BBQ Catfish

We live in West Tennessee. More specifically, we live in Big Sandy, Tennessee near the Tennessee River and Kentucky Lake. This area is well-known for catfish, so you know we have a catfish recipe or two up our sleeves.

Whether you choose river catfish or pond raised, this recipe is a nice change from the typical corn meal dipped and deep fried variety.

BBQ Catfish Recipe

Catfish is actually a great fish to work with. It holds together relatively well when pan frying or grilling. If grilling just make sure to oil the grate well. We have a lot of success cooking with our Char-Broil Infrared Professional grill.

We always wash our catfish with cold water and pat it dry before grilling. This helps the oil and dry rub stick better. Try to choose only nice looking, clean thick filets for this recipe.

Coat each catfish filet on both sides with oil. We used olive oil, but you can use vegetable, canola, whatever you have on hand.

(By the way, if you are having catfish, there is an unspoken rule you have to have our Southern Style Hushpuppies!)

Sprinkle both sides of the catfish filets with a good BBQ rub. We make our own, but feel free to use your own or a store bought variety. (Maybe one day I will talk Mr. Buy This Cook That into sharing his super top-secret rub recipe.)

The catfish filets look great, don’t they? We used the flat side surface of our grill. You can also use a griddle or grill pan.

The spices form a nice light crust on the catfish and tastes wonderful.

If you like this recipe, check these out:

Bacon Pimento Cheese Jalapeno Poppers

Biscuit Peach Cobbler

12th Man Tailgate Chili

Cook for about 5 minutes per side. After turning each side baste with sauce. Don’t be afraid to use a lot.

This catfish recipe is a summer-time grilling go-to dish. Takes very little time but has great flavor.

Serve with your favorite slaw and sides. We like ours with our Spicy Jamaican Slaw.

4.5 from 2 votes

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BBQ Catfish Recipe

Author Buy This Cook That

Buy This

• 4- 6 catfish fillets boneless
• 2 TB olive oil
• 1 -2 TB bbq dry rub your choice
• 1/4 cup bbq sauce we recommend Redneck Lipstick

Cook That

1. (You can cook this in a pan on the stove, or on the grill. We used a flat griddle side burner on our gas grill. All instructions are specifically for this. Cooking times would vary slightly based on your method of cooking.)
2. Heat grill to medium high. Coat lightly with oil.
3. Wash and pat dry fish filets. Rub with oil, and coat on both sides with your favorite bbq dry rub seasoning mix.
4. Place filets on the grill / griddle and cook for approximately 3-5 minutes. Turn and cook another 3-5 minutes. Brush the top of the cooked side with bbq sauce while the other side is cooking.
5. Flip and brush the other side with bbq sauce.
6. Remove from heat, cover and let rest 5 minutes. Serve warm with your favorite sides. We recommend our Spicy Jamaican Slaw or a salad.