Cajun Catfish with Sautéed Onions & Peppers with Red Beans & Rice
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Southern, Seafood
- Cuisine: Dinner
Description
We normally only do seafood once a week ~ seafood Saturday. But, catfish is such a cheap fish that it makes a great, affordable meal any day of the week. When I was planning my menu for the week, my husband asked for something with onions and peppers. Specific, I know. He didn’t know what he wanted exactly, but sautéed onions and peppers had to be part of the plan. When I suggested catfish, he jumped for it!
Usually, we cook our catfish with a blackening seasoning, but I decided to mix things up. Instead, I used a lemon pepper seasoning. I usually make my lemon pepper seasoning from scratch, slow roasting lemon zest and mixing it with a little salt and a lot of pepper. Homemade lemon pepper seasoning is bursting with flavors! But, I was lazy… it was the middle of the week! I didn’t want to go through all that effort; I just wanted a quick and easy weekday meal. So, store-bought lemon pepper seasoning was the way to go.
Since the fish wasn’t spicy, I kicked up the onions and peppers. I personally don’t deseed my Serrano peppers because I like the extra heat it brings to the dish. But, if you don’t want that extra heat, no problem! The dish still gets a bit of spice from the chili powder!
Boxed rice and red beans come together so quickly and so easily! You’ll have dinner on the table in half an hour! Super simple but packed with southern flavoring!
Enjoy!
Ingredients
4 catfish fillets
2 TBs lemon pepper seasoning
3 bell peppers, colors of your choice, cut into 2 inch pieces
2 onions, sliced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 Serrano pepper, minced, seeds removed if desired
¼ cup white wine
2 tsp chili powder
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp paprika
salt and pepper
4 TBs olive oil, divided
1 box of rice and red beans
Instructions
Cook the rice and beans according to the box.
While the rice and beans cook, sauté the peppers and onions. In a large pan, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. When hot, add the onions and peppers, stirring frequently until the onions have softened and lightly caramelized. Add the garlic and Serrano pepper, sautéing for 1 minute. Add the chili powder, ground cumin, paprika, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Pour in the white wine and stir to combine. Cover with a lid and cook an additional 5 minutes, or until the peppers are lightly tender.
In a frying pan, heat the remaining olive oil over medium heat. Cook the catfish, in batches if necessary, for 4 to 5 minutes a side, or until cooked through and flaky.
Serve the catfish over the onions and peppers with the rice and beans on the side.
Enjoy!
Keywords: Southern Catfish, Cajun Catfish, Catfish with Onions & Peppers
