Thread: Crispy or Floppy

I like crispy crappie, but some of my friends prefer them floppy. I marinate the filets in buttermilk for an hour or so, toss them in bag of 2 parts cornmeal and one part flour, salt and pepper to taste, and place them in deep fryer full of peanut oil at about 350 to 375 degrees. They come out golden, crispy and tasty.
I want to accommodate my friends who like them floppy but I just can't seem to do it. Any hints?

don't know, mine come out crispy too

... that I have "floppy" filets, is when they're thick and not cooked as long as normal. I pan fry mine ... peanut oil / iron skillet / btwn med & med hi electric heat ... and I go by looks, rather than minutes, when determining when they've cooked long enough. It really doesn't take long for fish to "cook", in 300+ degree oil, but takes the breading or coating awhile to brown ... to suit the chef (or the diners).

I use plain yellow cornmeal, with nothing else added ... and salt/pepper to taste when the filets are "on the plate". That goes for filets, or scaled/gutted fish alike. It's the way my family has cooked fish, for three generations prior to me, and the only way I prefer them. Add mashed potatoes, greens, cornbread, and sweet tea ... and I'm livin' large :D

... cp

Gansett maybe what your friends are saying is that you are over cooking your crappie? I cook mine at a higher temp. get'm in and out quick, that way they are not over cooked but still very crispy? Just a thought maybe this helps. Good luck!

my thought also it takes seconds to cook not minutes.

when they float, they are done.

I bake most of mine so I am a flaky floppy type I guess. Even when I do fry them it is quick in and out just long enough for them to flake up a little and thats it. 2 minutes tops and that's in a cheap under heated deep fryer.