In a large bowl mix together buttermilk and hot sauce, coat each fillet of fish and seal in a Ziploc bag or covered bowl in the fridge to marinade for 6-8 hours.
When ready to fry, remove fish from refrigerator and set aside to acclimate to room temperature while you prepare your baking and frying stations.
Heat a large skillet with 2 inches of oil over medium-high heat.
In a large shallow dish combine the flour, cornmeal salt, pepper, red pepper and garlic powder.
Working one at a time lift fillet from buttermilk marinade and let excess drip off, dredge in cornmeal mixture until evenly coated on each side then carefully place on a sheet of parchment paper and let rest for 10-15 minutes as you continue to coat the remaining fillets.
Once rested carefully place in heated oil and fry for 2-3 minutes on each side or until a deep golden brown. If the coating falls off then the oil is not hot enough and you’ll need to adjust your temperature setting.
Keep fried fillets warm in a 225 degree oven while frying if desired.
Serve & enjoy!
Recipe by How to Have it All at https://www.howtohaveitall.net/buttermilk-fried-catfish-fillets-recipe/