Remember the first time you saw Twilight and you walked out of the theater in a glittery daze and thought to yourself, man I wonder what's in Harry Clearwater's Fish Fry?
No?
Well, I did. Not that we have to make ours homemade around here. We have two awesome seafood breaders readily available in my neck of the woods that are amazeballs... one from House of Autry and one from Adluh. But I've learned writing this blog that you guys don't always have access to the same things I do so I decided I would try to create a recipe for a fish fry that you could make. And just in case the Zombie Apocalypse knocks out my two favorite mills, I'll have a backup plan for frying fish.
There was really only one flavor that I was sure about, and that was onion powder. I've picked up on that for sure over the years but I wasn't really sure what else was in there. I took a glance at the House of Autry Seafood Breader package and the only spice/flavor/herb/seasoning mentioned at all was.... ta-da.... onion powder.
I decided against garlic and after sniffing most of my spice cabinet, settled on a pretty basic lineup. I heated the grease, dredged the fish, fried it up and.... fell in love. Serve with a big basket of homemade Hush Puppies for an authentic Southern fish fry experience.
2 pounds white fish*
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup hot sauce
2 cups South Your Mouth Fish Fry
Heat a minimum of 4 inches of oil in a deep skillet or wide pan to 350 degrees (medium-high heat). In a medium bowl mix buttermilk and hot sauce. Add fish to buttermilk mixture. When you're ready to fry, grab fish, one piece at a time, and shake off all excess buttermilk, dredge fish in fish fry and immediately add to hot oil. Cook until golden brown and remove to a plate or pan lined with paper towels.
South Your Mouth Fish Fry
1 1/2 cups medium ground cornmeal
1/2 cup flour
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon onion powder
2 teaspoons black pepper
2 teaspoons paprika
Mix all ingredients and store in an airtight container. Use for frying fish or shellfish.
*Use any flaky, white fish (crappy, bream, catfish, tilapia, flounder, etc.). I actually used swai fillets. I had no idea what swai was but it was only a few bucks for a 2-pound package at Aldi so I thought... meh? If you like catfish, you will LOVE swai. I found it to be almost identical to catfish sans the musky taste. Plus is wicked cheap. Holla!
PRINTABLE RECIPE
Now that's what I'm talkin' about! Can't beat Southern style fried fish. The picture is gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteThanks! Gotta love my professional set-up which consists of turning on every light in my kitchen and grabbing my phone to snap a shot!
DeleteAs long as you never use the flash! I'm with Jackie, that looks fabulous and now I'm starving. And I just finished eating breakfast!
DeleteMeg is correct. Nevah evah use flash. Keep doing what you're doing.
DeleteThese look awesome. Think I'll need to give them a try!
ReplyDeleteThanks! Let me know how it turns out if you decide to give it a try!
DeleteMy mom used to fix fried catfish with grits and collard greens. We made hush puppies alot when ever we had
ReplyDeleteblack eyed peas.
I almost always have a pot of grits with fish (whether it's fried, baked, etc.). I'm so bad about it that I once made fish sticks for the onions and they looked at me and asked, "Where's the grits???"
DeleteTry some creamed corn mixed with the hot sauce, instead of buttermilk!! Doesnt sound good, but there is a restaurant here in Mississippi that uses it. It is awesome!!!! That is now an important ingredient when frying fish.
ReplyDeleteoh yes, we used to make corn fritters like that.. so good.. I love this sight, am glad I found it..
ReplyDeleteWell I was looking for a baked fish recipe, but OMG this just looks amazing. Can't wait to make it on Friday!!
ReplyDeleteLately I've taken to buying swai or basa, because I love the flavor and texture, and because it is so much more affordable than channel catfish, or other American catfish. Because they grow fairly large, they are usually sold as boneless fillets.
ReplyDeleteBoth swai and basa are species of pangasius catfish, from southeast Asia. Just like with American catfish, depending on water clarity, the type of river or lake bottom, and the fish's diet, the flavor can range from very mild to slightly muddy or musky. Usually, it's very mildly flavored, though.
Recently, I've been using a fish fry that's a seasoned mixture of cornmeal and corn masa flour. The South Your Mouth Fish Fry is closer to what I normally use. It sounds delicious, and I'm eager to try it.