Spicy Baked Whole Catfish Recipe

This spicy oven baked catfish is marinated in a bold blend of fresh herbs and peppers, then roasted whole in the oven until perfectly tender. It is one of my favorite ways to cook catfish and I know it is going to be a hit at your dinner table too!

🧡 Why You’ll Love This Recipe

My family goes absolutely crazy for this oven baked catfish. We make it at least twice a month and it never lasts more than a day. Honestly, once we start eating, nobody stops until it is all gone.

The secret is in the marinade. You blend red bell pepper, habanero, garlic, ginger, and fresh herbs like thyme, dill, and sage into a smooth, fragrant paste. It gets stuffed right into the fish and soaks into every single bite. So much flavor in every mouthful.

And the best part? The whole thing gets wrapped in foil and baked low and slow so the fish stays incredibly moist. No dry, sad fish here. Just juicy, spicy, fall-off-the-bone catfish that will have everyone asking for seconds.

🥘 Equipment I Use

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To prepare this easy oven baked catfish recipe, you’ll need a baking sheet, knife, some aluminum foil, and a high-powered blender to prepare the flavorful marinade.

🧾 Ingredients I Use

• Catfish: This recipe calls for whole catfish instead of catfish fillets.  Check your local Asian, Mexican, or African grocery store for frozen or fresh catfish. Be sure to remove the bones before serving.
• Vegetables: I use red bell pepper, garlic, onion, ginger root, and habanero pepper to create a potent, flavorful marinade that soaks into every bite of whole baked catfish.
• Herbs: Fresh thyme, dill, and sage have so much more flavor than dried herbs, but you can use those instead in a pinch.
• Salt to taste.

🔪 How To Make Oven Baked Catfish

1. Preheat oven to 400F. Clean and gut the fish. Use the lemon to clean the fish by squeezing the lemon juice on the fish and rubbing it in. Rinse thoroughly when done.
2. Place the red bell pepper, habanero, onions, herbs and spices in a blender and blend till smooth.
3. Make shallow slices on the fish, about 3 – 4 on both sides. Scoop about half of the pureed mixture into these holes and in the center slit. Keep the other half to use later.
4. Completely wrap the fish in foil and place in bottom rack of oven for 45 mins. Open the foil at the top and leave the fish in for another 5 minutes.
5. Bring out the fish from the oven and pour the remaining pureed mixture over the fish and serve.

♨️ How To Store and Reheat

This baked whole catfish will keep for a few days in the fridge, but if you have fish lovers in your house, then it will probably last one day or two at the most. To keep it fresh, store it in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days.

To reheat, you can either microwave your leftovers for about a minute or pop them in the air fryer at 350 F for 5-7 minutes or until fully warmed.

💡 My Expert Tips

• You can reduce how much pepper you use in this recipe according to your preference. Or you can omit it altogether.
• I use thyme, dill, and sage, but you can use any herbs of your choice.
• Don’t skip cleaning the fish with lemon. This helps to clean the fish and reduce its sliminess, and also cuts down on the strong fishy smell, which might be a bother to some.
• The fish has to be wrapped in foil before baking as this helps to trap the juices and keep them moist.
• If you like really spicy food, you can also add a dash of cayenne pepper to the vegetable mixture.
• Feel free to garnish with some fresh lemon slices, a little fresh parsley, or a dash of hot sauce (like this Pili Pili sauce) for extra flavor!

🍽️ What to Serve With Baked Whole Catfish

This baked whole catfish tastes great with a veggie dish or salad on the side, like Brussels sprouts, roasted cauliflower, or keto coleslaw. This bacon broccoli salad will also be a great addition!

👩‍🍳 Questions You Might Have

Originally published in June 2019, this post was updated in May 2026 for accuracy and to include more helpful content.

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• Preheat oven to 400F.

• Clean and gut the fish. Use the lemon to clean the fish by squeezing the lemon juice on the fish and rubbing it in. Rinse thoroughly when done.

  1 catfish, 1 lemon

• Place the red bell pepper, habanero, onions, herbs and spices in a blender and blend till smooth.

  1/2 red bell pepper, 1/2 medium onion, 2 cloves garlic, 1 thumb ginger, 1 habanero pepper, 1/2 sprig thyme leaves, 1/2 sprig dill, 1 sprig sage, 1/2 tsp salt

• Make shallow slices on the fish, about 3 – 4 on both sides.

• Scoop about half of the pureed mixture into these holes and in the center slit. Keep the other half to use later.

• Completely wrap the fish in foil and place in bottom rack of oven for 45 mins.

• Open the foil at the top and leave the fish in for another 5 minutes.

• Bring out the fish from the oven and pour the remaining pureed mixture over the fish and serve.

This recipe serves 4 and contains 3g carbs per serving.

• You can reduce how much pepper you use in this recipe according to your preference. Or you can omit it altogether.
• I use thyme, dill, and sage but you can use any herbs of your choice.
• Don’t skip cleaning the fish with lemon. This helps to clean the fish and reduce its sliminess, and also cuts down on the strong fishy smell, which might be a bother to some.
• The fish has to be wrapped in foil before baking as this helps to trap in the juices and keep them moist.

Serving: 4servings | Calories: 236kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 38g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 131mg | Sodium: 98mg | Potassium: 853mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 609IU | Vitamin C: 25mg | Calcium: 37mg | Iron: 1mg