Frying Catfish

[Louisiana Redneck]

Good morning,

I was wondering what was your favorite batter for frying catfish? Also, do you find the fish crispier if the cooking oil is extremely hot when you put the fish in or do you prefer just medium hot oil. Do you find the fish cook best as fillets or whole fish? I want to get this right. Thanks for the help.

[valentine]

I like the Bass Pro spicy breading. You can mix it with beer to make a batter style dip. Then 350 degree oil, and hunks of meat. It is easier to cook it thouroughly if you cut the meat into smaller chunks. Catfish nuggets if you will!:big_smile:

[sairving]

Corn meal with salt, pepper and other spices. Or Bisquick mixed up and then dip the catfish in.

[Trophy Hunter]

I like the nuggets also, but a whole pan fried fish is tasty too! Corn meal & flour with spices. Mix it up and find what YOU like.

[teaysvalleyguy]

TSS Spicy Cajun Fish Fry, I just placed an order for 2 more bags. They are also a sponser, nice way to support them.

[jailcop2]

We like ours rolled in crushed cheese crackers ,salt ,pepper , fried in hot oil .
Brian

[slimepig]

filets cut into inch to inch n a half pieces, smeared in mustard then seasoned with saltn pepper then coated with corn meal. yep, hot oil! i get my oil to about 400 to 425 and it will cool down some as you put the fish in. i also let the oil get back to temp between batches too.

[john barber]

one of my favorites is to cut my fellets into nuggets and bread them with house altry seafood breader . yell find its very good just try it.:smile2:

[777]

I like catfish filleted better, but cook perch and small brown bass whole. My favorite seasoning is Louisiana fish fry ( original ). The pot in my avitar picture cooks the best at 300 degrees, at 350 degrees the fish cooks to quick and is to crunchy for me. Most pots Ive used over the years 350 was the magic number. you will just have to play with the temperature until it comes out the way you like it.

[JustCats]

For the "batter" I use cornmeal with salt & pepper to taste. I prefer not to let the fish set in the cornmeal too long. I like to coat the pieces just before dropping them in the hot oil. I like to cut the filets up into chunks or nuggets. I like the oil to be 350-375 degrees, much hotter and the outside gets too done before the inside. As for the type of oil, I buy the 35lb container of frying oil at Sam's Club, it's around $15. I use the House Autry hushpuppy mix w/onions. I have, who knows how many, hushpuppy recipes but for simplicity and taste the House Autry is pretty good. Just adjust any of the many ideas you'll find here to suit your taste and Enjoy!

Happy Cooking
Tony

[dcaruthers]

1/2" fillets...light coat of flour, dip them in egg and buttermilk mix, roll them in crushed pretzels and fry in peanut oil at 350. mmmmgood.

[texasdog]

I like fillets soaked in Lousianna Hot Sauce for one hour rolled in Lousianna fry or bass pro shop corn meal 350 degrees in a cast iron pot

[jklm]

i like an egg milk wash them in a 50/50 mix of flour and corn meal with salt and pepper to taste. when i fry i put a candy thomonter in the grease to keep taps on the heat i like to take it to 375 as long as the grease doesnt start to smoke most of the time the grease temp will come down to about 350 through cooking then let raise back up to 375 and start over agian

[catsmith1]

I cut my fillets up in 2-3 bite pieces, soak in mustard and LA hot sauce for a couple hours in the fridge. Dip is Corn meal, salt, pepper, and Tonys. Oil is ready when you can pinch a little corn meal and toss itin and it bubbles the oil. Take it out a little after it floats and is the just right color. If the oil is cool it will float but not brown. If the oil os too hot it will brown before it floats. If thge oil is just right it will float and within a minute be the right golden brown. Never used a thermometer.

One last tip. Get a old or new dutch oven cast iron to fry in. It holds heat alot better than anything else. When you get the fire right you do not have to adjust flame till you turn it off.

Hope this helps!

[Louisiana Redneck]

Thanks for the reply. I have a small jamalaya pot that is just perfect for frying fish and it does hold the heat well.

[MRR]

Andy's ,Andy's and more Andy's fish mix. Thats all we have used probably for 3-4 years. You can get it for fish and they have one for chicken and I do believe there's one for other types of meats.

[jstall]

I like it in Louisiana fish fry, seasoned blue pack mixed with stone ground corn meal. My neighbor has a stone grist mill and we buy corn from the tortilla plant in Tyler. I add more Tony's to it, fry at 350. The stone ground corm meal give it a add crunch.
Joseph

[P Caruthers]

1x4 inch finger with a light coat of flour dipped in egg & milk then rolled in a mix of Italian bread crums and Tony Chachere's hot creole. cook at 300 degrees. Any kind of breading will be to hard if the oil is to hot.

[catfisherfromball]

I like to sprinkle my nuggets, but if you prefer fillets in seasoned flour coating them pretty good( this makes them hold the other batter you choose on better. Then I dip the nuggets in a egg mixture of 2 - 3 eggs, a little milk, 4-5 drops lemmon juice, about a teaspoon mustard of choice and mix it up very good. after dipping the nuggets in the egg mixture then coat them in your favorite fish fry, I usually mix and match usually a store bought fish fry with corn meal, and a touch of cayenne pepper....its not good if its not hot..

Good morning,

I was wondering what was your favorite batter for frying catfish? Also, do you find the fish crispier if the cooking oil is extremely hot when you put the fish in or do you prefer just medium hot oil. Do you find the fish cook best as fillets or whole fish? I want to get this right. Thanks for the help.

[Georgiajack]

I like to fillet mine. unless they are real small. I use a plastic container with a lid to dust my fish. I like the bass pro fix mix, but when I'm out,I like about a 50/50 mixture of flour, and corn meal. I add some cavender's all purpose greek seasoning, seasoned salt, and I lightly salt the fish with table salt before putting into the mix. I get the peanut oil, or 50/50 mix peanut, and vegetable oil hot, and about the time it's where I want it, I put the fish into the container, close the lid, and shake until the fish are all coated well. Open the lid, grab em', give a little shake to get rid of excess, and drop them into the hot oil. Good fishin', Jack.

[swampthang_matt]

i like catfish anyway it is cooked :big_smile:

[DANZIG]

OK, bear with me on this one... it is gonna sound weird...


SOUR CREAM! Yep, it is kind of a pain, but use it instead of egg or mix with your egg. Then just use your favorite breading mix.
I am not generally a real big fan of sour cream but you will not believe how good this tastes.

[sgt_rob]

I like about a 50/50 mixture of flour, and corn meal. I add some cavender's all purpose greek seasoning....

For those of you who haven't tryed Cavenders, you are missing something. The only seasonings I use more are TSS Rattlesnake Dust and TSS Jalepeno Dusted but some folks don't like the heat. Cavenders is good on everything, even a Bloody Mary!

[Aftercats]

My favorite batter is a cajun fish batter that you can get at any Wal-mart or Grocery store. I also like to get my oil to 350 to 400 degrees. My last fish fry I had people who don't like fish eating catfish and loving it! good luck and see you on the water!


Daryl
Aftercats

[jstall]

I think I have gained 10 lbs tring all the recipes on this Thread. Have not tried one I do not like yet.

[The Undertaker]

Hey folks try this one. My wife and I found a fish breading that is available at any Walmart for less than 2 bucks and taste great. It is made by Zatarans and is simply called Fish Fry. This stuff is great and is easy to use. Wash the fillets in egg and roll them in this stuff and fry you will not be dissappointed.
Steve

[EsoxJohnny]

I like to keep my catfish whole. I use Zatarain's southern style chicken fry mix.

[Flatheadhunter33]

Randy, I like fillets better that the whole fish. That's just me though. I find that my fish come out crispier when I dont put too many fillets in at one time. The more fish in the skillet, the less crispy the fillets. Depending on size, I might go two to three fillets at a time. Also, I like to dip my fillets in an egg soak, then whatever batter (usually corn meal and seasonings) and back into the egg, and again in the batter coating before going into the grease.

[gadzooks]

Both my parents grew up in Louisana sharecropper families. Never had much, so it was corn meal, salt and pepper. That's what I was raised on and thats the way I do mine. It tastes so good that I'm afraid to try something different, hate to waste a good mess of catfish on something I may not like.

[CrawDaddy]

I started cutting them into like chunks just so I colud call them catfish nugets so the kids would be excited about supper :) But, to me it was best to do this just to ensure a thorough cooking of the fish.

The best store bought fish fry I have tried would have to be Bass Pro Shop's Uncle Buck. It is a bit spicy so I just used Zatarains for the kids :)

[ozzy]

Any way you batter them or just season and cook them, The best temp is 320 degrees. I use a deep fryer and they come out perfect this way. I did a lot of research with top chefs on the internet. Before I would either burn them or undercook them. Believe me 320 is the number. Hope this helps.

[badbob46]

i lay mine out on a platter, first i sprinkle a cajun seasoning on them, its not like Tonys tho, it doesnt have all that salt. then i add my own salt and pepper and then onion powder.. after that i put them in a bowl and pour about a tablespoon of louisiana hot sauce on them and stir them til they are all coated.. then i throw them in one of those batter shakers filled with Zatarans original fish fry. i like it better because its more of a corn flower instead of corn meal.. thats the creole way.. then i fry them in peanut oil at 350 degrees, after they are floating i give them another minute or 2 just in case they are trying to fool me into thinking they are done..i prefer to eat fish under 2 pounds, and i fry the filets whole..if they are bigger than that and its all i have then i cut them into strips that are close to the size of a filet off a 1 pound fish..the main thing is to make sure u have them completely done.. nothing is nastier to me than to bite into a half cooked fish filet.