I have only tried to make catfish once in my lifetime. It did not turn out well at all so I've not been especially anxious to try it again. I have eaten some great catfish, mostly prepared in one of the southern states that I adore traveling through, however.

I will be choosing one of the following recipes to try my hand at making catfish once again. I have really been on a kick lately to try new recipes so I will buy the catfish fillets and hope for the best!

To prepare Spicy Catfish with Rice, begin by softening 1 cup of diced onion, 3 sticks of celery, 3 cloves of garlic, and 1 red, green, or yellow pepper that has been diced in a few tablespoons of oil. This will take about 5 minutes until the vegetables are starting to soften. Don't forget to stir them once in a while.

Add 1 cup of long grain rice and cover it with the oil in the pan. Stir in 2 cups of chicken broth (reduced fat or reduced sodium is fine), 1 teaspoon of hot sauce, and 1 tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce. Simmer for 5 minutes.

Cut 1 pound of cleaned catfish fillets into strips and put the strips into the pan with the rice. Cover the skillet and cook slowly until the fish is thoroughly cooked and the rice is finished. This will take at least 20 minutes, possibly as much as 30 until the fish is finished cooking. Just keep an eye on it to make sure the rice doesn't start sticking. If that happens, add more chicken broth a little at a time so that it doesn't stick. Serve with more hot sauce on the side if you dare! If not, tartar sauce will work great.

If you want to make Cheesy Catfish, start by heating the oven to 375 degrees. Clean 2 pounds of catfish fillets and then pat them dry.

In a bowl combine 1/2 cup of grated parmesan cheese with 1/4 cup of flour and the spices you wish to use. Pepper and paprika will be great, but if you want to add salt or you have another favorite spice for using with fish, go ahead and try it.

In another bowl, whisk 1 egg with a fork and add 1 tablespoon of milk to it. After you have mixed the egg and milk, dip the catfish pieces into the egg mixture and then the cheese mixture. Put the fillets into a baking dish and then pour 1/2 stick to 1 stick of melted butter over top of the fish fillets.

Bake for 25 to 35 minutes until the catfish is completely cooked.

Many kinds of batters work for catfish whether you use a bake or deep fry method. Batter that works for other fish will most likely be good, or you can look for a recipe for beer batter because that goes well with catfish.

So what do you serve with catfish? The sides that work best are the same things you would be served in a restaurant with fish. These include cole slaw, hush puppies, and golden fries.