Once a month or so, I get a craving for fried catfish. I can’t help it. I think it was instilled in me via many trips to the Jonesboro Auto (and farm equipment) Auction (and fish fry) as a kid. Regardless, I’m always on the lookout for good fried catfish. Here’s a comparo of the two best I’ve found.

Flying Fish

Flying Fish is the more “traditional” fried fish places. Light corn batter, fries, and hush puppies. Quality control is pretty good, I’ve never gotten anything you would really call bad from this place.

They serve their catfish in big filets, which is the standard method of catfish dispersion, but the big pieces can get a little greasy.

Their batter is light and fairly crunchy, with little to no seasoning to be found. If you’re a purist, you’ll probably like this place more. Another thing to consider is that they’re primarily a seafood place, so they also do grilled fish, oysters, etc.

My only real complaint is that their fries seem to be soggy no matter what. On the rare occasion you get fresh, crispy fries, they’re great, but that almost never happens to me.

You still can’t really go wrong with Flying Fish, it’s just not my favorite, due mainly to being a little greasier and a bit bland for my taste.

[rating:3]

Flying Fish
105 S 2nd St
Memphis, TN 38103
(901) 522-8228

Flyingfishinthe.net

Westy’s

I’ve posted stuff from Westy’s before, like their burger, but I had never thought of ordering their catfish basket until recently. I was pleasantly surprised.

Their fish is cut into smaller pieces before breading, resulting in less grease, and their batter has a good amount of seasoning, enough that I don’t generally add any seasoning myself. You get the option of tater tots or french fries.

On the downside, they don’t have hush puppies, which should be considered a requirement for catfish, but they do have an entensive menu that includes damn near everything, a big plus if you’re dining with someone who doesn’t care for fish. They also deliver, in case you’re as lazy as I am.

[rating:4.5]

Westy’s
346 N Main St
Memphis, TN 38103
(901) 543-3278

eatatwestys.com

In conclusion, if you want the traditional, lightly season, big pieces of fish with hushpuppies, you probably want to head to flying fish. If you’d like more of a “catfish nugget” with a little more adventurous seasoning, or you’re too lazy to move, Westy’s is for you. You can’t really go wrong with either.