Favorite Fish Batters

[Josh.P 86]

I like to try many different breadings when i make fish just because it gets old eating the same one all the time. Although When i have a fish fry with friends and family i always use Andy's red fish breading. (on Pan-fish) I soak fillets in milk then cover with breading and deep fry to perfection with the turkey fryer burner. Never have checked my oil temp but i know i run it pretty hot. Never timed a batch of fillets either but if i guessed 3-4min. The andys breading makes them crispy which most people like.

[candiru]

Someone told me recently they had great fish at a restaurant where they know someone there. They are going to work at getting more info, but apparently Captain Crunch is what they use for batter.

[IceHawk]

Another vote for chef roberts

[deerminator]

McCormick's fish and chips style (made with beer). Hands down. Good stuff. Looking forward to New Year's Eve with the in laws. Will have a couple of large Pike, a bass and walleye coated in the batter, fried and calling our name that night.

[chaseub]

anyone ever try andys fish batter? I think its great with some cole slaw on the side. Also very good on venison. Never heard a complaint when I make it.

[Early Riser]

I sometimes use a beer batter, grill, bake, make fish soup, can, pickle and smoke fish, but my mainstay is fairly simple, but it is the most effective I have found. I have been using it consistently since 1984, over 30 years now.

The only fish it didn't work on was dogfish. I will never spear another one again since this recipe could not save it (actually nothing worked on bowfin. including smoking and pickling).

Our kids (18,20,23) were raised on this once a week, except during the hunting seasons, and are all home tonight to enjoy it once again.

Roll fillets in flour, dip in egg bath, roll in crushed Kellogg's cornflakes, fry to crispy perfection in hot oil, season right out of the pan with salt and fresh ground black pepper.

Have a homemade tarter sauce ready made with Hellmanns mayonnaise, chopped dill pickles, French's mustard, lemon juice, old bay seasoning, and fresh ground black pepper.

It is also beneficial to have some asian sweet/hot chicken sauce for dipping.

Serve with a side of crispy fried potato and onions. Our 20 year old son also still likes it with some plain old mac and cheese, so we always indulge him.

Even those who previously did not like fish much will eat this with abandon. It never fails.

Time to get it all started now!

[tacklejunkie]

I use Shorelunch and add seasoning to it. I've also used the Japanese Breading(Panko) and that's good. I got a turkey fryer for XMas so I'll have to try out these batters this spring

[mwal]

I like Andy's from fleet farm reasonably priced cornmeal based resealably packaging on the large sizes they also have single use bags. You do not need milk or egg wash unless you want heavy coating.

Mwal

[tacklejunkie]

There's that "Pub Style" beer batter that I bought once at Wal Mart that wasn't too bad

[ducker]

Supposedly this is the KFC batter recipe

"Warning....I am just sharing! Save to you wall ASAP as I will never post again.

KFC Original Recipe Chicken ...... HMMMMMM

11 Herbs and spices...... Enjoy.

1 whole chicken, cut into pieces

3 beaten eggs

4 tablespoons oil

For the coating

2 cups flour

4 teaspoons paprika

2 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon poultry seasoning

1 teaspoon thyme

1 teaspoon oregano

1 teaspoon tarragon

1/2 teaspoon garlic salt

1/2 teaspoon onion salt

1/2 teaspoon celery salt

*optional add keptchup to mix

Directions:

1. Sift together all the coating ingredients and place in a clean plastic bag. Coat each chicken piece first with the beaten egg, then with the flour mixture in the bag. Make sure you coat each piece completely with the flour.

2. Heat the oil in a skillet. Brown the chicken in oil slowly, uncovered. Once browned, cover the skillet and keeping frying on a very gentle heat until the chicken is fully cooked. Place on paper towels to drain out the excess oil.

[outdoors247]

To mix it up once in awhile I'll put some Potato Buds (Instant Potato's) in with the coating. It adds some favor and the fillets are a little crispier. I'll mix in a half cup with Shorelunch or whatever coating that I'm using at the time.

[water rat]

When I was in my mid teens I worked at kfc. It didn't take long to realize that the"secret herbs" are dynamite when used as a fish coating(diluted down with a touch more flour or crumbs).

When i worked there, no employees knew the recipe, it was just a foil bag with no writing on it. Just add flour

[pikestabber]

Roll fillets in flour, dip in egg bath, roll in crushed Kellogg's cornflakes, fry to crispy perfection in hot oil, season right out of the pan with salt and fresh ground black pepper.

This is pretty similar to what I do... Dredge in Zatarain's Crispy Southern Style, into an egg wash, then into double ground panko bread crumbs. Fry at 360 in Canola oil until golden. Hit with a dash of seasoned salt and garlic pepper. Have yet to eat better fish with any other method...

No batter concoction in the world can save a bad process, however... Allow your oil to get up to temp, don't overcrowd your fryer/pan, and allow the oil to re-heat to temp between batches. Those are the keys I find most helpful.

[Early Riser]

Good man Pikestabber. I sometimes use a mixture of corn flakes and panko. In fact we just made pheasant nuggets tonight in this mixture, and it was awesome served up with wild rice and carrots cooked in maple syrup and butter!

[JeremyCampbell]

Here's a batch I made for lunch today.Eating up what was left in the freezer.First time I've used a mix from Lefty's.Got it at walmart.

Edit- Almost forgot to say,

it was very delicious

[minky]

In a pinch I have used seasoned plain white floor with salt, pepper and steak seasoning from a meat store and it came out great.

I guess shore lunch is my main stand by most days.

[maxpower117]

Frying fish is an art

Anybody can fill in a coloring book, but few can paint a masterpiece

Taste, texture and personal preference all play a role, but after 20 years I think I have found my favorite method.

The dry Shorelunch stuff is terrible (for my palate), as are a lot of others.

This is again all in my opinion, and here is what I do.

My favorite is McCormicks brand beer batter, mixed on the runny side, warmed up close to room temperature.

A little salt and pepper on semi dry fish fingers.

An inch or more of oil or Crisco in a cast iron pan, heated between 315-325 degrees, no more. Dropping down to 300 when the fingers are placed is fine.

Getting over 325 (for too long) will over-brown the batter, impart a burnt flavor, and lock in unwanted moisture.

Cook low and slow in small batches, or in a continuous rotation until they are light golden brown, just like the picture on the box. They will start to float and you will see steam escaping. When the color is right, they are done perfectly

Never timed it, I just go by temp and appearance, but it takes a little longer than you are used too.

For years I cooked beer battered fish too hot (350) and too thick (of batter), resulting in over browned peices that held a ton of moisture (which is mistaken for oily fish). The key is to remove just the right amount.

When done right, I believe it is the best fish in the world. Great to eat alone, with tartar sauce (Heinz is my favorite), in fish tacos, and great to munch on even cold.

For the absolute best finished product, place the fish on cookie cooling racks instead of paper towels.

My other favorite is much more fool proof. Just sprinkle on some Lawreys seasoned salt and toss in flour. After tossing, let the pieces rest until all of the flour on the outside has become moistened. Then drop into hot (375-400 max) oil for a few minutes. The flour doesn't brown nearly as easy as beer batter, and more readily allows moisture to escape. The finished product is lighter in color, but tastes amazing for how simple it is.

If you drop the pieces in that still have dry flour, some falls off and starts to burn in the bottom of the oil, which can change the taste and color of the next batches.

There are other ways and other batters, but after many years and hundreds of batches of fish, these are my tried and true.

Hope this helps

You really hit the nail on the head here. You've pretty much covered what is most important.