Fish Breading

You know when you go out to a restaurant and decide to order catfish or some other fried fish. The batter they use is always very crispy with those white specs in it. I know it is cornmeal based but I just can't get the same results when cooking at home. The crappie or catfish is always good and I've tried all the mixes from the stores but just can't seem to get it. I've always used canola or peanut oil at about 350-360.

Oh well, If you can think of what I'm doing wrong please let me know.

Thanks,

Buzz

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Originally Posted by Buzz

You know when you go out to a restaurant and decide to order catfish or some other fried fish. The batter they use is always very crispy with those white specs in it. I know it is cornmeal based but I just can't get the same results when cooking at home. The crappie or catfish is always good and I've tried all the mixes from the stores but just can't seem to get it. I've always used canola or peanut oil at about 350-360.
Oh well, If you can think of what I'm doing wrong please let me know.
Thanks,
Buzz

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Have you tried asking the resaurant managers if they knew what "brand", or ingredients, went into the batter ??

... cp :cool:

I personally have crispier results with temp. more around 375. I also only put a few filets in at a time so the temp doesn't drop much.

I've asked them but it is one of those "Secret Family Recipes". I have had better luck with the oil around 375. Just gotta be careful not to burn.

The two restaurants I can think of are Cock of the Walk which used to have a location here but now the closest one is in Pensacola and Catfish Point over in Wade, Mississippi. They have the best breading I've had so far.

Thanks,
Buzz

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Originally Posted by score300

I also only put a few filets in at a time so the temp doesn't drop much.

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Thats the key-keep it hot!

Dip your fish in beaten egg before you throw it in your cornmeal and it will come out a lot crispier.

Try some Andy's and it will look just the same as what you describe.

Not sure if they do it for fish or not, but you can fry it, drain it, let it cool, and fry it again to get it extra crispy. Also don't cover with foil or something that may condense steam back onto them, and fry hot, 375 or so, with only a few fillets at a time.

Some real good advice. Try this also: Put a lite coating of oil (real lite) and your breadng will stick to it better. These guys have already said it , but it's worth another mention. These restaurants are usually "dropping" the fish into 375+ oil, and if you are frying them in a skillet it will make a large difference. I've let them dry (cool) for a few minutes and re-drop them and that helps the crunch a bunch, like smoothlures said. Douch your next fillets with your favorite hot sauce, a touch of lemon juice, and a little tag beer. Let this set overnight in the ice box in a plasticbag - THEN- do your deal. OH BOYY!!!! I usually add a little jalapino juice in with my corn meal - separates the men from the boys, and I usually have more for me, heehee!!!

with temps at 375 youre running into the area of where you will burn most batters before getting the fish fully cooked to the right temp. Crappie especially young crappie are VERY tender and hard to get a good consistency for meat unless it is cooked good. I have found a really good batter i will post it up cause im having this debate in my mind

Breaded vs battered the standoff!

I set my fillets out of some paper towels to dry, then blot the water off the tops of them, shake them in a container of Andy's red, cook in 375 degree vegetable oil. I like my fillets a little thinner than most, maybe. The small fish I don't cut down, but the nicer fish I like to split the pieces width in half for a more consistent cooking time and better taste(to me).

I dip the fillets in a mixture of beaten egg and tabasco before I bread them. The breading sticks better and is crispier.

many, many years ago, I worked in a restaurant that did the fried haddock thing every Friday as a special. You're not going to believe how they did their breading...

The bread served at the tables came directly from a bakery next door. They kept it for two days, then if it didn't get served, it would go into a big bin to dry out for about a week. They had a big grinder to crumble up the dried french bread. This is what they rolled the haddock fillets in and it was good. Essentially, they made their own bread crumbs from unused french bread. This was a fancy-schmancy restaurant too.