Photo by Theresa Stanley
From Ash Wednesday to Easter, the tradition of Fish Fry Fridays becomes a culinary focus for many restaurants, churches and homes. To complement our guide to 40 local places to catch a great fried fish meal, we are also offering some guidance for folks wanting to try their hand at a recipe at home, too. Three styles of breaded fish – beer-battered, Cajun style and Southern style – each have a similar ingredient list of pantry staples, with a slight adjustment of ingredients and prep methods to differentiate the distinct styles.
White fish (cod, haddock, grouper and others) is most popular with beer-battered, while catfish is widely used with Southern- and Cajun-style batters. Batters coat about two pounds of fish. (Pro tip: Don’t overcrowd fish when frying.)
Cajun Style
Ingredients:
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• ½ cup cornmeal
• 1 ½ tablespoons Cajun seasoning
• 1 egg, beaten until foamy
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 lemon, juiced
• ½ teaspoon salt
• Hot sauce, optional
Method:
Wash fish and pat dry. To a deep, heavy bottom pan, add one quart vegetable oil. Heat and maintain oil temperature at 375 degrees.
Coat fish with lemon, salt and hot sauce, and set aside. To a shallow dish (pie pan works great), add remaining dry ingredients (flour, cornmeal, Cajun seasoning, cayenne pepper, garlic powder and onion powder), mixing with a fork to combine seasonings. In a separate shallow dish, beat egg. Dip fish in egg then place into dry mixture, turning to coat the entire piece. Gently place in hot oil, cooking for two to three minutes (depending on size of fillet) before turning to cook on the opposite side for another minute or so, until golden brown. Remove from oil and drain on a paper towel.
Beer Battered
Ingredients:
• 1 1/3 cup beer, lager
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon seasoned salt
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
Method:
Wash fish and pat dry. To a deep, heavy bottom pan, add one quart vegetable oil. Heat and maintain oil temperature at 375 degrees.
In a shallow pan, season prepared fish with salt and pepper. Set aside. In a medium bowl combine flour, garlic powder, paprika and seasoned salt, stirring until well mixed. Stir in the egg. Whisk in beer until no flour lumps remain. Dip fish in batter, then gently add to hot oil. Fry about four minutes, flipping fish about midpoint if it did not flip on its own. Cook until golden brown. Remove from oil and drain on a wire rack to maintain crispy coating.
Southern Style
Ingredients:
• 1 ½ cups cornmeal
• 1 cup milk
• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon pepper
• ½ teaspoon paprika
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne
• ¼ teaspoon oregano
Method:
Wash fish and pat dry. To a deep, heavy bottom pan, add one quart vegetable oil. Heat and maintain oil temperature at 375 degrees.
In a shallow pan, combine milk, flour, salt, pepper, paprika, cayenne and oregano. To a separate pan, add cornmeal. Dip fish into flour batter then place in the cornmeal pan, coating both sides. Gently place fish in hot oil, cooking four to five minutes and turning midway. Cook until golden brown. Remove from oil and drain on a paper towel.
Photo by Theresa Stanley