Flop wet, small to mid-size fillet into a pile of white flour.  Dredge it through a scambled egg thinned with a touch of water or milk, roll it into cracker crumbs (the best are pulverized in your blender and have a little salt on them).  Lay it gently into you pan of 1/8" or so deep hot oil.  The flour keeps the egg and crumbs from sticking directly to the fillet and actually lets the coating lift off and "steam" the fish.  This is how I cook fresh lake perch at home...and its hard to beat.  Probably a bit too much set up and clean up for the Bdub/Q.

terp

On our recent trip I recognized a real difference as to how my fish was coming out and how my pals came out (or didn't, if you catch my drift).

He had purchased a Coleman pan and I had a GSI. The Coleman was heavier but thinner. The heat tended to concentrate only where the flame contacted the pan. The end result was one part burnt and the rest was, shall we say "less than golden brown".

If your fry downs aren't coming off as hoped examine your pan. The metal should be thick enough to distribute the heat, not concentrate it.

We've been experimenting with breadings for the past 30 years, and still in search of the perfect one.  Andy's "red" is a very good option. Mixing Andy's with Kentucky Kernel ( (You need to Login or Register to view media files and links)) about 70/30 is good. After years of loyalty to peanut oil, I know prefer corn oil in a cast iron skillet, with a steady fire maintained with 2i diameter kindling. Crisply coated walleye cooked like this is among the world's best foods. Want to get more complex? Lightly coat each filet in milk, dust with panko that's been spiced with salt, pepper and paprika. And if you can get a richly flavored salt (mesquite smoked kosher) go for that. Olive oil for this recipe; not corn oil.

I'm a fan of blending, but then I do live in the fried anything capital of the world.  Typically mix equal parts corn meal and flour plus whatever spices sound good.  I once had a guy grab the powdered sugar instead of flour.  Those were the sweetest bass fillets I've ever had.  We always bring extra fish fry mix and onions for onion rings.

I like the Cajun-flavored Shore Lunch, probably mostly because it's readily available in my area and always on sale.

What we started doing with the catfish: soak the fillets in saltwater, then rinse with fresh water, then pat dry, then roll around in a blend of creole / blackening spices. THEN roll in the cajun shore lunch, and fry in peanut oil. Works best over a campfire, or on a LP stove on the tailgate, right next to the river, sometime around midnight... serve with generous portions of cold, cheap beer. Dip the fried chunks in your favorite BBQ sauce for an extra touch of flavor.

Home-cooked jambalaya, and few handfuls of crawdads boiled in Zatarain's Crab Boil make for some noteable side dishes.

Ah, summer...

My guts can handle the corn. Crushed crackers, flour, and special spices when I do pan fry...freeze dried egg wash the dried fillets first...the remaining wash is a nice side-extra protein after a hard day. My preference is still the Outback with fillet of choice in a foil boat with spices and a bit of olive oil with the water mote. Poached tastiness

There used to be some decent catfishing right near that Atkinson mill, too, as I recall.   I used to tool around there in my old Crow Boat (wide, squareback canoe with trolling motor).  Catfish were the target but too often you'd come up with nasty old bowfin (a.k.a blackfish, a.k.a. "junior-pollyhumpers").  They were so nasty that even the Fish & Game Officers told me to "cut your line & toss them up into the bushes and, whatever you do, don't put your hand near their mouth!".  Some bass in that pond, too.

Anyway, there were plenty of opportunities for the company to perfect a recipe for fish batter.  We used the stuff all the time.  As good as that batter is, though, it ain't gonna make a bowfin filet appeal to anyone's taste buds... and that's assuming you COULD filet the danged tough-hided thing!  The "fish" (?) was kind of a cross between an ugly catfish & a carp and capable of tearing up a fishing net in a heart beat.

Good fish batter, though.

Jimbo  

Not a breading fan, but if your looking for something a little different, try Buckwheat flour/pancake mix . Just add you custom mix of seasonings.
I've used it, I like it better than a cornmeal/white flour mix, seems like more of the fish flavor comes thru, less of the breading.

Still prefer just seasoned oil, and a quick sear.

If I'm frying fish and using breading, I'll typically opt for:

Zatarain's Crispy Southern Seasoned Fish Fri (which is corn meal based) kicked up a bit with either:

- Tony Chachere's Original Creole Seasoning
or
- Paul Prudhomme's Blackened Redfish Magic Seasoning

Sometimes I just forgo the breading and go with the seasoning

I've also been known to just start with corn meal and mix my own "custom blend."

dd

I had a client turn me on to this stuff. This guy has been around so when he went out of his way to bring me some I knew it had to be good. Yup, best I've had. I must admit to a weakness for a fried shore lunch.
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