Yeah, unfortunately, pan frying doesn’t work well at all for catfish...
Catfish generally need marination and the benefits of the Maillard reaction.* Deep frying with batter spiced up with, for example, Tony’s Creole seasoning (the regular version, not “Hot” or “More Spice”) somehow furthers the cooking chemistry.* The marination can be skipped if the catfish is fresh and out of really good water, esp. for blues and flatheads in the 2-5 lb. range.
*Why this chemistry works well particularly for catfish lies somewhere deep in the culinary science, I suppose. It’s not a masking of flavor / texture, it’s a “development”. And, certainly, not all fish are best deep fried.
*Tons of info. on the Maillard reaction is online. One can go PHD level if they wish, and I wish I could - the chemistry looks fascinating, but I unfortunately don’t have that much free time! I just go with what works. :-)
Just out of curiosity, what’s your favorite fish (to eat)? Mine is walleye, but we don’t have them around here. :-(
My top 5 are
Salmon
Salmon
Salmon
Grouper
All store bought unfortunately except a few charter trips in Lake Michigan. Big hauls. Salmon and lake trout which is also very good.