Blackened Catfish with Dirty Rice

Okay, real talk — this blackened catfish with dirty rice has become one of my absolute go-to dinner recipes and I am so excited to share it with you. Whether you are feeding your family on a busy weeknight or just treating yourself, this one delivers every single time. It is flavorful, satisfying, and honestly not that hard to pull together.

Why You’ll Love This Blackened Catfish with Dirty Rice

• Ready in about 35 min with simple ingredients
• Big, bold flavors without a ton of fuss
• Perfect for meal prep or feeding a crowd
• The whole family actually eats it — win

Ingredients

• catfish fillets
• Cajun seasoning
• dirty rice
• andouille
• chicken livers
• celery

How to Make It

Start by gathering everything and prepping your ingredients — mise en place makes this go so much smoother, I promise. Cajun-spiced blackened catfish served alongside smoky, flavorful dirty rice. Follow the recipe card below for the full step-by-step with exact measurements. The method is straightforward and I walk you through everything you need.

My biggest tip: do not rush the process. Let things cook properly and you will be rewarded with the most incredible result. Trust the recipe and trust yourself!

Shop What I Use

A few of my favorite kitchen staples that make this recipe shine:

• Catfish Fillets
• Cajun Seasoning
• Dirty Rice

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Blackened Catfish with Dirty Rice

Catfish crusted in Cajun spice and seared hard in a cast iron pan, served over dirty rice studded with andouille and the holy trinity.

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 35 minutes mins

Total Time 50 minutes mins

Servings: 4 servings

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Southern

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

For the dirty rice

• 1.5 cups long grain rice
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 8 oz andouille sausage finely diced
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp butter

For the catfish

• 4 catfish fillets about 6 oz each
• 3 tbsp Cajun seasoning
• 3 tbsp butter, melted
• 1 lemon, cut into wedges

Method

 

1. Melt the butter in a heavy pot over medium heat and brown the andouille 4 minutes.
2. Add the onion, celery and bell pepper and cook 6 minutes until softened, then the garlic for 1 minute.
3. Stir in the rice to coat, pour in the broth, bring to a boil, then cover and cook on low 18 minutes. Rest off the heat 5 minutes and fluff.
4. While the rice cooks, pat the catfish very dry and press the Cajun seasoning onto both sides.
5. Heat a cast iron skillet over high until it is smoking. Drizzle the fillets with the melted butter and lay them in the pan.
6. Sear 3 to 4 minutes a side, until a dark crust forms and the fish flakes easily.
7. Serve the fillets over the dirty rice with lemon wedges.

Notes

Blackening makes real smoke, so open a window and turn the fan on. A cast iron pan is worth it here for the crust.