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Im looking for help frying fish. I suck when it comes to frying. My batter is always thin and falls off. Also its greasy as heck. Any help would be great.I new a guy that always brought in fish and it was the best. He brings it in cold and I really liked it. I use bass pro brand.
thanks
Too greasy means the grease likely isn't hot enough, could be due to the temp when you start frying or you could be crowding the fryer/pot and the temp can't recover fast enough.
If the batter's too thin for you then add a little more flour, or just add less water/milk. If it's coming off because it's sticking, hold it for a few seconds in the grease before you let the fillet go so it can make a barrier and not stick.
What's a good dry batter. I don't care for corn meal. Do you have to use it? What's it's purpose?
Your grease temperature is not right. Using a premade batter is very simple but you need to do a couple things first.
If your fish fillet or whole fish is too dry the batter will not stick to it properly. This is why people soak and dip their fish in a liquid of choice before rolling it into the batter. I prefer using hotsauce to dip my fish into but other family members use buttermilk or even regular milk. I know people that use an eggwash, and I know some who like a mustard sauce. Whatever you use make sure the fish is coated good and rolled in the batter. You can just use water if you want to but thats not very flavorful :)
Next thing is make ABSOLUTELY sure your grease/oil is at the right temperature. If your using an outdoor cooker you will need a thermometer for sure. If using an indoor cooker like a frydaddy set the temp on 350 degrees.
If you don't have a thermometer you can drop an unpopped popcorn kernel into the oil as it heats up. The kernel will pop when the oil is between 350 and 365 degrees, which is perfect for deep frying. I know someone who dies this all the time and you can even eat the popcorn, lol.
I soak my filets in Half & Half before battering. I've never had a problem with it falling off. The greasiness is oil that's too cool, as others have said.
Either the grease is too cold or the pot is overcrowded. The grease should boil when you drop in a piece of fish. But be careful you dont burn the oil. Not sure if my temp gauge is right or not, but I want my guage to read @ 300-310* when I start dropping in fillets. Once you put in enough to cover the top of the pot cook those before adding any more. You dont want fish stacked on top of fish in your fryer. If you need to be cooking more pieces than the pot will cook adequately then get a bigger pot.
There are lots of commercially made batters ... your store shelves should have a few. If you don't like corn meal, check the contents label on the commercial brands before purchasing.Quote:
Originally Posted by zoeconner
No, you don't have to use corn meal. Lots of people have posted their recipes in other threads on this forum ... check them out. Panko mixes, Ritz Crackers, Dorito's, etc have been named.
The main purpose of a batter, or any coating, on a fish fillet, is to hold it together as it cooks (that, and to add flavor if desired). Fish meat is very flaky, & not very firm, in itself .... so when you place the fillet into a fry pan or deep fry cooker, and have to manipulate it in any way (lifting/turning/moving), a "coating" will help keep it intact. The coating will cook first, and form a "shell" around the fillet. That's why you want your oil to be at a specific temp, so the coating will crisp up first. Plus it keeps the hot oil from burning the outer layer of the fillet meat. Having your oil at a specific temp, and keeping it there (as each new batch of fillets is placed into it) also allows the coating to cook quickly & therefore not soak up (as much) oil as the fillet cooks.
... cp :cool:
If you don't like corn meal you can still buy premade batters. Once I ran out of fish batter during a fish fry and party and my wife had a bag of chicken fry batter. It was mainly flour with some spices in it. I kicked it up a notch by adding a bit more spice and used it to fry the remaining fish. It turned out great and it wasn't bad at all.
Marinate in buttermilk for 30 min. then dredge/roll or shake in a bag of Progresso Italian flavor bread crumbs, you can spice the bread crumbs up with lemon pepper and garlic salt.
I like to fry my fish in peanut oil, and as others have said it needs to be hot enough. If you're frying in a skillet, a drop of water should sizzle and pop when it hits the oil before you put your first piece in. I don't cook over 2 fillets at a time so as not to cool the oil off.
whenever you use a wet batter it helps a great deal to dredge the moistend filets(moisten with water lemon juice or what ever but not dripping wet)first in seasoned flour to give the wet batter something to stick to. Like some of the others have said hold the filet in the oil for a second or two before dropping in the "HOT" oil. Again like others have said make sure your oil is hot 350 to 365 will do and dont over crowd the vessel you are cookong in. Please do not test your oil with water sooner or later you will regret it. A small pinch of flour or a drop of your batter will tell you if its hot enough. You should see the flour sizzle or the batter form a ball and sizzle immediately.
Quote:
Originally Posted by zoeconner
1/8" of [hot] Olive oil,,egg ,,,no milk or not much,,I just use flower seasoned will,,,let drain on paper towel ,,mmmmmm
I keep it simple, I use a store bought flower called FRY CRISP. I use a full body beer I preferr OLD MILWUAKEE because it's cheap.
I mix the flour and beer together with an electric mixer. beer at room temp mixes the best. And I like the batter water thin running off the fish. I don't like thick batter that is oil soaked. I like to get my oil to 350-375 and start with 1 piece to test. Then I only put in 3-4 pcs at a time ALWAYS keep an eye on the oil temp do not let it get below 325. Fry untill you get the golden brown color. I use clear canola oil. It's expensive but I like it better than anything i have used. place them on a plate with a paper towle on it. You can use a turkey fryer a pan cast iron pot works good.
I have a cajun fryer made by rv works in louisiana Made in the USA. I am not a dealer but it works the best. I use the same oil for 2 summers of cooking. Because of the way the cooker is made. Thats why I go by cajun fryer here on CDC its an inside joke from crappie camp 2010 My fryer and evil twin Mickey saved the day. but thats a hole nother story. Any questions just ask. I have been doing it for years. We fry at are fire station twice a year as a fund raiser.
I use fry magic put it in ziploc bag take fish out of water put in bag shake and cook. Its easy and taste great!!! Maybe a silver bullet or two to go along with it
First, make sure fish is thawed out well and at room temperature....this is because cold fish will cool down the oil too fast.....I cut the fillets up into small pieces about 2" square...roll in mustard and shake them up in a plastic grocery bag filled with Zatterains fish fry mix and red or black pepper as desired to spice it up.....one thing I have noticed...propane burners are better than natural gas because they are hotter and tend to keep your oil from cooling off too fast....
If you are still having trouble with the dry batter sticking, try this: Dip the moist fillets in flour, dust off, then into an egg/milk wash, then into cornflake crumbs or cornflake crumb/panko bread crumb mix seasoned with whatever you like. Fry at 350.
Get your oil very hot..and fry a few pieces at a time so it drop the oil temp very fast
Too oily could also come from not draining them properly. I prefer to place them on a drain rack and put the rack back into an oven set at warm until all the fish is done. Never, never, never place them on paper towels... greasy is guaranteed.
You call that simple? Holy crap. What do you call complex? If your fish is to oily its because your oil isn't hot enough or you didn't drain it properly. Simple huh