Shrimp-Stuffed Catfish
This summer I went home to New Orleans for a month and took full advantage of having access to fresh Gulf seafood. One of my creations was shrimp-stuffed catfish baked in lemon butter. This proved to be an amazingly savory dish that was light and satisfying.
Catfish and shrimp are two staple seafoods in Cajun and Creole cuisine. Catfish is a light yet meaty whitefish that takes well to bold Cajun spices. Shrimp stuffing serves as the perfect savory, spicy and slightly sweet filling to these catfish rollups. The lemon butter adds decadence and right amount of acid to balance out this dish.
The catfish are seasoned in Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning, which we all know is my absolute favorite! For the stuffing, I combine the holy trinity (onions, bell peppers, and celery) with garlic, breadcrumbs, parsley, Worcestershire sauce, and seasoned with Cajun herbs and spices. Before going in the oven the shrimp-stuffed catfish is covered in melted butter and fresh lemon juice.
How to make Shrimp-Stuffed Catfish
- Preheat oven to 375. In a large skillet, melt the cubed butter over medium high heat.
- Stir in onion, celery, bell pepper and green pepper, and saute until tender. Add in garlic and parsley, and saute until garlic is fragrant.
- Add in the stock and Worcestershire sauce, and stir.
- Season shrimp with Tony’s seasoning, and stir into skillet mixture. Poach shrimp until they turn pink.
- Remove shrimp mixture from heat and stir in breadcrumbs until well combined. Combine melted butter and lemon juice into a bowl and set aside.
- Season catfish with Tony’s seasoning. Flip catfish so that they’re bottom side up. Spoon about ¼ - ⅓ cup of stuffing onto each filet (depending on size) and roll them up.
- Place the rolled stuffed catfish filets seam-side down into a greased baking dish, and pour the combined melted butter and lemon juice over the filets.
- Bake uncovered for 20-25 minutes, or until fish flakes with a fork. Transfer baking dish to top rack and set oven to broil for 3-5 minutes.
- Remove from oven, garnish with more parsley and serve.
- 6 tablespoons butter (cubed)
- 5 tablespoons butter (melted)
- 1 small onion (chopped)
- 1/4 cup bell pepper chopped
- 1/4 cup celery (chopped)
- 1 pound shrimp (peeled and deveined)
- 1/4 cup seafood/chicken stock
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley (plus more for garnish)
- 1 1/2 cup plain breadcrumbs
- 4-6 catfish fillets
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- paprika (to taste)
- Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning (to taste)
Preheat oven to 375. In a large skillet, melt the cubed butter over medium high heat.
Stir in onion, celery, bell pepper and green pepper, and saute until tender. Add in garlic and parsley, and saute until garlic is fragrant.
Add in the stock and Worcestershire sauce, and stir.
Season shrimp with Tony’s seasoning, and stir into skillet mixture. Poach shrimp until they turn pink.
Remove shrimp mixture from heat and stir in breadcrumbs until well combined. Combine melted butter and lemon juice into a bowl and set aside.
Season catfish with Tony’s seasoning. Flip catfish so that they’re bottom side up. Spoon about ¼ - ⅓ cup of stuffing onto each filet (depending on size) and roll them up.
Place the rolled stuffed catfish filets seam-side down into a greased baking dish, and pour the combined melted butter and lemon juice over the filets.
Bake uncovered for 20-25 minutes, or until fish flakes with a fork. Transfer baking dish to top rack and set oven to broil for 3-5 minutes.
Remove from oven, garnish with more parsley and serve.
I’m a homegrown food lover, whom influenced by my mama and MoMo, grew into a self-taught foodmaker. Outside of my day job in tech,, I enjoy developing Cajun/Creole and Asian Fusion recipes, and taking pretty, mouth-watering photos of the food I make. When not in the kitchen, find me binge watching a true crime docuseries or collecting passport stamps across the globe!