How to Prepare Fish for a Fish Fry

Fish fries are extremely common in the United States and offer the perfect opportunity to gather with friends and family in a fun, social environment. Though spring and summer typically provides the best time to throw a fish fry, you can throw one any time as long as the weather is enjoyable.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Flour
• Cornmeal
• Salt and pepper
• Fish
• Buttermilk
• Vegetable oil
• Skillet

1. Do it outside. It always makes the clean-up so much easier, and you don’t have to worry about stinking up the house.

2. Concoct the breading for your fish. Combine 2 parts of flour and one-part of cornmeal in a mixing bowl. Add salt and black pepper to taste. Don’t be timid when adding spices to the breading because some of it will fall off when you fry it.

3. Cut your fish into small pieces. Soak in your buttermilk for 15 to 20 minutes. Fill up your skillet with about an inch and a half of vegetable oil, and heat it to 350 degrees before you add your fish.

4. Take the fish out of the buttermilk and coat in the cornmeal breading mixture.

5. Place the fish in the hot skillet. Let the fish cook on one side for a few minutes. After one side is cooked, flip the fish over.

6. When the fish is cooked on both sides, carefully take the fish out of the skillet and place on a paper-towel–lined plate to cool.

Tips & Warnings

• Some recipes suggest breading the fish in cornmeal alone, but cornmeal by itself can get gritty and burn easily.
• Nowadays, you can buy a turkey fryer, and it comes with everything you need. While this may be easier, using an old cast-iron skillet the old-fashioned way holds temperature better and can add authenticity to your fish.
• Don’t put too many pieces of fish in the skillet. Crowding it will lower the temperature.