mg cholesterol, 1140 mg sodium, 18 g protein, 0 g sugar, 2 g fiber, 0 g carbohydrates.

Catfish offers a variety of health benefits including protein, vitamins, healthy fats and fatty acids. The low amount of calories in this fish make it a popular choice for a healthy meal plan – women generally require approximately 300 to 500 calories per meal, and men need around 400 to 600 calories, so it fits in well and allows you to serve several healthy side dishes with it. The fat content is also relatively low, and little of it is saturated fat -- 2 g. Avoid consuming more than 16 to 22 g of saturated fat per day; too much in your diet can trigger health problems.

Eating catfish is a tasty way to boost your intake of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. One serving of this fish provides 220 mg of omega-3 fatty acids and 875 mg of omega-6. The American Heart Association suggests including fish in your diet several times each week to increase the amount of fatty acids you eat. Both of these nutrients play a part in heart and cognitive health.

Catfish provides you with all of the amino acids your body needs. This high-quality, complete protein helps your body build lean muscle mass, and it also helps improve the effectiveness of your immune function. You may also rely on protein to provide energy, especially if your body has used all of the carbohydrates you have eaten for fuel.

The vitamin B-12 in catfish is critical to aiding your body in the breakdown of the foods you eat into usable energy, but this vitamin has other functions as well. Without enough vitamin B-12 in your diet, your nerve function suffers, and you might become lethargic.

Almost all fish contains mercury, a contaminant that may impact your nervous system, but the Environmental Protection Agency lists catfish as one of the mostly commonly consumed, low-mercury fish.

 Pinot Noir, Gamay, or if you prefer a white wine, go with Pinot Noir.  

Need DINNER MUSIC?

Check out our Playlists on YouTube for perfectly themed music to set the ambiance of your meal! For this recipe, we recommend:

Playlist: Tales from the Sea

VEGGIE CELEBRATION BLACKENED "FISH". Replace catfish fillets with Gardein Fishless Fillets or a soy-based alternative. Replace butter using a plant-based butter alternative. 

Blackened Catfish and Tangy Mango Salsa. Replace Cilantro-Lemon butter with Tangy Mango Salsa (Click here for Tangy Mango Salsa recipe)

Creole Blackened Catfish. Add 1 TBSN cayenne pepper and 1 TBSN Cajun seasoning to the seasoning mixture. 

My Big Fat Greek Catfish. Replace seasoning mixture with dry Greek salad dressing mix. Replace cilantro with chopped mint leaves. Sprinkle with Feta cheese upon serving.