Thread: Like the taste, not the texture

canola oil, freezing in water keep the air out keeping them fresh longer

Originally Posted by Crappie ciller

Not familiar with Andy's Red or Cajun. Is it a fish fry seasoned mix?

C2, looks like WalMart carries this. I might have to try it some time. We normally use Zatarain's Crispy Southern Fish Fri. I put our fillets into a bowl of water and just pull them out, shake the water off then toss them into a Ziploc bag with the Zatarain's and shake the bag - then take the lightly coated fillets and put them into the fryer.

Thanks Toon. See you at the Walmart on 121st soon.

I have the best luck by letting them float a while between 350 and 375. I beleave the cornmeal coating with get done before the fish. My experience is mushy fish is undercooked. I also use mustard and add a dash of Louisiana. If my crowd ain't sissies, I like to use a little Try Me Tiger sauce. Not too much or you will lose the fish taste. DP

Thanks, DP. I will try cooking some fillets for different lengths of time and see which are best.

I cook crappie at 325 degrees. White corn meal with only salt and pepper. When you can taste the salt in meal add more pepper and your ready. Lightly salt or seasoning of choice out of grease. That temp allows the fish and meal to cook closer together. A lot of people over cook the meal first and get a soft mush in the middle. I have done it myself in the past and learned this to be the best IMO. Also if you want a little spice to fish I use Delta Donnies Cajun Sprinkle sometimes right after they come out of grease. Im very fortunate to have because they are only a few miles down the road. Here's there website: Delta Crawfish go to quick links then seasonings. Its good stuff. Hope I could help?

My trick has always been using Olive Oil and Canola 50/50 mix,,,, Tge Olive oil heats up much quicker and gets you to those higher tempes to make that fish heat up,,,,It makes the crappie crisper IMHO. Just make sure you don't overheat it,m, Olive oil will burn, then taste nasty

All of those sound like great recipes, but...they wont solve the "mushy" problem. I suspect these crappie are thrown into a live well or on a stringer once they are caught. This puts the fish under a great deal of stress while keeping it alive. That is what causes the mush filet. To solve this problem, catch and throw on ice immediately. Even better if you can cut a gill or bleed it out immediately by some other method the meat will be at it's best. I prefer a quick filet knife to the heart (from under the "throat" area up in between the gills.) Prove this for yourself if you like by catching 2 crappie (or any other fish) and trying each method. The fish that you put in the live well will be mushy and the other will be high quality. Go out with a few pros...you'll never see them use a live well for fish meant to be harvested.