Even if you struggle to get your kids to eat fish, this recipe just might become a family favorite. (Photo by Jenny Nguyen-Wheatley)
January 31, 2025
By Jenny Nguyen-Wheatley
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Know a kid who doesn’t like fish? Try this recipe—these catfish nuggets look a lot like their favorite golden fast food chicken bites; except as a parent, you have peace of mind knowing where the meat came from—you caught it yourself! Aside from the fried part, I’d say fresh fish is a lot healthier in nugget form than “mechanically separated chicken.” And dunked in a sweet chili sauce, I don’t know too many kids who can resist this sticky, sweet sauce, which has a bit of a cult following among adults and children alike. There are people—like my husband, ahem—who will eat it with just about everything. For this homemade recipe, adjust the amount of chili paste according to your audience. Or, if you don’t have the time, Mae Ploy makes a readymade sweet chili sauce that is available at most grocery stores that’s good to keep on hand.
This sweet chili sauce will have your family coming back for more. (Photo by Jenny Nguyen-Wheatley) This recipe can also be made to be gluten-free if you swap out the beer for soda water. Rice flour is a great alternative. It does make for a lighter batter—a lot like tempura. For the smoothest batter, I use the Erawan Brand of rice flour from Thailand, which is available at most Asian grocery stores. You can also find it on Amazon.
Tempura-Style Fried Catfish Nuggets with Sweet Chili Sauce Serves: 4 Total time: 20 minutes
Ingredients:
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2 pounds of boneless and skinless catfish fillets 1/4 cup of seasoned rice vinegar 1/2 cup of water 3/4 cup of sugar 3 cloves of garlic, minced 2 teaspoons of soy sauce 2 teaspoons of corn starch 1 tablespoon of water 2 tablespoons of Sambal Oelek chili paste, or to taste 2 cups of rice flour plus ½ cup for dredging 1 tablespoon of baking powder 12 ounces of lager-style beer 1 large egg, lightly beaten 2 teaspoons of salt Cracked pepper, to taste Oil for frying Directions:
To make sweet chili sauce, combine rice vinegar, 1/2 cup of water, sugar, minced garlic and soy sauce in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer and cook for about 5 minutes. Next, stir in Sambal Oelek chili paste and allow to simmer for a couple of minutes. Meanwhile, combine 2 teaspoons of cornstarch with 1 tablespoon of water in a small bowl and make a slurry, getting rid of all lumps. Mix slurry into the saucepan and allow to simmer for 5-10 minutes until thickened, stirring often. Add a splash of water if mixture becomes too thick. Allow to cool—sauce will thicken further while cooling. Set aside.After rinsing the catfish under cold water, cut them into bite-sized nuggets. (Photo by Jenny Nguyen-Wheatley) Rinse catfish under cold water, pat dry and cut fish into nugget-size pieces. Heat about 1 inch of oil to 375 degrees in a fry pan or large saucepan. Meanwhile combine 2 cups of rice flour, baking powder, salt and pepper in a mixing bowl. In another bowl, lightly whisk together the beer and egg.While most people are more familiar with using a coating mixture of flour and cornmeal, this rice flour batter makes for a light and crisp crust on the nuggets. (Photo by Jenny Nguyen-Wheatley) When you’re ready to fry, combine the beer and flour mixture and whisk until smooth. Pour 1/2 cup of extra rice flour into a shallow dish for dredging. Lightly coat fish pieces in the flour first and then dip into the wet batter, allowing excess to drip off. Carefully lay fish into the hot oil and fry until golden brown and crispy on each side, flipping halfway through, about 3-5 minutes on each side. Do not overcrowd the pan. To keep fish warm, lay nuggets on a cooling rack fitted inside a cookie sheet and set in a warm oven. Serve immediately with sweet chili sauce for dipping.Fry the nuggets in oil until they are golden brown and crispy on each side. (Photo by Jenny Nguyen-Wheatley) For more wild game recipes, click here .
