Thread: Batter falls off:(

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.

Originally Posted by zoeconner

What's a good dry batter. I don't care for corn meal. Do you have to use it? What's it's purpose?

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.
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

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.