Southern Pan Fried Fish (Whiting Fish Recipe)

Classic southern fried fish is lightly seasoned and fried in heavy duty bottom pan until crispy and golden.  Tender, flaky fried whiting fish is so delicious! Perfect with hushpuppies!

Southern Fried Fish 

Southern fried fish is so underrated particularly whiting fish.  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. 

My little brother, well,  he was a greedy kid. Every couple minutes he’d check to see if the fish was done. He REALLY couldn’t wait to eat it.  When he scarfed his down, he would immediately ask me or our other siblings, “you gonna eat that?” He should’ve known better.

Who would really 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 menu was limited. 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, no milk or egg or in the batter, just cornmeal a bit of flour or sometimes all cornmeal and a bit of seasonings and fried it in one her old trusty pan, the cast iron skillet.

We prefer to use whiting fish because it’s one of the best fish to pan fry…catfish is a great fish to pan fry too.   I suggested a few other fish below. 

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. The fish only takes 3-4 minutes on each side to fully cook. 

Lightly season the fish with salt and pepper. Set aside.  In a large bowl or shallow plate, combine the flours and all of 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. That’s basically what the pics in the steps show. 

Tips to make this 

• 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. 
• Make sure all of the bones are removed from the fish.
• To make this gluten-free, eliminate the 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.
• I suggest using a cast iron skillet for frying fish.
• Do not fill the skillet more than halfway with oil.
• Once the temperature reaches 350F it’s time to fry the fish.

How do you make fried fish?

5 from 12 votes

Print

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

1. Lightly season the fish with salt and pepper. Set aside.  In a large bowl, combine the flours and all of the seasonings. 
   

2. 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

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