1 cup oil vegetable, canola or peanut (you may need more or less)
1 cup cornmeal yellow, not self-rising
1 cup buttermilk
1 Tbsp cayenne pepper (red pepper, ground)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
Directions
Pat fillets with paper towel
Place fish in a large baking dish or plastic storage bag, pour in buttermilk; coat well; allow to sit for at least 10-minutes in refrigerator
In a large bowl, add cornmeal, salt, pepper and cayenne; stir with fork till blended
Using a cast-iron, or heavy bottom skillet, pour oil into skillet and heat to medium;
While oil is heating, take a fillet directly from the buttermilk and place it in the cornmeal; pat the cornmeal on the fillet; coat it all over, twice; repeat with remaining fillets
Check your skillet; the oil needs to be around 312 - 350ºF; you can sprinkle a few pieces of cornmeal in the oil to see if it sizzles; if it does sizzle, the oil is ready
Cooking in batches of two fillets, place them in the hot oil; DO NOT MOVE THE FILLETS until they've cooked for 2 1/2 - 3 minutes on one side
After 2 1/2 -3 minutes, use tongs and flip the fish over and cook for an additional 3 minutes
Use a thermometer to measure internal temperature; it should be 145ºF
