Help! I need a receipe for fried catfish, crappie etc!

Ive been trying to fine tune my fired fish cooking skills. Just for a background on my cooking skills , its little to none but I'm ready to learn!

Ive tried panko crumbs and bread crumbs but it always turns out terrible! Does any body have guidance or a recipe that is yummy that I can do with a cast iron skill or dutch oven?

I mainly cook crappie, cod, and catfish.

Thanks!

Keep it simple...

4 cups corn meal to 1 cup flour
Cut the fish in bite size
Don't let the oil get too hot, just so it sizzle when you drop water in but doesn't pop
Soak the fish in milk
Remove from milk, smother in mix, shake excess
Drop in skillet

As soon as you remove, lightly sprinkle with salt and pepper or my favorite, creole seasoning.

Roll them in mustard, coat with cornmeal, let them set for awhile, and deep fry them at 375 degrees.

Again with a taste hider, secret serum. Soak the fish in a bowl of ice water, dredge in Louisiana fish fry or a mix like Txhunter said and fry. Don't get the grease too hot.

Soak in buttermilk then roll in this...

All those work well. If using a deep fryer, when the fish floats in the oil it is done.

Don't forget

hush puppies

This is all we ever use.

We used the blue bag Louisiana Fish fry for years and have since switched to the yellow bag Louisiana "New Orleans Style"

It seems a little spicier.

http://www.louisianafishfry.com/products/Batters-and-Coatings/New-Orleans-Style-Fish-Fry-wLemon

Louisiana fish fry for cat fish



But for Crappie and Bream (pan fish) do the following:

Soak your Crappie filet in milk.

Heat your cast iron skillet with your choice of cooking oil (just enough to cover the bottom of the skillet) on medium heat while prepping your fish filets.

Take saltine crackers (salad crackers) and roll them into crumbs.

Strain the milk from the fish filets and completely cover each one with the crushed cracker crumbs.

Place them into your pre heated cast iron skillet and cook to a golden brown on each side.

cover in mustard, batter with seasoned flour and tyme

All fried fish taste the same to me.. I crack a few eggs in a bowl mix it up and roll the fillet in that then roll it in the Louisiana fish fry. The egg really helps hold the crust on the fish.

Use peanut oil. I mix Louisiana hot sauce and yellow mustard until mix turn pink. Put fish in pink mix. then corn meal. fry away

Zatarain's fish fry, peanut oil.

No soaking in anything is needed.

Well cleaned fish dredged in Zatarans fish fry. ccrispy southern with lemon is our favorite and we spice it up sometimes with tony's.

How are you doing the Panko that its no good?

Same as above, well cleaned fish egg wash then in penko then egg wash then panko then fry.

Always fry at 375, I prefer canola oil.

Dip in Maseca Instant Masa Corn Flour. Drop in Hot peanut oil until it floats. Makes a light crust...season to taste.

Best way to eat bream is whole. Soak in butter milk, dredge in flour, egg wash, then fish fry mix. Deep fry 350 until crispy golden brown. Take a fork and scrape the meat off the ribs.

This is great and I also use the Louisiana Fish Fry. I like crappie and perch with not much seasoning. Basically fillet the fish and put in ice water. Pull the fillets and go straight to the cornmeal and then the skillet. When done just a little salt and pepper. IMO makes for a lighter and tastier fillet without the spiciness. My kiddos like this way best but then they ruin it with ketchup.

Don't buy any type of fish fry or bread crumbs. Saltines are the best.

crush saltines as fine as you can get them.
pat fillets with flour to dry them off
dip fillets in egg
then coat them in a pan of crushed saltines
Fry 'em up and enjoy.

1. Invest in an oil temp thermometer. They are like $5-$10. SLOWLY heat your peanut oil to 375 degrees. If you heat your oil too fast it will burn.
Once you get your oil to temp:

2. Get a ziplock bag and put your fillets in the bag.
Squirt mustard over the fish and close the bag. You will not taste the mustard but it will make it crispier. You can try it without as well to see which you like best. I like it without but everyone I cook for likes it with the mustard.
3. Tumble the bag until all of the fish is coated with mustard.
4. Get some Louisiana Fish Fry and put in a brown paper bag.
5. Put about five fillets in the bag and shake until all of the fish is coated in batter. Make sure you don't put too many fillets in the bag or it will be harder to cover all of the fish. You don't want clumpy batter. You want the batter to be very fine.
6. Drop your fillets into your 375 degree oil and cook until the are golden brown. Some people pull them out when the float but I go by color. I'm sure either way is fine.
7. When you take them out let them drain onto some paper towels and serve.

Note:
If you are doing multiple batches of fish - Make sure your oil gets back up to temp before putting in the next batch of fish. Otherwise you will end up with soggy batter.

I think what we are seeing here is that it's pretty hard to mess up fresh fish if you don't over cook it.

I think you are correct Sir. I still say do not forget the hush puppies it frying fish. There is a link hidden in this thread to a hush puppy thread.

Correct! The hush puppies are a fav of mine. But hush puppies gotta be round.

yep, though, the ones at Catfish Sams are pretty tasty.

I don't remember what brand I buy from Tom Thumb but they have jalepenos in them. Awesome!

I had lunch at captain D's yesterday, the hush puppies there are not bad.

We use 75% cracker meal with 25% Panko bread crumbs, add garlic powder, black pepper and paprika to taste. Use oil of your choice peanut or canola, at 375 degrees.

Dip fish cut up into finger sized pieces in beaten eggs with two tablespoons of milk per two eggs.

Then cover well in meal mix, use brown paper bag or fish breader. Fry til golden brown, do not crowd fish in the pot. Place on paper towels to drain oil.

Dice large onion very fine, I package of Martha Whites hush puppy mix. Add onions to mix follow directions on package. Use tablespoon to drop mix into oil, dip spoon in water between each hushpuppy, batter will slide off spoon easily this way. Enjoy.

This right here everytime its all we use cant go wrong!

I believe they sell their fish batter in bulk.

x 100

+ a little tony chachere's

and some coldazz


cut out the bloodline from catfish and sandbass too

Mustard on fried fish is one of those 'Well I be danged, that IS good!' moments.