An authentic catfish po boy sandwich topped with shredded lettuce, tomato, and mayonnaise on a toasted French bread loaf! This recipe features our Southern fried catfish and popular fish fry seasoning.
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I remember my first time having a po boy sandwich. It was hot and delicious, made with fried catfish, and topped with lettuce and tomato. Who would have thought that something so good could come from just a few humble ingredients?!
This catfish po boy is the perfect sandwich for lunch or dinner—casual enough for a Friday night or game day. Plus, we tossed the fish in our fish fry seasoning, so you know the flavor is on point. You can also use fried whiting, fried shrimp, fried chicken, or classic roast beef instead of catfish.
But my favorite thing is the crispy fish sandwiched between the soft and fluffy French bread. It's the perfect textural contrast, and absolutely mouthwatering. All you need are some toppings and condiments like lettuce, tomato, mayo, and mustard. Serve it with some fries and you're good to go.
What we love most about this recipe
- The delicious fried catfish: Our Southern fried catfish recipe with homemade fish fry seasoning is the best thing going.
- The perfect French bread: We drove around to a few stores looking for French bread. It's soft and pillowy, with the perfect crust from toasting it with butter.
- It's easy to make: It's a quick and easy sandwich recipe that only requires a few simple steps. Perfect for leftover fried fish or shrimp, or any other fillings you'd like.
What is a Po Boy?
A po' boy, or "poor boy", is a type of sandwich created by Bennie and Clovis Martin back in the 1920s in New Orleans, Louisiana. The brothers, who were former streetcar workers, owned a local restaurant and started giving away these sandwiches to help feed the striking railway workers (known as "poor boys").
An authentic po boy is traditionally served on a French bread loaf with fried seafood like shrimp, catfish, oysters, or fried chicken or roast beef. Po boy sandwiches can be topped with shredded lettuce, sliced tomatoes, mayonnaise, hot sauce, and Creole mustard.
Ingredients
A full ingredient list with exact amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
- French bread loaf
- Catfish fillets
- Yellow mustard
- Hot sauce
- Fish fry seasoning
- Oil for frying
- Condiments and toppings (i.e. mayonnaise, yellow mustard, Creole mustard, Dijon mustard, hot sauce, etc).
Variations and Modifications
- Filling: Fried shrimp, fried oysters, roast beef, soft shell crab, or fried chicken are all great options for a New Orleans po boy sandwich.
- Alternative bread options: If you can't find a French bread loaf, we recommend hoagie rolls or sub rolls.
How to Make a Catfish Po Boy
Detailed instructions can be found in the recipe card below.
- Clean and trim the catfish fillets. In a big bowl, mix mustard and hot sauce. Toss the catfish in the mixture until it’s coated all over. Set it aside.
- In a shallow bowl, mix together cornmeal, Old Bay, lemon pepper, kosher salt, black pepper, and granulated garlic.
- Pour vegetable oil into a large fry pan or deep fryer and heat it to 350°F.
- While the oil heats up, take the mustard-coated catfish fillets and dredge them in the cornmeal mixture. Make sure they’re covered well.
- When the oil is hot, carefully fry the catfish in batches until they’re golden brown and cooked through. Use a slotted spoon to take them out and place them on a wire rack over paper towels to drain the oil.
- Slice the French bread in half lengthwise. Spread butter on the cut side of each piece. In a hot skillet, toast the bread butter-side down until it’s golden and crispy.
- Spread mayonnaise on both sides of the toasted bread. Add some shredded lettuce, a few tomato slices, and fried catfish fillet.
Recipe Tips
- Toast the bread in butter adds flavor but also creates a nice crunch. Don’t skip this step!
- Add your favorite toppings like sliced pickles or a spicy slaw for added crunch and flavor.
- Try different sauces like a remoulade or tartar sauce if you want to switch things up.
What to Serve
Catfish po boy sandwiches are perfect with french fries, chips, Southern potato salad, deep fried pickles, or BBQ coleslaw. It also goes great with a small bowl of New Orleans red beans and rice.
Commonly Asked Questions
Authentic po boy sandwiches are made with French bread. However, you can also use hoagie or sub rolls if you can't find a French bread loaf.
Po boy is short for "poor boy". It got the name during the 1920s railway strike, when brothers and New Orleans restaurant owners Bennie and Clovis Martin started giving away these hearty sandwiches to help feed workers that were on strike.
📖 Recipe
Fried Catfish Po Boy Recipe
Ingredients
- 14 ounce French bread loaf
- 4 catfish fillets about 4–6 ounces each
- 2 tablespoons mustard
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce
- Vegetable oil for frying
- Butter for toasting bread
- 2 cups lettuce shredded
- 1 large tomato sliced
- ½ cup mayonnaise
Fish Fry Seasoning
- ¾ cup yellow cornmeal
- 1 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
- ½ teaspoon lemon pepper seasoning
- ⅛ teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon granulated garlic
Instructions
- Clean and trim catfish fillets. Then, combine mustard and hot sauce in a large bowl. Toss catfish in mustard mixture, coating them evenly on all sides. Set aside.
- Make fish fry seasoning. Mix together the cornmeal, Old Bay, lemon pepper seasoning, kosher salt, black pepper, and granulated garlic in a shallow bowl. Set aside.
- Heat vegetable oil to 350°F in a large fry pan or deep fryer. While the oil heats up, dredge mustard-coated catfish fillets in the cornmeal seasoning mixture, making sure each fillet is fully covered.
- Once oil reaches the correct temperature, fry catfish in batches until golden brown and the internal temperature reaches 145°F. Use a slotted spoon or spatula to carefully remove fried catfish and transfer them to a wire rack over a paper towel.
- Next, slice the French bread loaf into 2 pieces and split each piece lengthwise. Spread butter on the cut side of each piece. Then, in a hot skillet, place the bread butter-side down and toast until golden and crispy.
- Assemble the po' boys. Spread mayonnaise on both sides of the toasted bread. Add shredded lettuce, tomato slices, and a fried catfish fillet to each sandwich.
Notes
- Toast the bread in butter adds flavor but also creates a nice crunch. Don’t skip this step!
- Add your favorite toppings like sliced pickles or a spicy slaw for added crunch and flavor.
- Try different sauces like a remoulade or tartar sauce if you want to switch things up.
Jazz says
Thank you for making my first Po boy a success! The catfish was so crispy! I made a remoulade to go with it and it was just perfect.