Texas Roadhouse fried catfish is a 3-piece plate of U.S. farm-raised catfish breaded in southern cornmeal, listed at $17.49 and 990 calories. It comes with two sides and the free rolls with cinnamon butter. Prices vary by location.
What the fried catfish actually is
The fried catfish is three fillet pieces of U.S. farm-raised catfish, coated in a seasoned southern cornmeal breading and fried to order, then plated as a full dinner entrée with two sides. It sits in the seafood section, not the appetizer section.
Cornmeal is the detail that matters. It is a coarser coat than the flour-and-egg breading on the Country Fried Steak or Chicken Critters, so the crust reads crunchy and sandy rather than craggy. Catfish is a mild white fish with firm flakes that hold together in the fryer, which is why it survives that treatment better than a delicate fillet would.
| What it is | Fried catfish fillets, cornmeal breaded, fried to order |
|---|---|
| Fish source | U.S. farm-raised catfish |
| Portion | 3-piece plate (fillet size is not published; expect hand-cut variation) |
| Menu price | $17.49 before tax, before sides upcharges |
| Calories | 990 for the entrée alone |
| What’s included | Two sides plus the complimentary rolls and cinnamon butter |
| Menu category | Seafood / dinner entrées |
| Usual accompaniments | Lemon and tartar sauce, typically on request or on the plate depending on location |
Fried catfish price
The 3-piece fried catfish is priced at $17.49 on the menus we checked in July 2026. That is the entrée price only. Regional pricing swings roughly 10-15%, so airport-adjacent, coastal and high-cost-of-living stores can land a couple of dollars above the number below.
| Line item | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Fried Catfish, 3-piece | $17.49 | Includes two sides and rolls |
| Smaller piece counts | Varies | Not a standard national listing; some stores have offered reduced-portion or lunch versions. Call to confirm |
| Premium side upcharge | Varies | Loaded sides and salads commonly carry a small upcharge |
| Extra side of tartar or lemon | Usually no charge | Ask when ordering; policies are store-level |
Roadhouse pricing is set per location, so the only figure that is truly binding is the one on the menu in front of you or in the app for your specific store. Pull up your store in the Texas Roadhouse app before you assume the price above applies.
Calories and nutrition
The fried catfish entrée is listed at 990 calories. That is the highest calorie count in the seafood group by a wide margin, and it covers the fish and breading only, not the two sides, not the rolls, and not the cinnamon butter.
Add the rest of the plate and the arithmetic changes fast. Rolls with cinnamon butter, a loaded side and a soft drink push the dinner well past 1,500 calories. Roadhouse publishes a nutrition guide covering fat, sodium and allergens; if you are tracking closely, use that rather than any third-party estimate, including ours.
If you want the plate lighter without giving up the catfish, the sides are the lever with the most give. Steamed vegetables, a house salad with dressing on the side, or a plain baked potato move the total more than any tweak to the fish itself, since the breading and fry are fixed.
Sides, rolls and what’s included
Fried catfish is a full entrée, so it comes with your choice of two sides plus the bottomless rolls and cinnamon butter that land on every table. You are not paying $17.49 for fish on a bare plate.
Side pairings that work with a cornmeal crust:
- Seasoned rice soaks up tartar sauce and does not compete with the crunch.
- Steamed vegetables or green beans cut the fry without adding another heavy item.
- Buttered corn doubles down on the cornmeal theme in a way that genuinely works.
- Fries or a loaded baked potato make the plate very heavy. Pick one fried element, not two.
- House salad is the single easiest way to keep the meal from feeling like a brick.
How to order it well
Fried catfish has no doneness choice, so the ordering levers are timing, sauce and sides. The single best instruction is to ask that it come out fresh from the fryer rather than held, and to get tartar sauce and lemon on the side.
- Ask for lemon wedges. Acid is what keeps a cornmeal crust from tasting flat by the third piece.
- Get sauce on the side. Tartar poured over the fillets softens the crust within a minute or two.
- Eat the crust first, not the rolls. Fried food has a short window. The rolls will still be good in ten minutes; the catfish will not.
- Traveling with it? Ask for the fish in its own container, vented if possible. Steam trapped in a sealed to-go box is what turns crunchy catfish into soggy catfish.
- Allergy check. A shared fryer means cross-contact risk with breaded items and seafood. If that matters to you, say so to the manager, not just the server.
Is it worth $17.49?
At $17.49 with two sides and free rolls, the fried catfish is priced fairly for a sit-down fried fish dinner, and it undercuts most of the chicken entrées. Whether it is worth it depends on how much you value fried texture over a lean protein.
Three pieces is a genuine plateful and you get a full dinner build, not a snack portion. Against that: it is the heaviest thing in the seafood section, and at a steakhouse you are ordering the item the kitchen builds least often. Fried fish rewards a busy Friday night and punishes a dead Tuesday afternoon.
Fried catfish vs. the other seafood plates
Compared with its two closest siblings, fried catfish is the most expensive and by far the most caloric. Grilled Salmon at $15.99 and 410 calories and Grilled Shrimp at $16.99 and 670 calories both cost less and land lighter.
| Item | Price | Calories | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fried Catfish, 3-piece | $17.49 | 990 | Crunch, comfort food, biggest portion feel |
| Grilled Salmon, 5 oz | $15.99 | 410 | Lightest plate, cheapest seafood option |
| Grilled Shrimp | $16.99 | 670 | Middle ground; comes over seasoned rice |
| Country Fried Chicken | $17.99 | 780 | Same fried-and-gravy craving, poultry instead |
Read it this way: if you came for fried food, catfish beats Country Fried Chicken on price by fifty cents and gives you a crisper crust. If you came for seafood but not a fryer, the salmon saves you $1.50 and 580 calories.
Availability, lunch and to-go
Fried catfish is a standard dinner-menu item at most locations, but seafood is one of the categories Roadhouse varies most by region and season. Some stores drop it, some rotate it, and lunch-portion versions are not offered everywhere.
Check your store’s menu in the app or call before driving out for it. That is also the fastest way to confirm whether your early dine lineup includes a seafood option, since those are set locally and change more often than the core menu.
Limits of this page
This is an independent guide, not a Texas Roadhouse property, and we have no access to internal menu systems. The $17.49 price and 990-calorie figure reflect location menus checked in July 2026 and will drift.
Specifically: fillet weight per piece is not published, so we do not state one. Piece counts other than the 3-piece are not a confirmed national listing. Sauce inclusion, upcharges and lunch availability are set at store level. For anything you are relying on, including allergen and fryer questions, confirm with the restaurant or the official nutrition guide.
Fried catfish FAQ
How much is fried catfish at Texas Roadhouse?
The 3-piece fried catfish is listed at $17.49 as of July 2026, including two sides and the complimentary rolls. Regional pricing moves that figure by roughly 10-15%, so check your local store’s menu or the app for the exact number.
How many calories are in Texas Roadhouse fried catfish?
The entrée is listed at 990 calories. That covers the fish and breading only. Two sides, rolls with cinnamon butter and a drink are all additional, and can easily double the meal total.
How many pieces of catfish do you get?
Three pieces on the standard listing. Individual fillet weight is not published, so piece size can look different plate to plate depending on how the fish portions out.
Is the catfish battered or breaded?
Breaded, using a southern cornmeal coating rather than a wet batter. That gives a coarser, crunchier, sandier crust than the flour-based breading on items like the Country Fried Steak.
Does the fried catfish come with sides?
Yes. It is a full dinner entrée, so it includes your choice of two sides plus the free rolls and cinnamon butter. Some premium sides carry a small upcharge that varies by location.
Is the catfish wild-caught or farm-raised?
The menu describes it as U.S. farm-raised catfish. Farm-raised catfish is generally milder and less muddy in flavor than wild, which suits a heavily seasoned cornmeal crust.
Is fried catfish available at every Texas Roadhouse?
Not guaranteed. Seafood items vary more by region than steaks do, and some locations rotate or drop the catfish. Confirm on your store’s menu in the app before making a trip for it.
Does fried catfish travel well for takeout?
Only with care. Ask for the fish packed separately and vented, and keep sauce on the side. Sealed in a hot box with a wet side, a cornmeal crust goes soft in about ten minutes.
Related guides
- Texas Roadhouse menu with current prices across every category
- cheaper early dine entrées before 6pm
- how the to-go menu is priced and packed
- this week’s specials and deal nights