Thread: How do you get fish fillets crispy?

Go read the post from Kaptain K from 8-5-08. I caught some crappie last Thursday and used his suggestion of using half & half and cornmeal and it makes the classic crunchy fried fish. I used a Fry Daddy which heats up to 375 - 385 degrees and cooked 7 pieces at a time ( I cut up the filets in about 4 pieces each) and they came out perfect. Something else I did that I have never done is after I cut out the rib cage, I cut off the little filet off the ribs which gave me a little piece of meat about 1/8" to 1/4" thick and 1 1/2" round. I fried them up and they were like little crappie potatoe chips. Great!.

Anyone ever use buttermilk instead of half & half? Just wondering. I know it works well with other breaded meats.

I always deep fry mine at 375 basically until the frying noise dies down completely. They are then ready to be seasoned!

I think there are several key things to crispy fish.

I do not think the coating you choose is critical. I have tried many coatings with good results.

The main thing, like many have said, is maintaining 350 to 375 degree oil.

Don't overload the fryer. If you dump a whole bunch of cold fillets into your hot oil the temp is gonna fall like a rock. This is what you want to avoid.

If you are only using a small amount of oil, only cook a few fillets at a time. Maybe 3.

The more oil you use, the less the temp will drop when you add the fillets, so you can cook more fillets at a time.

I like to make sure all my pieces of fish are fairly thin so they cook quicker.

If the fillets are from small crappie, they are usually fine as is.

If they are from some big slabs, I will cut the fillet into about 3 pieces.
Plus I cut them on a bias, or at a steep angle.

The idea is to not have any pieces too thick, so they cook fast.

If you have the right temp, and your pieces are not too big, they should float pretty quick.

When they start floating, they are about done. Watch the bubbles. That's the water cooking out. When the bubbles slow down a little. That's when I declare them done.

Hope this helps.

Originally Posted by TreeMyDog

I think there are several key things to crispy fish.

I do not think the coating you choose is critical. I have tried many coatings with good results.

The main thing, like many have said, is maintaining 350 to 375 degree oil.

Don't overload the fryer. If you dump a whole bunch of cold fillets into your hot oil the temp is gonna fall like a rock. This is what you want to avoid.

If you are only using a small amount of oil, only cook a few fillets at a time. Maybe 3.

The more oil you use, the less the temp will drop when you add the fillets, so you can cook more fillets at a time.

I like to make sure all my pieces of fish are fairly thin so they cook quicker.

If the fillets are from small crappie, they are usually fine as is.

If they are from some big slabs, I will cut the fillet into about 3 pieces.
Plus I cut them on a bias, or at a steep angle.

The idea is to not have any pieces too thick, so they cook fast.

If you have the right temp, and your pieces are not too big, they should float pretty quick.

When they start floating, they are about done. Watch the bubbles. That's the water cooking out. When the bubbles slow down a little. That's when I declare them done.

Hope this helps.

good post, thats about how i do it

Ther's only been a couple say to use CRISCO. Crisco in a skillet cooked 3min a side for 6min total will get them crispy no matter which coating you use. I saw this some where, if you throw a match in the grease it will ignite whene the grease is hot enough and it works. Great tips hear I've got to try some of these coatings.

I agree that the temp of the grease is very important. 375 would be a good place to start. Also, the sizes of your fillets don't need to be to big or too thick.
Unfortunately, the crappie that NIMROD and I catch here, the fillets are too large to cook whole so we have to resort to cutting them into three pieces!
Just kidding! but the temp needs to be high enough and don't put over 5 or 6 pieces in at a time.