Name: Southern Pan Fried Fish
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 6 people
Ingredients: 2 lb Fish Fillet ( whiting, cod, catfish ); salt and pepper for taste; vegetable oil for frying; 3/4 cup cornmeal; 1 tbsp all purpose flour; 1/2 tsp garlic powder; 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper; salt and pepper for taste

Yum

2K Shares

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

Southern Pan fried whiting fish seasoned then fried until crispy and golden. Tender, flaky whiting fish is so delicious! Perfect with hushpuppies or a side of coleslaw.

Southern Fried Fish

Southern fried whiting fish is so underrated. It’s like everyone forgot about it. I will never forget it. I can’t forget anything I grew up eating. Heirloom recipes make me feel some kind of way. I love them. And eating crispy pan fried fish bring back so many childhood memories. I don’t know which food I love more, this fried fish or my favorite tastiest meatloaf .

Many people are unfamiliar with whiting fish. But it’s very popular in African American homes. It has a mild fish and sweet flavor. So if you don’t care for fishy tasting fish then you will enjoy this whiting recipe.

Check out this Washington Post article if want to learn more about the history of fried whiting fish.

My little brother, well, he was a greedy kid. He REALLY couldn’t wait to dig into the fried fish. I can still hear his voice “Are you gonna eat all your fish?” I still don’t know how he ate so much but never gained a pound.

Who would give up crispy fried whiting? None of us wanted to share. We never had leftovers on fish fry nights.

The days I craved crispy fish. I’d take a walk to a tiny and I mean tiny takeout restaurant. Their limited menu. They had fried fish sandwiches, burgers, and fries and a couple of fried seafood choices.

I always ordered fried whiting fish with wheat bread a side of fries with lots of ketchup and a nice cold sweet tea. Those were the good old days.

Fried whiting fish is one of my guilty pleasures for sure. When my mom or grandmother made fried whiting, they only used a handful of ingredients. We didn’t use milk, eggs or in the batter. Only cornmeal and flour. Sometimes all cornmeal and a bit of seasonings and fried it in one her old trusty pan, the cast iron skillet. My mom uses all cornmeal but I like to use cornmeal and flour.

We prefer to use whiting fish because it’s one of the best fish to pan fry. Oh and of course we love the flavor of whiting fish…catfish is a great fish to pan fry too!

Fried fish sandwich

I love to eat my fried fish with 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.

I’m telling you if you haven’t tried frying whiting fish, nows your chance. This recipe uses frozen whiting fish but if you can get your hands on fresh whiting..Omg it’ even better!

How to make Pan fried fish

This recipe is too easy. Whiting only takes 3-4 minutes on each side to fully cook.

Season the fish with salt and pepper. Don’t over do it with the seasonings. Too much salt will make the fish salty. Set aside. In a large bowl or shallow plate, combine the flours and all the seasonings. Or if it’s easier add the flour and cornmeal to a bowl first whisk to combine then pour it on a shallow plate.

Dredge both sides of the whiting in the breading mixture. Place the fish on a large parchment paper lined baking sheet or pan.

Continue coating all the fish in the cornmeal/flour mixture. Let the fish sit for about 15 minutes. By doing so, the coating will stick to the fish and it will fry up nice and crispy.

Whiting fish coated in a cornmeal and flour mixture

Fry the fillets in a heavy bottom pan or cast iron for 3-4 minutes on each side.

Drain on a paper towel. Serve right away with your choice of bread, tartar sauce and hot sauce.

Tips to make this fried whiting fish

Use a heavy bottom pan or cast iron skillet to fry the fish
Use your choice of fish. Tilapia, whiting, cod or catfish. I used whiting fish.
If necessary, remove the bones from the fish
To make this gluten-free, don’t use flour.
Pat the fish dry before you dredge them.
Season the fish lightly with salt. Add 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 10-15 minutes. the longer the better. This will help keep the coating from falling off.
Use a cast iron skillet or a heavy duty frying pan
Do not fill the skillet more than halfway with oil.
Once the temperature reaches 350F it’s time to fry the fish.

Have you ever tried whiting fish? If so, I’d love to know. Leave a comment below.

5 from 20 votes

A plate of several pieces of fried whiting fish

Southern Pan Fried Fish

Prep Time

10 mins

Cook Time

20 mins

Total Time

30 mins

Classic delicious southern fried fish is lightly seasoned and fried in a pan until golden and crisp. Crispy whiting fish is the best!

Course: Dinner, Lunch

Cuisine: Fried Seafood, Seafood, soul food, Southern, Southern American, Whiting Fish

Keyword: fried fish, fried whiting, whiting fish, whiting fish recipe

Servings: 6 people

Author: April

Ingredients

2 lb Fish Fillet whiting, cod, catfish
salt and pepper for taste
vegetable oil for frying

Flour Mixture

3/4 cup cornmeal
1 tbsp all purpose flour
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
salt and pepper for taste

Instructions

Lightly season the fish with salt and pepper. Set aside. In a large bowl, combine the flours and all of the seasonings.
Dredge the fillets in the breading mixture one at a time. Place the coated fillets on a parchment lined baking sheet. Let them sit for 10-15 minutes.
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Fill the pan with the vegetable oil halfway.*See notes. Fry the fillets in batches but do not crowd the pan. Cook for 3-4 minutes on each side. Drain on a paper towel. Serve immediately since the crispiness won't last very long!

Recipe Notes

COOK TIPS:

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.

Recipe updated on 4/12/2019

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE THESE OTHER SOUTHERN RECIPES:

Southern Coleslaw

BBQ Pulled Beef

Sweet Onion BBQ Sauce

Sweet Hushpuppies

Sour Cream Mashed Potatoes

Southern Sweet Potato Pie

If you think this fried whiting looks good, save it to your Pinterest Board or share it on Facebook. Don’t forget to follow me on Pinterest too.

Comments

Alicia Starr
August 9, 2019 at
My father would go to the coast to fish and bring fresh whiting home. We loooved fish night. Hush puppies, cheese grits and collards. My mom was a wonderful cook.
- April
  August 12, 2019 at
  All that glorious food! I’m sure it was delicious. That’s good eating! Thanks for stopping by Alicia!
Bryan
July 31, 2019 at
I can never find fresh Whiting where I live, but frozen is available. Would frozen Whiting be as good? Thank you.
- April
  August 3, 2019 at
  Yes but fresh is much better. I used frozen to make this recipe.
Gerard Johnson
June 25, 2019 at
I use 1 cup fine cornmeal + 1/2 cup masa flour seasoned sparingly with salt for the breading. Dredge fish in a wetting mixture of 1 cup whole milk + 1/8 cup hot sauce (Louisiana, Franks, Texas Pete etc.) then pack on the breading. Fry as directed by April. Gooood!

- April
  July 4, 2019 at
  That sounds absolutely delicious! I need to try it your way next time! Thanks Gerard!
- Jacqueline
  November 10, 2019 at
  Yes!!!!!! My mother always took 2 or 3 eggs whisking in milk & Hot sauce. Coat the whiting first with it before dredging through the cornmeal/flour mixture. PERFECT everytime!!
  This is the only way my whole family fries Whiting. We always serve it with cast iron cornbread, cheesy mac & cheese and collards 😋
  - April
    November 10, 2019 at
    Okay now I really gotta try it lol! Thanks for your comment Jacqueline!
Nicole Hood
April 23, 2019 at
Look at that crispy golden fish! :Love frying in my cast iron!
Nicole Hood
Geetanjali Tung
April 22, 2019 at
The fried fish looks just perfect, crispy and yummy. At my place no weekend is complete without some fried fish or chicken. I am just loving it 🙂
Geetanjali Tung

Mimi
April 22, 2019 at
I love classic recipes. I think the reason why they become classic with time is because they are perfect in every sense. This southern friend fish is not an exception. Delicious looking dish that I am incredibly excited to try!
Mimi

Maman de sara
April 21, 2019 at
I love fried fish but I didn’t know that they use cornmeal in the recipe. That looks crispy and yummy.

Samantha H.
April 21, 2019 at
I’m drooling just looking at these photos! I think cornmeal batter goes so well with fried seafood. There’s a restaurant here that’s only open seasonally which is exactly like the ones you talked about. They have four things on the menu: fried catfish, fried chicken, hushpuppies, and fries. Too bad the river flooding will prevent them from opening this year.

- April
  April 22, 2019 at
  Oh wow that’s not good. I bet they had the best fried fish. I love fish takeouts! Thank you!