Ready-to-fry breaded catfish fillets make a quick and tasty meal, but interest is growing in healthier alternatives like breaded or battered catfish products that can be baked.
At last count in 2012, more than 161 million pounds of catfish were processed—many of which became battered catfish products for frying. The catfish industry produces a significant number of battered catfish products for deep-fat frying, but few are designed for baking.
The most common problem with battered fish products made for baking is that the texture is not as crisp as that of fried fish, says John Bland, a chemist with the Agricultural Research Service’s (ARS) Southern Regional Research Center (SRRC) in New Orleans, Louisiana.
To read the rest of the story, please go to: USDA ARS
