Gellar
Well-known member
The way the fish used to swim into the net during the Old Milwaukee tv ads ida thought Old Mil was. Or possibly the beer from the sky blue waters, Hams.
Fish Fry
- Thread starter colo_junk
- Start date
Gellar
Well-known member
Seriously, though.
-Keep the fillets as cold as possible until you are ready to drop them in the oil
-Breading of your choice, all above are good choices
-Double batter- meaning coat the fillets in the flour, egg wash, flour
-Oil- if you are doing one fry Vegetable oil will be fine. Peanut oil will filter better if you are doing multiple fries.
-cast iron Dutch oven with about 1.5-2” of oil
- get the oil up to temperature with every new batch
-keep fried fish batches in oven at 180-190 until ready to serve, but it’s best to pass the tray around as they come out of the frier so stinking hot you have to juggle them between your hands.
-a good homemade tartar sauce, none of that store bought crap
-Baked beans
-Cole slaw, homemade
-fried potatoes
-Keep the fillets as cold as possible until you are ready to drop them in the oil
-Breading of your choice, all above are good choices
-Double batter- meaning coat the fillets in the flour, egg wash, flour
-Oil- if you are doing one fry Vegetable oil will be fine. Peanut oil will filter better if you are doing multiple fries.
-cast iron Dutch oven with about 1.5-2” of oil
- get the oil up to temperature with every new batch
-keep fried fish batches in oven at 180-190 until ready to serve, but it’s best to pass the tray around as they come out of the frier so stinking hot you have to juggle them between your hands.
-a good homemade tartar sauce, none of that store bought crap
-Baked beans
-Cole slaw, homemade
-fried potatoes
Very important. Many fish fries have been ruined by bad tartar.
Gellar
Well-known member
I was going to say this in my list above only because we used to do shorelunch with a guy in Northern Minnesota that would slice beef steak tomatoes and pass them around with the fish. He also fried a couple pounds of bacon in his pan before he’d add additional oil to fry fish.
Depends on the fish. I’ve probably cleaned- and mostly fried- over 10,000 fish. Panfish add up fast... Southern IL & Ozarks influence on this. I’ll stick to basic breadings available anywhere, or that you can make fairly quick.
Sunfish species (bluegill, crappie, bass, goggle eye), drum, white bass, gulf saltwater fish (snapper, triggers, trout, redfish): Louisiana New Orleans mix. Fry crappie loins 3 min at 375, oil of choice. Bigger pieces of bass may need 5 min.
Perch, walleye, trout, cod/haddock/ling, halibut: beer batter. Runny. Dry the fillets, season with salt and pepper, roll in flour or cornstarch, dust off, dip in beer batter. Add some drips of batter on top when it floats to complete the coating, flip when bottom is brown.
Rough fish (buffalo / redhorse), catfish: something with heavy cornmeal and black pepper. Catfish are better with more spice, like Andy’s Red or Cajun. Fry at 375 until large bubbles stop.
Fish need to be bled and iced immediately, then chilled (but not frozen) before cleaning. Red meat removed, and similar pieces fried together (batch of crappie loins, or same thickness walleye chunks). Large fillets should be chunked up to cook faster/more evenly. Plus, you get more breading per pound of fish and can feed more people if you have to.
Canola oil has been my go-to for years, but peanut is great if you don’t have allergy concerns. Still have a soft spot for Crisco, though.
And let’s not forget the simple glory that is whole goggle eye, salt/pepper and rolled in flour, fried in bacon grease. Add some hash browns, and it’s the breakfast of champions, right there.
I’ve used everything from thrift store pans over a campfire to quad-burner stainless monstrosities for church fish fries. My only suggestion is to geta thermometer, or at least keep the oil from smoking.
Sunfish species (bluegill, crappie, bass, goggle eye), drum, white bass, gulf saltwater fish (snapper, triggers, trout, redfish): Louisiana New Orleans mix. Fry crappie loins 3 min at 375, oil of choice. Bigger pieces of bass may need 5 min.
Perch, walleye, trout, cod/haddock/ling, halibut: beer batter. Runny. Dry the fillets, season with salt and pepper, roll in flour or cornstarch, dust off, dip in beer batter. Add some drips of batter on top when it floats to complete the coating, flip when bottom is brown.
Rough fish (buffalo / redhorse), catfish: something with heavy cornmeal and black pepper. Catfish are better with more spice, like Andy’s Red or Cajun. Fry at 375 until large bubbles stop.
Fish need to be bled and iced immediately, then chilled (but not frozen) before cleaning. Red meat removed, and similar pieces fried together (batch of crappie loins, or same thickness walleye chunks). Large fillets should be chunked up to cook faster/more evenly. Plus, you get more breading per pound of fish and can feed more people if you have to.
Canola oil has been my go-to for years, but peanut is great if you don’t have allergy concerns. Still have a soft spot for Crisco, though.
And let’s not forget the simple glory that is whole goggle eye, salt/pepper and rolled in flour, fried in bacon grease. Add some hash browns, and it’s the breakfast of champions, right there.
I’ve used everything from thrift store pans over a campfire to quad-burner stainless monstrosities for church fish fries. My only suggestion is to geta thermometer, or at least keep the oil from smoking.
Last edited:
tarheel
Well-known member
Peanut oil and House Autry breading.
