Classic southern fried fish is lightly seasoned and fried until golden then served with bright homemade tartar sauce. Tender, flaky and soft but crisp. So delicious!
Southern fried fish is so underrated. I don’t hear about it often. I will never forget about fried fish. I can’t forget anything I grew up eating. Heirloom recipes make me feel some kind of way. I love them. I used to get so happy when I came home from playing with my friends to the scent of frying fish. I used to wait anxiously to eat.
My little brother, well, he used to be so greedy. Every couple minutes he’d check to see if the fried fish was done. He REALLY couldn’t wait to eat his fried fish. When he scarfed his down, he would immediately ask me or our other siblings, “you gonna eat that?” He should’ve known better. Who wouldn’t want their fried fish? We didn’t want to share. We never had leftovers on fish fry nights.
When I didn’t have homemade southern fried fish I used to walk down the street to this tiny and I mean tiny restaurant. It was basically a takeout spot. They had a small menu. I remember seeing only fried fish sandwiches, burgers, and fries or other fried seafood. I don’t remember eating anything but their fried fish sandwiches with a side of fries and lots of ketchup. Those were the good old days.
Fried fish is one of my guilty pleasures for sure. When my mom or grandmother made fried fish, they only used a handful of ingredients, no milk or egg or in the batter, just cornmeal a bit of flour or sometimes all cornmeal and a couple seasonings. That’s really all you need oh, and a heavy duty cast iron skillet. We prefer to use whiting fish, but feel free to use your favorite kind of fish. I suggested a couple of different fish that’s perfect for frying below.
Fried fish
Optional but I love tartar sauce. Make your own quick tartar sauce or buy a quality one and let’s not forget about wheat bread. Slather the tartar sauce over each slice of wheat bread (or your choice of bread). I always add tartar sauce onto both sides, a bit more on one side and minimal tartar sauce on the other slice of bread. Add the fried crispy fish on top of the tartar sauce with bread then drizzle on the hot sauce.
Hmmm, I love a good fried fish sandwich. I’m telling you if you haven’t tried fried fish, nows your chance. Homemade fried fish is just so good! It’s nothing like them frozen breaded store-bought microwave fish you heat up for a couple minutes in the microwave. I don’t know about you but I’d rather make fried fish that’s crispy, tender and not soggy like the store brands. Homemade fried fish is HEAVENLY! It’s the best.
I can eat a couple of fried fish sandwiches back to back easily. If you’re on a special diet or want fewer carbs then eliminate the bread. To make the fish gluten-free, eliminate the all-purpose flour and make sure you the cornmeal doesn’t include wheat as an ingredient.
Quick tips:
- Use your choice of fish. Tilapia, whiting, cod or catfish.
- Make sure all of the bones are removed from the fish.
- To make this gluten-free, eliminate the flour.
- Pat the fish dry.
- Season the fish lightly with salt and pepper.
- Gently press the breading onto the fish and shake off excess flour before you add it to the oil.
- Coat the fish then leave it alone for 10 minutes. This will help keep the coating from falling off.
- Use a good quality non-stick pan or cast iron skillet.
- Do not fill the skillet more than halfway with oil.
- Make sure the hot oil is, @ the correct temperature (350 degrees F) before the fish is added to the skillet.
I don’t know what it is about southern fried fish sandwiches. Maybe it’s the taste of the crunchy salty exterior and the soft hot flaky interior, as it breaks apart easily with each bite. Or maybe it’s the hints of the bright tartar, the kick from the spicy hot sauce or the soft, nutty, earthy wheat bread. To make it more fulfilling, add lettuce and tomatoes if you like.
Whatever it is, I’d take southern fried fish over cheeseburgers any day!
In the future, I’ll post another fried fish sandwich using milk and eggs, but for now, I’ll leave you with this simple, quick fish fry recipe because I know sometimes you want something fast and now with minimal ingredients. How do you make your fried fish?
Southern Fried Fish Sandwich
Classic southern fried fish is lightly seasoned and fried until golden then served with bright tartar sauce. So tender, flaky and soft but crisp. So delicious!
Ingredients
- 2 lb Fish Fillet (I used whiting) whiting, cod, catfish
- pepper for taste vegetable oil for frying
Breading
- 1/2 cup cornmeal
- 1 1/2 tbsp all purpose flour
- 1 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
Tartar Sauce (optional)
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 tsp dried dill add more for taste
- 2 tsp sugar optional or add more for taste
- 2 tbsp lemon juice add more or less for taste
- 1 tbsp sweet relish
Instructions
Lightly season with salt and pepper. Set aside. In a large bowl, combine the flours and all of the seasonings. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Fill the skillet with the vegetable oil halfway.
Dredge the fillets in the breading mixture one at a time. Fry the fillets in batches, 4 minutes on each side. Drain on a paper towel. Serve right away with your choice of bread, tartar sauce and hot sauce.
Tartar Sauce
In a small bowl add all of the tartar sauce ingredients. Mix well. Serve with the fried fish.
Recipe Notes
- Use your choice of fish, whiting, cod, catfish.
- Make sure all the bones are removed from the fish.
- To make this gluten free, eliminate the flour.
- Pat the fish dry.
- Season the fish lightly with salt and pepper.
- Gently press the breading into the fish and shake off excess flour before you add it to the oil.
- Coat the fish then leave it alone for 10 minutes. This will help keep the coating from falling off.
- Use a good quality non-stick pan or cast iron skillet to fry your fish.
- Do not fill the skillet more than halfway with oil.
- Make sure the hot oil is @ the correct temperature (350 degrees F) before the fish is added to the skillet.
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