Outdoor Fish Fry
- Total Time
- 35 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 6pounds very fresh striped bass or bluefish
- 2cups flour
- 1tablespoon kosher salt
- ¼cup freshly cracked black pepper
- ¼cup Old Bay spice mix
- 6eggs
- ½cup half-and-half
- 3cups panko
- 1¼ to 1½cups vegetable oil of your choice
Nutritional analysis per serving (12 servings)
627 calories; 35 grams fat; 4 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 21 grams monounsaturated fat; 7 grams polyunsaturated fat; 29 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 1 gram sugars; 47 grams protein; 684 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Cut fish into chunks about 2 inches square; you should have about 24 chunks.
- Step 2
Combine flour, salt, pepper and Old Bay in a shallow baking pan (those handy disposable aluminum pans work) and mix well. Crack eggs into a second such pan, then add half-and-half and whisk briefly to combine. Put panko in a third pan.
- Step 3
Dunk chunks of fish sequentially into flour mixture, egg mixture and panko, shaking gently after each dunk to get rid of any excess. Place coated fish chunks into a fourth shallow baking pan right by the stove next to burner.
- Step 4
Pour vegetable oil into a 20-inch iron skillet; it should come to a depth of about ¼ inch. Turn a propane burner to medium-high (see note), and set skillet over flame. Heat until oil is hot but not smoking. You can test it by dropping a small bit of fish into the oil; it should bubble furiously.
- Step 5
Add half the pieces of fish and cook until deep golden brown on the side facing down, about 2 to 3 minutes. Flip over and once again cook until deep golden brown on the downward side, about 2 to 3 minutes more. Remove from oil, drain briefly on paper towels, and hand to your guests.
- Step 6
Allow oil to heat up until not quite smoking again, then add remaining fish and follow the same procedure. Because the oil will have degraded somewhat, these pieces will take a bit longer, maybe 4 minutes a side.
- This recipe is intended to be made outdoors using a propane burner, but it can be made indoors on a gas stove, in a smaller heavy-duty pan. However, you will need to do several more batches to cook the same amount of fish, so it’s best to cut this recipe in half. Do not make this recipe on a regular gas or charcoal grill; the risk of igniting the oil, causing injury, is too high.
Private Notes
Comments
A Southern alternative: use catfish with cornmeal coating. It couldn't be any simpler. Cover the bottom of an 8 x 8 pan with cornmeal. If you like it crunchy, add some coarse ground cornmeal to that. Sprinkle a thin layer of salt and cayenne pepper to taste over top, then mix it well. When you are ready to fry, coat both sides of each filet in the cornmeal mixture and cook on each side about 3 minutes, depending on the size of the filets. The key is to coat the fish right before frying.
In your initial blurb it says you can use a roasting pan on a gas grill. Then in the TIP sections it says NOT to use a gas grill - which is it - please clarify. Do you mean you can use a roasting pan on a gas barbecue but you can't use this method on an indoor gas stove? Thanks!
Instead of frying, put fish in a shallow baking pan and bake in a hot oven (400?), brushing each piece with a bit of olive oil. Won't be quite as brown as with frying but easier and lighter.
My family uses Walleye or small mouth bass. We fry our fish in a skillet over a campfire or a propane camping stove when we are canoe camping in Ontario or Manitoba. Cut the fish into small pieces. The oil needs to be very hot, and never skimp on the amount of oil. We catch only what we can eat at the next meal, so they are very fresh (and for conservation reasons). This year we will be in northern MN instead, due to the border closures. Oh, Canada, we miss you so - but will be back in 2022!
I think the southern way is to simply dip it in Buttermilk and then roll in cornmeal with a little salt and deep fat fry it. My uncle had a couple of fryers outdoors, one for fish and the other for hush puppies.
Well, I have tried all sorts of coatings for frying fish. Cornmeal is the only one I really like, though I accept restaurant "fish and chips," which is done in egg batter, as a very distant second. All the bread crumb stuff I have found is just hooey, whether I cook it myself (so I don't any more) or others do so. Always tastes like scorched bread, and you can't taste the fish. Corn meal, the only really good way to coat fish for frying.