Southern Fried Fish

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Southern Fried Fish. A delight to the old taste buds and an even bigger delight to the cook! So easy to make, you can have a summer fish fry in your kitchen anytime you fancy. Notes of Old Bay seasoning and a simple batter make this fish, the dish!

Fried Fish at home

**Updated 05/01/2021

I don’t know about you but my little piece of heaven has a pond with an endless amount of bait, a nice rod and reel and an outdoor kitchen to cook all of those flaky fish I catch.

As a kid growing up, my parents carted us to a many of a fish fry. Fish fry’s are still a staple summer get together in the south. You can find some of the best, most tender, flaky fish you will ever put in your mouth. Not to mention all of the great trimmings that come with a good old Southern Fish Fry! This recipe goes really good with our DEEP FRIED HUSHPUPPIES.

I am about to tell you how to get that very same flaky, tender fish right in your own kitchen. Any good fish cook will tell you that the batter doesn’t need to be fancy or thick for good fried fish. It needs to be a vehicle for flavor and a means to hold that tender fish together.

We use Redfish but any good, meaty tender white fish will work. We have also used, Bass, Bream, Talapia and Snapper. So here you go, your Southern Fried Fish! Need a great side dish to go with the fish? Try our CRISPY ROASTED OLD BAY POTATOES and our SOUTHERN COLESLAW to really send this meal over the top!

How to make it.

Batter is everything here. One of the best ways to make the batter better is by letting the batter sit for a few minutes. The flavors you infuse to it have time to get into the fish. Making the batter a better tasting experience that you can have all through the fish itself. Not just in the breading.

~ Ingredients ~

2 pounds of Red Fish
1 cup Buttermilk
1 teaspoon Pepper
2 teaspoons Salt
2 Eggs
1/2 cup white cornmeal
1 cup All Purpose Flour
2 Teaspoons Old Bay Seasoning
2-4 cups Canola Oil

~ Method ~

Lay Fish out on sheet pan covered with paper towels. Pat to dry well. Heat oil in large skillet or dutch oven to 365 degrees Fahrenheit.
Lightly beat eggs IN the buttermilk to combine. Place Fish in mixture and soak for 5 minutes.
Mix Flour, cornmeal, salt, pepper and old Bay in a separate bowl. Remove fish from buttermilk mixture and coat in flour mixture. Lay on a sheet pan and allow to rest for 5 minutes.
When oil is 365 degrees, drop fish and fry 2-3 minutes per side. Cool and serve.

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Tips and Tricks

Do I need a deep fryer to fry fish?

The simple answer is no. I have used a regular old saucepan to fry in before, carefully monitoring the heat of course. But it can be done. Deep fryer units are less messy but who needs one more appliance? I would say and high sided vessel will do!

Does it matter if I use plain all purpose flour or self rising?

Nope, sure doesn’t. Some people prefer to fry with self rising as it adds a little bounce to the batter. I am a proponent of using what you have on hand. No special grocery trips required for our recipes!

Is one type of fish better than another?

I prefer any tender white fish for this recipe. The taste is just better. We used Redfish here but again, that is what i had on hand. Any good whitefish will work and get you the tender, flaky fish you desire.

This is a large amount of batter. Do I discard what is left?

Like all of our other recipes, this one is easily modified to half, double or triple. Also, if you only want a few pieces of fish, you can make up the whole thing, sift it when done and freeze in a freezer bag and save the remainder of the dry batter for later!

Can I reuse the oil?

Yes! If you are going to fry up some hushpuppies, just toss them in after frying the fish. They will absorb some of that taste and clean up the oil for you. Also, Danny gives us a great pro tip! If you are not frying hushpuppies, simply toss in a handful of French fries and fry them up! They will remove all of the fishy flavor from the oil. Allow the oil to cool, strain and cover for reuse later!

We would love to know if you made it!

As with all of our Buttered Home recipes, we hope you see how easy it really is to do what most consider to be the hard way of cooking. Scratch made isn’t only better but it really is easier too. Most people have these ingredients on hand and can cook up this good fish in a snap!

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