Fried Fish

Pan-Fried Fish

Delicious...15 minutes to make. I made it this week using fresh, wild Canadian pickerel fillets. Works with any white fish fillets, like halibut. If you use frozen fillets, defrost them in the fridge first. 

Good served with sliced and fried left-over boiled potatoes or oven fries, and salad or any vegetable. 

Try this fish with a squeeze of lemon or a drizzle of Hollandaise sauce or aioli. If you suddenly have dinner guests and not a lot of fish, make the meal more substantial by topping each piece of fish with a fried egg, cooked so the yolk will still dribble over the hot fish. 

I like this fish plain and hot out of the pan, with some ketchup and french fries.

If you make Cajun-seasoned fish, serve with Louisiana Hush Puppies (recipe below).

1. Sprinkle the fillets with salt and a little pepper.
2. Cover a dinner plate with a handful or two of flour. (Add some herbs if you like, e.g. thyme or oregano. For Cajun fish, mix in a teaspoon or two of Cajun seasoning or cayenne pepper.)
3. Dredge the pieces of fish, both sides, in the flour.
4. Heat vegetable oil or canola oil in a cast-iron frying pan.
5. When oil is hot, add fish pieces, a few at a time to fit in the pan.
6. Fry 4-5 minutes on one side then flip with a spatula.
7. Fry the other side another 4-5 minutes. Timing will depend on the thickness of your fillets. I found 10 minutes total was enough time for both  fresh pickerel and defrosted halibut fillets to cook perfectly to golden crisp on the outside and flaky and tender on the inside.

Nipissing Lodge Fish Batter

Lake Nipissing is a fresh-water lake in Ontario, Canada. This recipe is the one that was used on the fish caught and fried at Nipissing Lodge.

• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. salt

1. Beat eggs and milk well.
2. Add flour, baking powder and salt to egg mixture. Beat well again.
3. Dip fish in batter and deep fry until golden brown.

Louisiana Hush Puppies

Fried cornmeal dough balls can be fried before you fry the fish.

Drain cooked balls on paper towels as they come out of the hot pan, then place on a rack over a baking sheet and keep warm in a 200 degree F. oven till the rest of the dinner is ready.

If served for dessert, add sugar to the batter and omit the grated onion and Cajun seasoning.

Dust with icing sugar or drizzle with maple syrup.

• 1-1/2 cups cornmeal
• 1-3/4 cups water
• 1/4 cup milk
• 2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
• 2 tsp. grated onion (optional)
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 1 cup flour
• 3 tsp. baking powder
• 2 tsp. salt
• 2 tsp. sugar (optional if making sweet puppies)
• 1 tsp. cayenne pepper (optional if making southern puppies)
• vegetable oil or peanut oil for frying

1. Put the water in a saucepan and stir in the cornmeal over medium heat, cooking and stirring just until the mixture is stiff and water absorbed.
2. Remove from heat and stir in milk, oil and grated onion with the juices.
3. Let mixture cool.
4. Sift dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, salt and seasonings) together.
5. Add beaten eggs and flour mixture to the cooled cornmeal mixture.
6. Heat oil in a deeper cast iron pan or a pot to about 360 degrees F.
7. Take batter from the bowl by spoonfuls, pushing off into the hot oil with a second spoon.
8. Flip puppies over when underside is golden and fry other side till done.
9. Place cooked puppies on paper towel to drain and place on rack over baking sheet int he oven to keep warm.
10. Serve savoury hush puppies with butter. Sweet hush puppies can be served for dessert with a dipping bowl of maple syrup.