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Jared Rypka-Hauer
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Normally when i pan-fry fish I use a breading of some sort... but over the summer I tried something different.
Drop 1/8 stick butter into a frying pan and brown, then add 1 coarsely chopped onion. Saute till the edges of the onion just start to show some brown. Then push the onions aside and add a bit more butter and drop a couple catfish fillets in the pan. I have a 12" cast-iron pan and I can do both fillets from a 3# catfish at a time. I prefer to start with the skin-side down too, so the fish doesn't curl as bad.
Push the onions back over the top of the fish and set a timer for 4 minutes. DO NOT TOUCH THE FISH! 
@ 4 minutes, push the onions aside again and flip the fish, hit it with a heavy sprinkle of italian herbs (aka "Italian seasoning" -- dried basil, marjoram, thyme and oregano), push those onions back on top of the fish and leave for another 4 minutes.
I usually do one fillet for me and one for my wife, each right from the pan to the plate, with half the onions on each. She prefers if I fish the lateral line out before I serve it, and I like to scrape off the yucky brown fatty bits (and I pull the lateral line out while I'm at it).
This recipe can be expanded to fit whatever size fish/pan you have, but one normal-sized onion is perfect for one 2-3# catfish.
The best part is that once you're done, the house does NOT smell like someone was cooking fish, it smells like someone was cooking something really freaking tasty!
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Whoever first said "Better a bad day fishing than a good day at work" is the wisest person who ever lived.
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85Lund
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I'll be trying this with my first catch of early ice gills and crappies. Thanks Jared 
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Russ,
A life of learning to think like a fish!
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Jared Rypka-Hauer
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You'll have to let me know how they come out... I have a bunch of bluegill fillets in the freezer, I should do that myself sometime soon.
You'll probably want to cut the cooking time back a little bit since the fillets will be thinner on a 'gill or a crappie than on a 3# catfish. Maybe 3 minutes per side? Just keep an eye on them... the only trick is to avoid burning them. 
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Whoever first said "Better a bad day fishing than a good day at work" is the wisest person who ever lived.
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Crazy-Tasty Panfried Catfish with onions and herbs
