Fried Fish, Tartar Sauce, French Fries, and Hushpuppies
A Southern favorite! I can remember back in the late sixties and seventies going to fried fish restaurants on Sunday after church and enjoying this meal. I can still smell the stale beer in the bar of the restaurant from the night before, and there was always a jukebox playing country music! The meal always came with lemon wedges, onion slices, and dill pickle chips. Back then they only served whole fish; no filets. But that was OK. At the end of the meal, the waitress would bring out a finger bowl with lemons and water so you could get the fish smell off your hands. I can also remember catching bream and white perch, cleaning them, and Mother frying them up at the camp. If she fried them at home, she would cover everything in the kitchen with newspaper to keep things from being splattered with oil! She used yellow cornmeal and salt. Boy, was it good! You can use any freshwater fish with this recipe. Just make sure it is the freshest fish you can get and keep it refrigerated or iced until ready to fry. About the cornmeal mix: I have tried ALL brands, and Louisiana Seasoned Fish Fry cannot be beat. I have even made my own, and it just doesn't have the consistency of Fish Fry brand. About the oil: I use vegetable oil because it browns the fish perfectly. Peanut oil is too expensive and does not brown as well, but, on the other hand, is less likely to burn and can be reused for more cookings than vegetable oil. I use an oil thermometer, so oil burning is not likely.
A Southern favorite! I can remember back in the late sixties and seventies going to fried fish restaurants on Sunday after church and enjoying this meal. I can still smell the stale beer in the bar of the restaurant from the night before, and there was always a jukebox playing country music! The meal always came with lemon wedges, onion slices, and dill pickle chips. Back then they only served whole fish; no filets. But that was OK. At the end of the meal, the waitress would bring out a finger bowl with lemons and water so you could get the fish smell off your hands. I can also remember catching bream and white perch, cleaning them, and Mother frying them up at the camp. If she fried them at home, she would cover everything in the kitchen with newspaper to keep things from being splattered with oil! She used yellow cornmeal and salt. Boy, was it good! You can use any freshwater fish with this recipe. Just make sure it is the freshest fish you can get and keep it refrigerated or iced until ready to fry. About the cornmeal mix: I have tried ALL brands, and Louisiana Seasoned Fish Fry cannot be beat. I have even made my own, and it just doesn't have the consistency of Fish Fry brand. About the oil: I use vegetable oil because it browns the fish perfectly. Peanut oil is too expensive and does not brown as well, but, on the other hand, is less likely to burn and can be reused for more cookings than vegetable oil. I use an oil thermometer, so oil burning is not likely.
- 4 pounds catfish filets, rinsed, patted dry, and kept cold
- 1 gallon vegetable oil
- 2 packages louisiana seasoned fish fry
- 1 1/2 cups mayonnaise
- 6 tablespoons sweet pickle relish
- 2 tablespoons onion grated
- pinch of sugar
- 10 red or white potatoes, washed
- 1 large onion, sliced
- frozen hushpuppies
- dill pickle chips
- onions sliced
- lemon wedges
- Carbohydrate 71.896175 g
- Cholesterol 128.212 mg
- Fat 337.62777 g
- Fiber 5.84762511968613 g
- Protein 41.225925 g
- Saturated Fat 29.805604538 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (927g)
- Sodium 854.7645 mg
- Sugar 66.0485498803139 g
- Trans Fat 6.51979852039999 g
- Calories 3433 calories
Step-by-step
- For the tarter sauce, combine the mayo, pickle relish, grated onion and sugar. Mix well and refrigerate.
- You can slice the filets any way you wish. I usually slice 3 long 1 inch strips by angling across the filet. You could then slice each strip into pieces to make nuggets. After slicing, rinse fish in cold water and pat dry. Put in a bowl and refrigerate.
- Put the Fish Fry into a shaking container or 2 paper bags, one inside the other to prevent leakage.
- Heat oil to 325 to 350 degrees using an oil thermometer. Put a few pieces of fish into the Fish Fry and shake. Make sure to shake off any excess Fish Fry off. When oil is at the right temp, carefully put the fish in, being careful not to crowd. Try to keep the temp as close to the original degree as you can. Fry for about 7 minutes or until all the fish floats. Remove and drain on a wire rack or paper towels and put in a 150 degree oven until finished frying all fish.
- Slice the potatoes into French fries. BE CAREFUL! Potatoes are hard to cut with a dull knife. Rinse the French fries under cold water, pat dry and put into a large bowl. You may do this at the most of 15 minutes before you fry, or potatoes will turn black. After frying the fish, then fry the French fries. Raise oil temp to 360 degrees. Add fries to the hot oil, not to many that they crowd each other. (Make sure no water is on the potatoes as this will cause the oil to boil over and possibly catch on fire.) While frying the French fries, add rings of the large, sliced onion. The onion 'cleans' the oil. Fry for about 10 minutes or until fries have the right color and drain on paper towls. After each batch, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Keep warm in oven.
- Finally, fry the hushpuppies according to the instructions. Serve with pickle chips, onions, lemons, and tarter sauce. You just can't beat this kind of eatin'!
Substituting peanut oil for the vegetable oil alters the smoke point and flavor profile significantly, though vegetable oil browns the catfish evenly at moderate heat. Maintaining a consistent temperature between 325 and 350 degrees prevents the heavy batter from absorbing excess grease while the protein cooks through. Because crowd control matters in deep frying, dropping only a few pieces at once ensures the cooking liquid does not lose thermal energy and become stagnant. When the fish floats to the surface after approximately seven minutes, remove the batches promptly to a wire rack inside a low oven.
Preparing the homemade tartar sauce ahead of time allows the grated onion and sweet pickle relish to meld into the mayonnaise base properly before serving. Storing this condiment in the refrigerator ensures the flavors sharpen while the frying station is being organized. Freshly cut potatoes demand immediate attention because raw starches oxidize rapidly and turn unappealingly dark within fifteen minutes of exposure to air. Thoroughly drying these cut tubers before they touch hot oil is mandatory to prevent violent splattering and potential flare-ups.
Executing this multi-component feast requires strict adherence to sequential frying orders because different items demand distinct thermal thresholds. Frying the fish first keeps the delicate flesh uncontaminated by potato starches, while raising the heat to 360 degrees afterward creates the proper crisp exterior on the fries. Adding sliced raw onions directly into the oil alongside the potatoes acts as a natural purifier that neutralizes lingering fish flavors in the fat. Managing this progression efficiently ensures every element reaches the table simultaneously at optimal temperature.
Scaling quantities up or down for different group sizes requires monitoring pot capacity closely to avoid drastic temperature drops during the immersion process. Overloading a standard home fryer with too many frozen hushpuppies or raw potatoes at once will cause the oil to bubble over the sides. Working in small, manageable batches preserves the integrity of the crust across all components. Proper drainage on paper towels or wire racks keeps the fried crusts remarkably shatter-crisp rather than soggy.
