READY IN 50 mins

Queso Catfish

Read Reviews (9)

"A deliciously crunchy and spicy way to serve catfish inspired by a similar dish I had in Beaumont, TX." — FLOWERFROGGIRL

Directions

In a shallow dish, stir together 1/4 cup of lime juice and beer. Place fish in the dish, and turn to coat. Marinate for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Coat a roasting rack with cooking spray, and place over a baking sheet.
Rinse fish with cold water, and pat dry. Discard the marinade. In one dish, stir together the cornmeal, tortilla chip crumbs, salt and pepper. In another dish, stir together 2 tablespoons of lime juice and canola oil. Dip fillets into the lime and oil, then into the cornmeal mixture to coat. Place the fish onto the roasting rack.
Bake fish for 8 to 10 minutes, or until it flakes easily with a fork. While the fish is baking, combine the processed cheese, chili powder, cumin, and chipotle pepper in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook and stir until melted and smooth.
Place fish onto serving plates, and spoon the cheese sauce over them. Top with a sprinkling of cilantro leaves, if desired.

Kitchen-Friendly View

PREP 40 mins
COOK 10 mins
READY IN 50 mins

Reviews More Reviews

Most Helpful Positive Review

Apr 24, 2008

This recipe was wonderful!! I varied it just a bit to fit my family's preferences, though. I used flavored tortilla chips (I think they were salsa flavored?), skipped the cilantro, and instead of the chipotle pepper, I used 1/4 cup of mild salsa and 2 Tbsp milk for the cheese sauce. It was EXCELLENT - this one is definitely going in the recipe box!

—ambnr

See full review »

Most Helpful Critical Review

Mar 15, 2007

I may try this again and re-review it, but for now it's a 3 only b/c you have to time things right. My husband followed the recipe, but should have followed the standard fish cooking guidelines b/c our fillets were thicker than maybe the recipe allows, and he had to put it back in the oven to finish cooking. Meanwhile, the queso, which was ready when he first pulled it out of the oven, hardened. We were not able to recover the queso.

—rachelleb

See full review »

11 Ratings

Jan 27, 2009

I had the same issue as another reviewer...my fillets were thick and needed about 5-6 mins longer in the oven. I only had real cheddar cheese, so I added a little milk, salsa and a small spoon of sour cream to a handful of cheddar cheese cubes instead of the chipotle and processed cheese spread. Otherwise, everything else was the same, and the dish was very good.

—MotherLodeViv

See full review »

Feb 18, 2007

Very 'gourmet' with a southwestern flair. I loved it! Love the chips and catfish combo. Thanks for the inspiring dish (:

—opal~/~dragonfly (dana)

See full review »

Dec 22, 2010

Because many people had problems with the cooking time, I read the directions on the package of my fillets. They suggested 20-25 min at 375. It definitely took a full 25 minutes, probably a couple more. Overall, I thought the recipe was okay. I would have liked more crunch. I may try again and omit the rack and place the fillets directly on my baking sheet. I had some leftover nacho cheese from a gathering of teenage girls at my house so that was a very easy way to do the cheese sauce.

—iluvmysix

See full review »

May 27, 2012

The beer (used a good beer) and lime gives an interesting (in a good way) flavor to the catfish. I also added a little garlic powder to the breading as it just sounded good. Didn't bother with the cheese sauce. Took longer than the recommended baking time, even with increasing the temperature. Coating finish with a nice crunch and fish was good, but still prefer pan frying.

—BARNKITTY

See full review »

Oct 15, 2010

Messy. The "sauce" was more like a chunk of cheese. Add milk and it's still pasty. Coating on fish completely ruined the texture and taste of the fish. This could have been Queso tongue and I wouldn't have known the difference. My kitchen is trashed and the smoke alarm went off.

—Blueraven Creative, LLC

See full review »

Feb 16, 2010

Just like other folks, I had to cook this twice as long before the fish was flaking. The crust was crunchy and just a bit spicy (my 8 yr old complained). I cheated on the queso by melting cheese and adding in salsa...same effect. A nice change of pace. I'll probably make it again.

—Ad-lib Cook

See full review »

Edit

Glad you liked it! Your friends will, too:

Did you tweak the recipe? Edit and save your own version of it!

Edit this recipe

More Recipes Like This See all

Cheesy Catfish

Lemon Pepper Catfish

Dijon Mustard Baked Catfish

Onion Dijon Crusted Catfish

Catfish Saint James

Ranchero Catfish

Cajun Compromise Catfish

Catfish Pecan

Cajun Baked Catfish Dijon

Southern-Style Oven-Fried Catfish

Nutrition

Calories
442 kcal
22%

Carbohydrates
17.2 g
6%

Cholesterol
106 mg
35%

Fat
26.5 g
41%

Fiber
1.2 g
5%

Protein
31.3 g
63%

Sodium
796 mg
32%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Nutritional Information

Queso Catfish

Serving Size: 1/4 of a recipe
Servings Per Recipe: 4
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 442
Calories from Fat: 239

% Daily Value *
Total Fat 26.5g 41 %
Saturated Fat 7.3g 36 %
Cholesterol 106mg 35 %
Sodium 796mg 32 %
** Potassium 597mg 17 %
Total Carbohydrates 17.2g 6 %
Dietary Fiber 1.2g 5 %
Protein 31.3g 63 %
Sugars 2.8g
** Vitamin A 13 %
** Vitamin C 15 %
** Calcium 24 %
** Iron 23 %
** Thiamin 63 %
** Niacin 78 %
** Vitamin B6 20 %
** Magnesium 22 %
** Folate 21 %

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
** Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data.
(-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.